Metaphor and Culture: A Cognitive Approach to the Two Translations of Khayyam’s Quatrans

Authors
R. Veisi Hesar 1
M. Tavangar 2
1 Ph.D. Student of linguistics, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
2 Associate Professor of Linguistics, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
Abstract
Metaphor and its cultural specific attributes in translation is one of the main challenges in translatology. Translatability of metaphor is reduced due to its cultural impediments. This paper aims to investigate the relationship of metaphor to cultural models in translation. Three quatrains by Khayyam and their English and Kurdish translations were investigated. The results showed that the translators have succeeded in achieving equivalency when the metaphors are based on common cultural models, while the metaphors of uncommon cultural models are not properly transmitted. So the same mapping condition of Mandelblit’s theory is due to common cultural models, and different mapping condition is due to uncommon cultural models.

Keywords

Language Related Research
Volume 5, Issue 4
November and December 2014
Pages 197-218