Naturalness in Translation: A Case Study of the Figurative Elements in the Persian Rendering of To Kill a Mockingbird

The present research examines different translation strategies employed to render into Persian idioms and metaphors in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird (۱۹۶۰). Actually, the aim of the research is to scrutinize the choices made by the translator when dealing with such elements, through comparing the source and target tropes in search of the most frequently-used strategies. To investigate possible strategies used to render idioms, Baker’s four-stage model (۱۹۹۲) was used, while for metaphors, the model proposed by Morneau (۱۹۹۳) was applied. As for estimating the naturalness of the translation, Venuti's (۱۹۹۲) concepts of domestication and foreignization were utilized. The collected data comprised ۲۰۹ idioms and ۳۹ metaphors. Analysis of the data revealed that the most frequently-used strategies for rendering idioms and metaphors were paraphrase and word-for-word translation, respectively. Furthermore, it was found that domestication was more dominant than foreignization in the Persian translation. The findings of the present study can be helpful for all those involved in the practice of translating literary works as well as novice translators, translation teachers and translation students. 

Keywords:

translation strategies , Domestication , Foreignization , naturalness , paraphrase