Semiotically-oriented, ontological entity/substance metaphors for translation-related service activity in Poland

Abstract

In this paper, we go back to the original Lakoff & Johnson’s cognitive theory of metaphors (1980), which has not yet been applied in translation and interpreting studies. We search for semiotically oriented, ontological entity/substance metaphors in a corpus containing 980 translation enterprise names set up in Poland in 2022. The source domains (core semiotic modes), mapped on the translation-related service activity, are as follows: language – predominantly, but also image, and – to a far lesser extent – sound/music and gas. These findings are complementary and convergent with previous studies built on Jakobson’s (2012 /1959/) translation typology insights into the semiotic nature of the translation concept expressed by the Polish term “tłumaczenie”.