FIGURATIVE EQUIVALENCE IN BILINGUAL LITERARY TRANSLATION

Abstract

Figurative language – such as metaphors, idioms, and other tropes – is a defining feature of literary texts, yet it poses a fundamental challenge to translators because of differences in culture and language. Achieving figurative equivalence (the preservation of metaphorical meaning) requires careful strategy: translators must decide whether to find a target-language figurative expression or to paraphrase the sense. This paper reviews theories of translation equivalence (Nida’s dynamic equivalence, Larson’s figurative/non-figurative equivalence) and examines how translators handle figurative imagery across languages. We survey key concepts (e.g. conceptual metaphor) and analyze case studies (e.g. Chinese–English, English–Uzbek) to show that successful literary translation of figurative elements depends on recreating the source text’s semantic space rather than producing a word-for-word match. Examples illustrate when translators retain, adapt, or omit metaphors and idioms. The article concludes that bilingual literary translation demands both linguistic competence and cultural sensitivity: translators must understand underlying conceptual metaphors and audience expectations. In sum, figurative equivalence is achievable but often requires creative adaptation and domain knowledge to maintain the original’s aesthetic and cultural force