Parasto Momeni, Ali Akbar Noresideh, Sayed Reza Mirahmadi
The concept of conceptual metaphor is a relatively recent and emerging term in cognitive linguistics, which enables the understanding of one conceptual domain through another. This study examines the conceptual metaphors in the Sahifa Sajjadiyya and their reflection in two well-known translations by Hossein Ansarian and Abdul Mohammad Ayati, within the framework of source-oriented and target-oriented approaches. A total of 296 conceptual metaphors were identified in the text, based on the principles defined by Lakoff and Johnson. This study focuses on examples where the translators’ approaches diverge most distinctly in terms of source- and target-oriented perspectives. Using an analytical-descriptive method and relying on the principles of conceptual metaphor theory, the research evaluates the translators’ performance and the impact of their methods, categorizing selected examples according to shared source domains. The findings indicate that the abstract concepts in the supplicatory language of the Sahifa Sajjadiyya are often concretized through existential metaphors. Both translators employed source- and target-oriented approaches; however, Ayati’s translation sometimes leans toward overly literal renderings or retaining the Arabic text verbatim, which hinders the accurate conveyance of conceptual metaphors. In contrast, Ansarian’s translation offers a more effective representation of conceptual metaphors in Persian, aligning more closely with the principles of conceptual metaphor theory.IntroductionGeorge Lakoff and Mark Johnson, in their seminal book Metaphors We Live By (1980), introduced a novel perspective on metaphors. Before their work, metaphors were largely regarded as rhetorical or literary devices, used by poets and writers to embellish language and enhance eloquence. Their theory of conceptual metaphor challenged this view, showing that metaphors shape human thought and language.Religious discourse is a particularly fertile ground for studying conceptual metaphors, as it often engages with abstract and metaphysical notions such as the soul, the afterlife, God, death, and sin. The Sahifa Sajjadiyya, a collection of fifty-four supplications, conveys ethical and spiritual concepts through striking rhetorical expressions, many of which rely on conceptual metaphors.This study analyzes how Ansarian and Ayati translated these metaphors, focusing on their use of source-oriented and target-oriented strategies. Ansarian predominantly employs a target-oriented approach, using expressions that align with Persian linguistic and cultural norms, occasionally extending into colloquial Persian. Nevertheless, his work also reflects some source-oriented tendencies, due in part to the linguistic proximity between Arabic and Persian. By contrast, Ayati’s translation often emphasizes literal renderings or the verbatim retention of Arabic expressions, which sometimes obscures the underlying metaphors and complicates interpretation for readers.Literature ReviewSeveral studies have addressed conceptual metaphors in the Sahifa Sajjadiyya. Seyyed Kulthum Mousavi Dare (2019), in his thesis Conceptual Metaphors in Makarem al-Akhlaq Dua from the Viewpoint of Lakoff and Johnson (Mazandaran University), demonstrated that Imam Sajjad’s words are rich in abstract concepts. He argued that the effective use of creative metaphors grounded in physical mechanisms enhances the audience’s understanding of abstract notions.Sahar Malekian et al. (2021), in their article The Role of Conceptual Metaphors in the Sahifa Sajjadiyya from the Perspective of Cognitive Linguistics and Lakoff and Johnson’s Model (Journal of Translation Research in Arabic Language and Literature), examined the translations of Mousavi Garmarodi and Elahi Qomshei.Fatemeh Zare’i (2022), in her thesis Metaphor Analysis in the Sahifa Sajjadiyya Based on Cognitive Semantics (Case Study of Prayers 5–45) (Imam Khomeini International University), argued that existential metaphors—especially anthropomorphic ones—are the most effective means of concretizing abstract concepts, and that they occur with notable frequency.Similarly, Mohammad Razi Al-Jahishi (2023), in his thesis Examination of Conceptual Metaphors in the Sahifa Sajjadiyya in Light of Conceptual Metaphor Theory (University of Religions and Denominations), concluded that the text employs language strategically to communicate spiritual and abstract concepts to its audience.These studies