Metaphor and Translation A case study of the story of Zal and Simorq in the Shahnameh

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This study aims in investigating the translatio ns of metaphors in the Shahnameh. As an important form of figurative language, metaphor is considered to have its most sophisticated forms in literary language. However, reproducing them in the target language is not an easy task for the translator. Metaphors in literary works are also usually rich in culture-specific connotations. This gives rise to the difficulties in the translation process. Although different procedures for rendering a metaphor have been presented, translators always face the challenge of choosing the right one to translate the metaphor. The study employs Newmark’s model of metaphor translation to analyze the translation approaches to rendering metaphors in literary discourse, with specific reference to the story of Zal and Simorq in the Shahnameh. The data analyses show that five procedures have been applied in the translation of the Shahnameh’s metaphors. Besides, the translator has not employed any new starategy in rendering the metaphors into the target language apart from those proposed by Newmark. The findings of this study also suggest that neglecting the source form of the metaphor for reading ease may not be the right way in translating metaphors. When metaphors are deleted or converted into sensein the translated text, the semantic power of the original text is weaken.