Tugas Translation_Chapter sixth_ FIGURATIVE PROPOSITIONS/METAPHORS AND SIMILE

Chapter 6

FIGURATIVE PROPOSITIONS/METAPHORS AND SIMILE

We know that both metaphor and simile are common figures of speech found in many languages. This chapter we will talk about important point such as: 1. Defining metaphor and simile, 2. Analyzing metaphors and similes, 3.Translating metaphor and similes, 4. Problems in interpreting metaphors. These figures of speech are comparisons. A metaphor is an imaginative way of describing something by referring to something else which is the same in a particular way. For example, if you want to say that someone is very shy and frightened of things, you might say that they are a mouse. While a simile is an expression which describes a person or thing as being similar to someone or something else. For example, the sentences `She runs like a deer' and `He's as white as a sheet' contain similes, the moon like blood, and John is like a ravenous wolf.

As I have told you above, when you are making comparisons, you may use similes or metaphors. They are both analogies that compare two things. Metaphors are a kind of analogy where two unlike things are compared but have something in common. The statement doesn't make sense, until you think about it and see the comparison that is being made.

Here are some Examples of metaphors:
• He's a diamond in the rough. This means he is better than he appears and maybe needs more experiences or training to show his true nature.
• She is such an airhead. Airhead implies she is not smart or doesn't think well.
• Time is a thief. There is not enough time to do what you want.
• The world is my oyster. This can mean the speaker is positive about his experiences and is going to do well in life.
• You are a couch potato. This refers to someone who sits and does nothing.
Simile can be also state like this a more direct comparison of two things and a metaphor is an indirect comparison. If you look at a metaphor literally, it doesn't make sense. When you realize the comparison that being made, then it makes sense. Similes are a little easier to understand. The uses of similes and metaphors can be confusing to people who are not fluent in a given language because they will interpret the words literally. Also, similes and metaphors can change from region to region, and even among groups of people, like musicians or teenagers. Sharing certain analogies can be a common bond in a social group.
Language can change quickly, thanks to mass media and the Internet, so being fluent in a language is an ongoing process for everyone.
2. Analyzing metaphors and similes
the simile in English, John is as tall as bean pole is based on two propositions:
1. John is tall
2. A bean is tall
this is very simple and easy to analyze because the topic of the first proposition is being compared to the topic of the second. The comments are identical. The topic of the second proposition is often called image (for illustration), the thing that the first topic is like. The point of similarity is found in the comments. A metaphor or simile, then, has four parts.
Topic: - the topic of the first proposition (nonfigurative). I.e. the thing really being talked about
Image: - the topic of the second proposition (figurative). I.e. what is being compared with
Point of similarity: - found in the comments of both of the propositions involved or the comment of the event proposition which has image as topic.
Nonfigurative equivalent: - when the proposition containing the topic is an event proposition, the comment is the nonfigurative equivalent. To analyze metaphor and similes, it is very helpful to write out the propositions which are basic to the comparison. The topic, image. Point of similarity 9found in the comments about the topic and the image), and the non figurate meaning (when the proposition) should all be include. Only when these have been identified, can be adequate translation be made into a second language. The meaning in the source text must be discovered first.

3. Translating metaphor and similes
In the light of these various problems, the difficulty in the discovering the meaning of metaphors in the source language and the misunderstanding which are may be in their interpretation-the translator must give careful consideration whenever a metaphor is found in the source text. The following steps can be used to find out adequate translation of a metaphor or simile:

- To determine whether the comparison is an idiom or metaphor/simile
- If it is an idiom, then, the image does not need to be kept, but the meaning can be translated directly, i.e. no figuratively
- If it is a metaphor or a simile the first task of the translator is to analyze the metaphor carefully. It can be very helpful to write down explicitly the two propositions with the topic, the image, and the point of similarity.

The aim of the translator is to avoid wrong, zero, or ambiguous meaning. A literal translation of a metaphor or simile often leads to wrong meaning or no meaning at all. Sometimes it is simply ambiguous. Figures which are translated literally need to be checked out carefully with a number of speakers to be sure that the right meaning is being communicated.

4. Problems in interpreting metaphors
not all metaphor and similes are easily understood. If they are translated literally, word-for-word, into a second language, they will often be completely misunderstood. There are a number of reasons why metaphors are hard to understand and cannot be translated literally. First of all, the image used in the metaphor or simile may be unknown meaningless to people who live in some parts of the South Pacific where snow is unknown. In English, we can say I washed my clothes white as snow. To make a similar comparison in a language in the south pacific some other image would probably be uses such as white as seashells or white as bone. Sometimes it is a point of similarity that is implicit and hard to identify.

Abstract
Metaphor provides a case study for the problem of the interaction of participants in the communicative act. Metaphor can be defined as a linguistic sign used in the predicative function outside its normal usage as determined by the code. Metaphorical sense emerges through exploiting the set of associations that accompany linguistic elements in the consciousness of code users. This pragmatic material is a more amorphous complex than ordinary linguistic meaning. The sets of associations fixed in the consciousness of native speakers of a given language make metaphorical communication always extremely `sensitive' to the communicative context.
Problems in interpreting metaphors
not all Metaphors and Simile are easily understood. If they are translated literally, word by word, into a second language, they will often be completely misunderstood. There are a number of reasons why Metaphors are hard to understand and cannot be translated literally.