demonstrate a growing interest in conceptual metaphor analysis but do not specifically compare the translations of Ansarian and Ayati with respect to source- and target-oriented strategies, leaving this study uniquely positioned to fill that gap.Research MethodologyThis research employs an analytical-descriptive method. First, the identified metaphors were classified according to the framework and categories defined by Lakoff and Johnson. They were then grouped by source domains to highlight similarities. Selected examples were analyzed from the translations of Ansarian and Ayati to evaluate how their approaches align with source- or target-oriented strategies.Conclusion * Both translators successfully conveyed many conceptual metaphors, but Ansarian’s translation more effectively reflects the abstract concepts embedded in the Sahifa Sajjadiyya.* Translators must carefully balance source-oriented and target-oriented approaches, as conceptual metaphors vary across cultures, and literal translation often risks obscuring or distorting meaning.* A recommended approach is for translators to preserve the abstract imagery of the source language while replacing it with natural equivalents in the target language, thereby maintaining rhetorical and semantic impact even if the metaphorical image itself changes.* Personification, as a dominant type of conceptual metaphor, is especially prevalent in the Sahifa Sajjadiyya, where abstract concepts such as God or Satan are often described in human terms through the attribution of human traits or actions.
Rafik Jamoussi, Kais Khadim, Aladin Al Zahran
et al.
The construct of professional identity (PI) is gaining prominence in the exploration of graduate employability, which has traditionally been approached from a skills-based perspective. Despite this shift in focus, the investigation of PI formation in translator training programs remains limited. This paper examines the self-reported PI profiles of translation trainees nearing the completion of their university studies. An online survey was administered to students from two different educational settings, utilizing the Professional Identity Five-Factor Scale (PIFFS). Descriptive statistical analyses were conducted on the collected data. Results indicate that PI among the two investigated student groups is moderately developed, highlighting the limited success of curricula in fostering PI when it is not explicitly integrated as a key objective. Profiling of the identified PI reveals that the dimension of experience with the profession is particularly lacking. The study concludes that when designing translation curricula, educators need to consider PI as an essential objective rather than an incidental by-product. The research underscores the necessity for activities beyond standard classroom practices to further enhance PI. These activities should increase industry engagement within the curriculum through work-integrated learning, such as apprenticeships, internships, field placements, and practicum experiences.
En aquesta entrevista, el traductor, intèrpret i activista Rolando d’Alessandro conversa amb Adrià Martín Mor sobre la seva tasca com a traductor i intèrpret, bàsicament entre l’italià i el català, al llarg de més de trenta anys. A partir de la seva experiència, marcada pel compromís amb la transformació social i per la persecució per un crim que se li va atribuir als anys setanta a Itàlia, D’Alessandro reflexiona sobre els seus inicis en la traducció i interpretació en clandestinitat. També fa referència a les tensions que es generen en el terreny de l’ètica per als traductors/ intèrprets i ofereix una perspectiva imprescindible per entendre el paper de la traducció i la interpretació en el món que vindrà.
The publication of Latviešu Avīzes, the first Latvian newspaper, on January 5, 1822, marked the birth of Latvian print advertising. In the early days of Latviešu Avīzes, advertising emerged from news articles that incorporated promotional elements and from classified advertisements. Since its formative years in the early 19th century, Latvian advertising has undergone several notable transformations. The contrast with modern-day advertising in popular magazines is showcased in various examples of changing values, foreign language influence in translations, brands, terminology and multimodality. The analysed examples show that advertising, in particular translated ads, has influenced and continues to influence the development of the Latvian language.
