1887
  1. Home
  2. e-Journals
  3. Translation, Cognition & Behavior
  4. Online First Articles
  5. Online First Article
image of Translating war metaphors from English to Arabic in COVID-19 science news articles
USD
Buy:$35.00 + Taxes

Abstract

This paper aims to study how metaphors in science news articles about the COVID-19 pandemic have been translated from English source texts (ST) to Arabic. To reach this end, a corpus of 94 science news articles from English and Arabic is constructed and analysed using a model of metaphor translation strategies. The analysis has revealed that the metaphor has been largely maintained, and that retention and modification have been equally used by the translators thus highlighting their faithfulness to the ST and adaptation to the target language (TL) culture and norms. Cases of modification have been related to valuing positiveness in the Arab culture and to the preference for formal and embellished style in the TL genre and register.

© John Benjamins Publishing Company
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1075/tcb.25018.ben
2026-07-06
2026-07-16

  • From This Site

    /content/journals/10.1075/tcb.25018.ben
    dcterms_title,dcterms_subject,pub_keyword
    -contentType:Journal -contentType:Contributor -contentType:Concept -contentType:Institution
    10
    5
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Abdessamad, L.
    (2024) A contrastive study of euphemistic death expressions in Arabic and Chinese. OAlib, (), –. 10.4236/oalib.1111933
     https://doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1111933 [Google Scholar]
  2. Abdul-Raof, H.
    (2006) Arabic Rhetoric-A pragmatic Analysis. Routledge. 10.4324/9780203965399
     https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203965399 [Google Scholar]
  3. Abuarrah, S., & Istetih, D.
    (2016) Translation of politeness in audio-visual advertising from English to Arabic. An-Najah University Journal for Research-B (Humanities), (), –. 10.35552/0247‑030‑010‑005
     https://doi.org/10.35552/0247-030-010-005 [Google Scholar]
  4. Allan, S.
    (2009) Making science newsworthy: Exploring the conventions of science journalism (pp.–). Oxford University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Al-Meshhedany, A. A. H., & Al-Sammerai, N. S. M.
    (2010) Facing Finality: Cognitive and Cultural Studies on Death and Dying ”Arabic Culture”. English Language Teaching, (), –. 10.5539/elt.v3n1p12
     https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v3n1p12 [Google Scholar]
  6. Almirabi, M. M.
    (2024) The universal culture of COVID-19 as provoked by the war against COVID-19 metaphor. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, (), –. 10.17507/jltr.1505.05
     https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1505.05 [Google Scholar]
  7. Alolaywi, Y.
    (2022) Derivation between English and Arabic with Reference to Translation: A Contrastive Analysis Study. AWEJ for Translation & Literary Studies, Volume, Number. August 2022 Pp.–. 10.24093/awejtls/vol6no3.9
     https://doi.org/10.24093/awejtls/vol6no3.9 [Google Scholar]
  8. Alshunnag, M. B. M.
    (2016) Translating conceptual metaphor in popular biomedical texts from English to Arabic (Doctoral dissertation).
  9. Al-Kharabsheh, A.
    (2011) Arabic death discourse in translation: Euphemism and metaphorical conceptualization in Jordanian obituaries. Across Languages and Cultures, (), –. 10.1556/Acr.12.2011.1.2
     https://doi.org/10.1556/Acr.12.2011.1.2 [Google Scholar]
  10. Augé, A.
    (2022) Ideological and explanatory uses of the COVID-19 as a war metaphor in science. Review of Cognitive Linguistics, (), –. 10.1075/rcl.00117.aug
     https://doi.org/10.1075/rcl.00117.aug [Google Scholar]
  11. Baker, M.
    (2018) In other words: A coursebook on translation. Routledge. 10.4324/9781315619187
     https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315619187 [Google Scholar]
  12. Barreneche, S. M.
    (2020) From a Biological Entity to a Social Monster. A Semiotic Construction of the Coronavirus during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Fuori Luogo Journal of Sociology of Territory, Tourism, Technology, (), –.
     [Google Scholar]
  13. Basch, C. H., Hillyer, G. C., Meleo-Erwin, Z., Mohlman, J., Cosgrove, A., & Quinones, N.
    (2020) News coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic: Missed opportunities to promote health sustaining behaviors. Infection, disease & health, (), –. 10.1016/j.idh.2020.05.001
     https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idh.2020.05.001 [Google Scholar]
  14. Benelhadj, F.
    (2023) Dissemination of Knowledge During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Conceptual Metaphor Analysis of Research and Popular Articles. InDigital scientific communication: Identity and visibility in research dissemination (pp.–). Cham: Springer International Publishing. 10.1007/978‑3‑031‑38207‑9_4
