AWEJ for Translation & Literary Studies, Volume 10. Number 2. May 2026 Pp.147-158
Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Recherche en Didactique, Éducation et Formation
Department of Languages and Human Sciences
Cadi Ayyad University, École Normale Supérieure, Marrakech, Morocco
This study examines how metaphorical expressions in Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea are translated into Arabic by comparing two published versions. It addresses how translators handle metaphors and what these choices reveal about the relationship between meaning and style in the target text. The aim is to identify the strategies used in translating metaphors and to assess how these strategies affect readability and expressive force. The study is significant in that it provides a close comparison of two translations of the same literary work, an approach that remains relatively limited in English-Arabic translation research. The analysis adopts a qualitative comparative method based on a purposive selection of six metaphorical expressions. Each example is examined in terms of the strategy applied, the degree of literalness or adjustment, and the extent to which meaning and stylistic effect are preserved. The findings show that both translations frequently retain the original metaphorical image but differ in how it is handled. One translation uses a wider range of strategies, producing more natural and stylistically consistent renderings, while the other remains closer to the wording of the source text, sometimes at the expense of fluency. The study suggests that effective metaphor translation requires careful adjustment rather than strict adherence to form. Further research may extend this analysis by examining larger datasets or exploring reader responses to different translation choices.
Mounadil, T. (2026). Metaphor Translation in English-Arabic Literary Translation: A Comparative Study of Arabic Translations of The Old Man and the Sea. Arab World English Journal for Translation & Literary Studies. 10.(2):147-158.
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Dr. Tounssi Mounadil is an assistant professor of Applied Linguistics and Translation Studies at Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech, Morocco, where he is affiliated with the École Normale Supérieure. His academic and professional work is grounded in English Language Teaching (ELT), Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), English as a Foreign Language (EFL), and Translation Studies. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4136-4671