An Analysis on the Construction and Translation of Metaphor in Biology

Abstract

This research paper is intended to shed new light on metaphor that has been perceived for a long time as a device of ornament and embelishment mainly used in expressive texts. More recently, metaphors have found fertile ground in scientific texts in which they are employed to explain abstract ideas and processes and give an account of scientific phenomena and experiences. For this reason, we thought it convenient to devote this research to the analysis of metaphors in scientific discourse to see how they operate and conceptualize ideas and if their function and connotations can be maintained in the target text or their translation emplies some specific adjustments on the source text. To this end, special reference will made to Newmark’s taxonomy and strategies in addition to Shuttleworth’s analysis of scientific metaphor ; some samples from the scientific journal Scientific American will also be presented.