Muovendo una prospettiva ecocritica, l'articolo propone una lettura utopica del romanzo Alonso e i visionari di Anna Maria Ortese. La proposta è motivata dall'idea che l'individuazione di una qualità utopica nel testo possa aiutare a coglierne meglio i punti chiave: la critica al modello capitalistico, l'appello al rispetto della natura e delle specie non umane e la fondazione di una nuova epistemologia. La porosità intrinseca del discorso utopico, se da un lato incoraggia aperture, dall'altro richiede un approccio critico all'utopia come genere letterario. Pertanto, tenendo conto della specificità (tematica e formale) del testo utopico, è stato possibile individuare alcuni tratti distintivi dell'utopia letteraria nel romanzo ortesiano. L'accostamento di Alonso e i visionari all'utopia è quindi di duplice interesse: da un lato, problematizza l'astrattismo di cui il genere utopico è accusato; dall'altro, evidenzia il valore di una lettura ecologico-filosofica del romanzo ortesiano.
Geography. Anthropology. Recreation, Language. Linguistic theory. Comparative grammar
This article concerns the Italian adaptation of the multi-national reality television series Undercover Boss (Boss in incognito in Italian translation). The show (2014 – present) is aired in primetime on the Italian public service broadcaster, Radiotelevisione Italiana (Rai), and comprises one of the rare examples of labor thematization in mainstream television. As such, it constitutes an iconic title that makes important contributions to the socio-cultural role of screen storytelling. This essay approaches the TV series as a source and explores how Boss in incognito, like the original format, can provide Italian viewers with a popular narrative not free from ideological implications. Furthermore, it hypothesizes that the broadcasting does not fully correspond to Rai’s public service obligations.
Geography. Anthropology. Recreation, Language. Linguistic theory. Comparative grammar
In 1990, Gay Sunshine Press published the English translation of a Taiwanese novel titled Niezi [Sinful Sons]. The novel, written by the modernist author Pai Hsien-yung and translated by Howard Goldblatt as Crystal Boys, became such a sensation among Anglophone American readers that the publisher later put out a paperback edition. Blatantly marketed as the first modern Asian gay novel, the paperback edition features on its cover a half-naked jock in jeans against a dark chartreuse backdrop. Such marketing schticks—highlighting the theme of queer erotics and picking a cover image that looks like a 90s Calvin Klein advertisement—attracted many queer readers who were curious about cultural uniqueness and universal experience of being gay. Yet, little did they know that when the original novel first came out in 1983, it was not even considered by mainstream Taiwanese critics and readers as gay-themed fiction.
In this paper, I investigate the homotextualization and canonization of Niezi, with an emphasis on the shaping force of translation on the reading and reception of Pai’s novel. By synthesizing a select few representative pieces of scholarship on Niezi published in the 1980s, I demonstrate the connection between early critics’ evasive interpretations of queer motifs in Niezi and Taiwan’s conservative sociocultural milieu. Next, I present a historicized, comparative reading of Pai’s original work and its English translation Crystal Boys, with special attention to paratexts, the reconfiguration of untranslatables in the English translation, and the politics of anglicizing non-Euro-American, non-normative sexual landscapes. I argue that translation added to the complex production of meanings, facilitated the interactions between the text, the critic, the reader, and the author, and contributed to the queer iconization of Niezi.
Looking back over the history of translation in the world, it can be stated that ‘co-translation’ is a common translation phenomenon. It is largely prevalent in translation and interpretation activities around the world, and not least in providing access to important texts for various purposes. After a long absence from the field of translation studies, co-translation has been the focus of increasing attention in recent years. This paper investigates how co-translation within translation studies has been mapped in the international community. It also draws on the notions of James S. Holmes’s (2000) “map” of translation studies presented by Gideon Toury (2012) and Jeremy Munday (2016) in an attempt to put forth an overall framework that describes the ground covered by co-translation studies. Finally, a comparative analysis of three English versions of Shen Fu’s Fu Sheng Liu Ji (Six Records of a Life Adrift) is discussed in order to illustrate the influence on proper English translation and target readers’ expectation of co-translation and to explore the implications of this influence. This paper aims to offer a review of the latest developments in co-translation studies, the insightful findings of which may help scholars, researchers, students, and practitioners to reflect upon the important issues in this field and search for possible directions in their future research.
