Interpretation and Translation of Metonymy in English and Chinese

Metonymy is traditionally regarded as a figure of speech,which involves a relation of substitution. Accordingly,previous studies on metonymy translation mainly focused on the correspondence of metonymic structures between source text and target text. In cognitive linguistics,metonymy is viewed as an important cognitive mechanism of human being. Conceptual metonymy is embodied,ubiquitous and culture-specific in nature. Based on the translation theory of functional equivalence,this paper argues that the principle to judge the metonymy translation is not on the equivalence of words or expressions but the underlying metonymic thinking. The translation should try to help the target readers acquire the same cognitive experience as the readers of the original. In addition,metonymy translation should maintain the rhetorical function of metonymy in the source text. According to these principles,this paper has come up with four strategies for metonymy translation: literal translation,literal translation with explanatory note,converting the vehicle in the metonymy and free translation.Studying metonymy translation from the perspective of cognitive linguistics can throw a new light on translation.