Metaphors in translation: a study of Wole Soyinka’s the lion and the jewel

Abstract

A metaphor is a figure of speech that is used to directly compare seemingly unrelated objects. Simply put, it is the fact of referring to something by mentioning another one. Metaphors are most of the time found in literature. This is the case of Wole Soyinka’s play entitled The Lion and the Jewel, which also exists in French through the title Le lion et la perle. The present study aims at discussing the translation of metaphors in Soyinka’s play. Many scholars have written about the translation of metaphors as this translation goes beyond finding equivalents in the target language. In this respect, Peter Newmark admits that “the translation of any metaphor is the epitome of all translation, in that it always offers choices in the direction either of sense or of an image, or a modification of one, or a combination of both, and depending on the contextual factors, not least on the importance of the metaphor within text” (1988b:113). After identifying the different types of metaphors in The Lion and the Jewel, based on Newmark’s theory of metaphors translation, the researcher will discuss the methods used by the translator of Soyinka’s play. The research paper will be divided into two parts. The first part deals with literature review and the theoretical framework. In this part, the different types of metaphors and their translation procedure will be discussed. In the second part, the metaphors in The Lion and the Jewel will be identified and classified. These metaphors translation will also be analysed.