Language and Literature, Language. Linguistic theory. Comparative grammar
ABSTRACT This article examines the perceptions that students and teachers of translation, as well as professional translators, have of entrepreneurship education at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). Based on a case-study design, the study aims to describe the views of a group of students and a group of trainers on the Translation and Interpreting degree course at UAB, as well as those of a group of professional translators, on entrepreneurship and on the need to introduce entrepreneurship education into the degree course. Focus groups were used to collect the data. Our findings show that entrepreneurship education should be embedded in the curriculum of the Degree in Translation and Interpreting, although such content should not focus solely on translation and interpreting as professional tasks, but should also address the whole range of career opportunities that this degree offers. Nevertheless, all the groups agree that this should not lead to a decrease in the number of hours of translation and interpreting practice.
Abstract Park Chan-wook, one of the most internationally acclaimed Korean filmmakers, uses language as an important aspect of characterization in The Handmaiden, his adaptation of Sarah Water’s novel Fingersmith. The historical background and the characters’ nationalities are changed, but code-switching between two languages – i.e., Korean and Japanese – recurs throughout the film, thereby enhancing its relevance for the Korean audience. Drawing on the notion of ‘proximity’ and reader response theory, this study examines the role of languages in Park’s characterization and proximation of the original work for the Korean audience, and the extent to which the shifts in proximity and the use of languages contribute to British audiences’ affective experiences when this Korean adaptation is subtitled in English.
Translation problems have received considerable attention among translation process researchers and different research methods have been used to identify them. Findings are sometimes inconsistent, and as these studies have mainly studied translation between European languages, little research has been conducted to explore the issue concerning non-European languages. To fill this gap, the present study investigates problem triggers in English-Chinese sight translation in both directions (L1 and L2 translation). using eye-tracking data (Dragsted 2012). Results suggest that the type and number of translation problems encountered by the translators are different in L1 and L2 sight translation and that language-pair specificity is at play during the process, indicated by two identified Chinese-specific problem triggers, namely, back-sloping comma and head-final noun phrase.
Live subtitling using speech recognition, known as respeaking, is widely used to make live television programmes accessible. Although a growing area within audiovisual translation internationally, in the UK its industry use has been limited to television, in part due to the many misconceptions surrounding its production. This study explores how respeaking can be introduced to complement current access provision at unscripted or partially scripted events. Through close collaboration with users and providers, respeaking is shown to be a viable way of providing access for deaf, deafened and hard of hearing audience members in this new sector: access that a wider audience is also likely to benefit from. The paper begins with a brief discussion of the audiovisual landscape, focusing on quality in respeaking and current provision in the sector. Next, a bespoke training programme is presented and user and provider expectations for the service are outlined. Finally, the quality of respeaking at a series of research events is discussed. The results indicate that the quality attained for the most part meets, and frequently exceeds, the benchmark of 98% accuracy set for live television subtitling. Latency is similar to that seen on television, yet remains an area for further consideration.
This paper examines the social aspects of retranslation in contemporary Iran. Foreign classics and award-winning literary books have attracted multiple translations into Persian within a short period of time. For instance, George Orwell’s novella, Animal Farm, has received more than one hundred retranslations in the last 40 years. The aim of this paper is to investigate possible reasons for such an unusually high number of retranslations. By analysing sixteen interviews with Iranian translators and publishers and performing paratextual analysis of four retranslations of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, this paper sheds light on the perceived advantages and disadvantages of retranslation. It does so by drawing on the trust-based approach to the study of translation proposed by Rizzi, Lang, and Pym, and by offering sociological insight into retranslation in contemporary Iran. Four groups of translators are identified: amateur, early career, mid-career, and senior translators. Retranslation for the former two groups is viewed as profitable trade in literary translation market. For the latter two, retranslation is the process of reinforcing trustworthiness at the institutional level that means trust in professionalism of certain Iranian translators and publishers.