     https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-38207-9_4 [Google Scholar]
  15. (2026) Conceptual metaphor between universality and variation: an SFL perspective on context. InThe Routledge Handbook of Transdisciplinary Systemic Functional Linguistics (pp.–). Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  16. Calsamiglia, H., & Van Dijk, T. A.
    (2004) Popularization discourse and knowledge about the genome. Discourse & society, (), –. 10.1177/0957926504043705
     https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926504043705 [Google Scholar]
  17. Cambridge University Press
    Cambridge University Press. (n.d.). Kill. InCambridge dictionary. RetrievedApril 8, 2025fromhttps://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/kill
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Charteris-Black, J.
    (2004) Critical metaphor analysis. InCorpus approaches to critical metaphor analysis (pp.–). London: Palgrave Macmillan UK. 10.1057/9780230000612_12
     https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230000612_12 [Google Scholar]
  19. Collins Online Dictionary
    Collins Online Dictionary. (n.d.). Launch. InCollins Dictionary. RetrievedApril 12, 2025fromhttps://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/launch
     [Google Scholar]
  20. de Saint Preux, A. D., & Blanco, O. M.
    (2021) The power of conceptual metaphors in the age of pandemic: The influence of the WAR and SPORT domains on emotions and thoughts. Language & Communication, , –. 10.1016/j.langcom.2021.08.003
     https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langcom.2021.08.003 [Google Scholar]
  21. El-Kanash, H. H., & Hamdan, J. M.
    (2023) COVID-19 Conceptual Metaphors in Jordanian Political Discourse: Evidence from a Newspaper-based Corpus. GEMA Online Journal of Language Studies, ().
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Flusberg, S. J., Matlock, T., & Thibodeau, P. H.
    (2018) War metaphors in public discourse. Metaphor and Symbol, (), –. 10.1080/10926488.2018.1407992
     https://doi.org/10.1080/10926488.2018.1407992 [Google Scholar]
  23. Freelon, D.
    (2010) ReCal: Intercoder reliability calculation as a web service. International Journal of Internet Science, (), pp.–.
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Galal, M. M.
    (2014) Death euphemism in English and Arabic: A conceptual metaphorization approach. International Journal of Linguistics, (), . 10.5296/ijl.v6i1.4514
     https://doi.org/10.5296/ijl.v6i1.4514 [Google Scholar]
  25. Gentner, D., & Gentner, D. R.
    (1983) Flowing waters or teeming crowds: Mental models of electricity. Mental models, , .
     [Google Scholar]
  26. Goatly, A.
    (1997) The language of metaphors. Routledge. 10.4324/9780203210000
     https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203210000 [Google Scholar]
  27. He, S.
    (2025) Metaphor Translation in Popular Science: From Minds to Languages. Taylor & Francis.
     [Google Scholar]
  28. Hyland, K.
    (2010) Constructing proximity: Relating to readers in popular and professional science. Journal of English for academic purposes, (), –. 10.1016/j.jeap.2010.02.003
     https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2010.02.003 [Google Scholar]
  29. Kövecses, Z.
    (2005) Metaphor in culture: Universality and variation. Cambridge university press. 10.1017/CBO9780511614408
     https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511614408 [Google Scholar]
  30. (2010) Metaphor: A practical introduction. Oxford university press.
     [Google Scholar]
  31. (2014) Conceptual metaphor theory and the nature of difficulties in metaphor translation. InMonti, Enrico & Donna Rose Miller (Eds.), Translating figurative language, –.
     [Google Scholar]
  32. Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M.
    (2008) Metaphors we live by. University of Chicago press.
     [Google Scholar]
  33. Lasco, G.
    (2020) Medical populism and the COVID-19 pandemic. Global Public Health, (), –. 10.1080/17441692.2020.1807581
     https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2020.1807581 [Google Scholar]
  34. Low, G., Littlemore, J., & Koester, A.
    (2008) Metaphor use in three UK university lectures. Applied linguistics, (), –. 10.1093/applin/amn008
     https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amn008 [Google Scholar]
  35. Maalej, Z.
    (2008) Translating metaphor between unrelated cultures: A cognitive-pragmatic perspective. Sayyab translation journal, (), –.
     [Google Scholar]
  36. Merakchi, K., & Rogers, M.
    (2013) The translation of culturally bound metaphors in the genre of popular science articles: A corpus-based case study from Scientific American translated into Arabic. Intercultural Pragmatics, (), –. 10.1515/ip‑2013‑0015
     https://doi.org/10.1515/ip-2013-0015 [Google Scholar]
  37. Morreall, J.
    (1976) The nonsynonymy of kill and cause to die. Linguistic Inquiry, (), –.
