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5.1 Corpus-based Analysis......................................46

5.2 The Target Domains of the FIRE Metaphor in the Source Text.........................49

Chapter 7 Discussion

As discussed previously,the target domains of the FIRE metaphor in the sourcetext include rebellious spirit,emotions and feelings,trouble,rebirth,and power.Eighttranslation techniques were applied to translate these target domains:image andmeaning preservation,image preservation+meaning modification,image deletion+meaning preservation,image deletion+meaning modification,explication,image andmeaning preservation+explanation,image and meaning deletion,and metaphoraddition.Among these techniques,some are highly consistent with Toury’s taxonomyof metaphor translation methods.For example,image and meaning preservation,image deletion+meaning preservation,and image and meaning deletion,respectivelycorrespond to Toury’s conceptualization of metaphor as the“same”metaphor,metaphor to non-metaphor,and metaphor to 0.

Some of the techniques observed in the study are comparable to what has beenobserved in metaphor translation by other researchers.For example,Broeck(1981)proposed the notion of discursive translation,which means the translation of metaphorinto sense.Schaffner(2004)included elaboration as a method for metaphortranslation,which adds additional explanation to the metaphor.In this study,atranslation technique is identified and named as image and meaning preservation+explanation.Also,the technique of explicitation is comparable to Newmark’s(1980)categorization of metaphor into a simile.

Chapter 8 Conclusion

Following the paradigm of Descriptive Translation Studies,this paper hasanalyzed the translation techniques of the FIRE metaphor in the Chinese translation ofCeleste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere,in an effort to identify the norms behind thetranslator’s choices.The major findings can be summarized as follows.To start with,the FIRE metaphor in Little Fires Everywhere has several target domains,such as therebellious spirit,rebirth,and trouble.Together,they support the thematic meaning ofthe novel.To reconstruct these target domains,the translator applied eight techniques,including image and meaning preservation,image preservation+meaningmodification,image deletion+meaning preservation,image deletion+meaningmodification,explicitation,image and meaning preservation+explanation,image andmeaning deletion,and metaphor addition.

Two norms are found to influence the decisions in metaphor translation.On onehand,the universality of metaphors,as determined by shared embodied experiences,enables the translator to preserve the metaphor during the translation process.Sincepeople’s conception generated from embodied experience is in many ways universal,the metaphor also has the feature of universality.Hence,it is feasible to maintain theimage and the meaning of a metaphor in the target text.On the other hand,uniquenessin cultural backgrounds requires adjustment to the metaphor to suit the context of thetarget culture.It is also found that when the translator altered the image or themeaning of the metaphor,the metaphorical coherence in the target text iscompromised.

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