Translating Metaphors in Proverbs from Korean into English : Focusing on Translation as Conventional Equivalence

The purpose of this study is to explore how metaphors in proverbs are translated from Korean to English and to identify effective and preferred translation strategies.
A three-step process was undertaken to identify these strategies. First, Korean proverbs and their existing translations were identified. Then the metaphors contained in both the Korean and the English proverbs were classified by type in accordance with what was suggested by Lakoff and Johnson (2003). Finally, the metaphors in both Korean and English proverbs were compared to find the patterns of metaphor translation.
The findings of this study are as follows: First, metaphors in proverbs are translated into one of two ways: first, metaphors are translated into metaphors; and second, metaphors are not translated. The first strategy, metaphors are translated into metaphors, is not just the best but also the most used strategy in translating metaphors contained in proverbs.
Second, metaphorical concepts have two levels, generic-level and specific-level. These levels can be shifted when translating metaphors. The levels of metaphorical concepts go up, go down, or are maintained when it comes to translating metaphors in proverbs. This study calls this “generalization strategy,” “specialization strategy,” and “level-maintaining strategy.” The level-shifting strategies are used for the translation of cultural factors because not all cultures share the same cultural references.
Third, the translation strategy of metaphors is related to the nature of each language. “Personification” was found to be the most effective and commonly used strategy when it comes to translating proverbs from Korean to English. The Korean language avoids the use of inanimate subjects, but the English language prefers the employment of inanimate subjects. The nature of English leads to the use of a personification strategy because the strategy personifies nonhuman things as the subject of a sentence.
This study finds out the fact that metaphors are pervasive in everyday life and play a major role in conveying the message of proverbs. In this regard, it is important to translate metaphors contained in proverbs in such a way that the effects and implications of a metaphor used in the ST be delivered in the TT as well. It is expected that this study will lead to discussions on the role of metaphors in translation in general as the intercultural communication acts.