     [Google Scholar]
  38. Nader, M.
    (2015) Translation of war metaphors in economic texts from English into Arabic. Sayyb Translation Journal (STJ) volume 5, 2013: An internationally peer-reviewed journal of Arabic-English translation studies, .
     [Google Scholar]
  39. Newmark, P.
    (1988) A textbook of translation (Vol., pp.–). New York: Prentice hall.
     [Google Scholar]
  40. Pascual, D., Plo-Alastrué, R., & Corona, I.
    (2023) Digital Scholarly Practices in Scientific Communication: Paths and Goals in Research Dissemination. InDigital Scientific Communication: Identity and Visibility in Research Dissemination (pp.–). Cham: Springer International Publishing. 10.1007/978‑3‑031‑38207‑9_1
     https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-38207-9_1 [Google Scholar]
  41. Pérez-Sobrino, P., Semino, E., Ibarretxe-Antuñano, I., Koller, V., & Olza, I.
    (2022) Acting like a hedgehog in times of pandemic: Metaphorical creativity in the# ReframeCovid collection. Metaphor and Symbol, (), –. 10.1080/10926488.2021.1949599
     https://doi.org/10.1080/10926488.2021.1949599 [Google Scholar]
  42. Rajandran, K.
    (2020) A Long Battle Ahead’: Malaysian and Singaporean prime ministers employ war metaphors for COVID-19. GEMA Online Journal of Language Studies, (), –. 10.17576/gema‑2020‑2003‑15
     https://doi.org/10.17576/gema-2020-2003-15 [Google Scholar]
  43. Schäffner, C.
    (2004) Metaphor and translation: some implications of a cognitive approach. Journal of pragmatics, (), –. 10.1016/j.pragma.2003.10.012
     https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2003.10.012 [Google Scholar]
  44. Schmidt, G.
    (2015) Applying Conceptual Metaphor Theory in cross-linguistic and translation research. Dimenzije znacênja. Zagreb: Filozofski fakultet sveucilista u Zagrebu, –.
     [Google Scholar]
  45. Schnell, Z., & Ervas, F.
    (2022) Intercultural discussion of conceptual universals in discourse: joint online methodology to bring about social change through novel conceptualizations of Covid-19. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, (), –. 10.1057/s41599‑022‑01230‑4
     https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-022-01230-4 [Google Scholar]
  46. Semino, E.
    (2008) Metaphor in discourse (p.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  47. (2021) “Not soldiers but fire-fighters”–metaphors and Covid-19. Health communication, (), –. 10.1080/10410236.2020.1844989
     https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1844989 [Google Scholar]
  48. Semino, E., Demjén, Z., & Demmen, J.
    (2018) An integrated approach to metaphor and framing in cognition, discourse, and practice, with an application to metaphors for cancer. Applied linguistics, (), –.
     [Google Scholar]
  49. Shuttleworth, M.
    (2017) Studying scientific metaphor in translation. Routledge. 10.4324/9781315678085
     https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315678085 [Google Scholar]
  50. Steen, G., Dorst, L., Herrmann, B., Kaal, A., Krennmayr, T., & Pasma, T.
    (2010) A method for linguistic metaphor identification from MIP to MIPVU preface. Method for linguistic metaphor identification: from MIP To MIPVU, , –.
     [Google Scholar]
  51. Steen, G.
    (2014) Translating metaphor: What’s the problem?InMonti, Enrico & Donna Rose Miller (Eds.), Translating Figurative Language, –. Quaderni del CeSLiC.
     [Google Scholar]
  52. Toury, G.
    (1995/2012) Descriptive Translation Studies and Beyond. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.10.1075/btl.100
     https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.100 [Google Scholar]
  53. Vettorel, P.
    (2014) Evolving Genres in Web-mediated Communication. ELT Journal, (), –. 10.1093/elt/ccu051
     https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccu051 [Google Scholar]
  54. Wicke, P., & Bolognesi, M. M.
    (2020) Framing COVID-19: How we conceptualize and discuss the pandemic on Twitter. PloS one, (), . 10.1371/journal.pone.0240010
     https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0240010 [Google Scholar]
  55. Zaharna, R. S.
    (1995) Understanding cultural preferences of Arab communication patterns. Public Relations Review, (), –. 10.1016/0363‑8111(95)90024‑1
     https://doi.org/10.1016/0363-8111(95)90024-1 [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1075/tcb.25018.ben
Loading
Translating war metaphors from English to Arabic in COVID-19 science news articles
John Benjamins ; https://doi.org/10.1075/tcb.25018.ben
/content/journals/10.1075/tcb.25018.ben
/content/journals/10.1075/tcb.25018.ben
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Research Article
Keywords: popular science ; COVID-19 pandemic ; war metaphors ; metaphor translation

Most Cited

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was successful
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error