METAPHORICAL DESCRIPTIONS: STUDENTS' CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF TRANSLATION AND THE TRANSLATOR

This study explores how students define the notion of translator and conceptualize the act of translation process, translation challenges, and translation education through metaphorical expressions. The participants consisted of 99 university students enrolled in translation courses at a state university in Türkiye. The data were collected using an open-ended questionnaire designed to elicit metaphorical descriptions. Thematic analysis was conducted and the metaphors used by the participants were categorized according to their functional similarities. The findings demonstrate that students do not view translation as a mere linguistic transfer, but they conceptualize it as a creative, guiding, nurturing and cultural process. The participant responses describe the translator through various metaphors such as artist, bridge, detective, engineer or guide, indicating that the role of translator is perceived as multilayered and requiring both technical and intuitive skills. Similarly, translation education is described mostly as a developmental, practice-based, exploratory and guidance-oriented process. Taken together, the study proposes that metaphors are an effective cognitive tool in understanding students’ mental frameworks about translation. In this respect, it is concluded that metaphor-based analyses could contribute to translation pedagogy and be utilized in developing student-centered instructional approaches.