Mapping Image-schemas and Translating Metaphors

Mapping Image-Schemes and Translating Metaphors Kathleen Ahrens and Alicia L. T Say National Taiwan University ahrens@ms.cc.ntu.edu.tw ABSTRACT In this paper we demonstrate that identifying the mappings between the source and target domains for a conceptual metaphor allows for both a greater understanding of the conceptual basis of metaphors, and more effective language translation. We first introduce and explain the Animal Metaphor to support our idea. We show that the Animal Metaphor exists in both English and Chinese, but that it maps different information from the source to the target domain. We then propose three principled steps to aid in the translation of metaphors from one language to another, using the animal metaphor as an example. Lastly, we summarize our findings and discuss future areas of research. 1. INTRODUCTION Current understanding of metaphors has centered on identifying conceptual metaphors in a particular language, such as the following metaphors in English: TIME IS UNDERSTOOD AS) MONEY, LIFE IS A JOURNEY, GOOD IS UP, BAD IS DOWN, etc. [2]. These are conceptual metaphors, that is, they map one conceptual domain (i.e. money) onto another (i.e. time), as opposed to image metaphors, which map only one visual image onto another visual image. An example of a image metaphors is: 'Her waist is an hour-glass.' The visual image of the shape of an hour-glass is mapped onto the waist. Image metaphors are 'one-shot' deals, unlike conceptual metaphors which allow many concepts in the source domain to be mapped onto corresponding concepts in the target domain. These concepts are called image-schemas. For example, in the metaphor LIFE IS A JOURNEY we find the following metaphorical usages, as in (1). (la) He's cruising down the highway of success. (lb) You'd better slow down and think about what you want to do with your life. (lc) She lives her life in the fast lane. All these examples have to do with the image schema of speed. Speed in the source domain of JOURNEY relates to the speed at which the journey (usually in a car) takes place. This image-schema maps onto the speed at which LIFE takes place. Lakoff [1] proposes the Invariance Principle to guarantee that the mapping is consistent in the both the source and target domain. The Invariance Principle states: Metaphorical mappings preserve the cognitive topology (that is, the image-schema structure) of the source domain -, in a way that is consistent with the inherent structure of the target domain. (P. 215) Thus, given the Invariance Hypothesis, speed could not map onto the direction that one is going in the LIFE IS A JOURNEY metaphor. Direction is a different image-schema that exists in a JOUNEY and may or may not map onto LIFE in the LIFE IS A JOURNEY metaphor. In addition, image schemas that map cross-linguistically for the same conceptual metaphor may be a) central to the metaphor and b) a part of all human's conceptual system. Looking at the mapping problem from a cross-linguistic point of view also gives us the additional benefit …

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