How should metaphors be rendered in audiovisual translation?

Abstract

Although metaphors are one of the most challenging problems in translation, their treatment is still understudied under the specific constraints of audiovisual translation. The research is especially scarce regarding empirical reception studies as most research is product or process but not user-oriented. The main questions that the present study aims to answer are what are the general preferences and expectations of viewers regarding the translation strategies used for rendering metaphors in subtitling and what could be the underlying reasons for these. To this end, we conducted an experiment with 322 participants and compared the results with a semi-structured interview with 53 participants. The results suggest that viewers prefer a domesticated approach both for lexicalized and non-lexicalized metaphors except for visualized metaphors regardless of their level of transculturality. The potential underlying reasons for this are also discussed.