Adaptability in metaphors for translators’ self-concepts

Abstract In the ever-changing language industry, translation experts are required to be ‘adaptive agents’. This study uses metaphors of self-concepts (i.e. personal metaphors) to access the cognitive aspects of the self that are enacted by students and professionals before and after performing a task. Translators whose metaphors show richness are expected to perform better, with their metaphors changing as they are exposed to different tasks. Such metaphor dynamicity is thus thought to be related to adaptability. Personal metaphors were collected via linguistic prompts and naturally in questionnaires/interviews about participants’ backgrounds and professional opinions. While the study found a relation between metaphor dynamicity and performance, no definitive conclusions could be drawn on metaphor richness. This led to the hypothesis that dynamic personal metaphors of adaptability (e.g., a translator is a chameleon; a jack of all trades) can be linked to better performance. The study also suggests that incorporating metaphors and self-concepts in translator training could enhance adaptability in translation.