The onomasiological and semasiological shifts in the DNA-metaphor-based translation methodology

Translation studies, as a field, have long grappled with the issue of how best to conceptualize and represent the process of translating across languages and cultures (Bassnett 1980; Katan & Taibi 2021; Pym 2010; Schäffner 2003; Snell-Hornby 1988, Toury 1995). Various models have been proposed to deal with the complexity of linguistic equivalence (Koller 1979), cultural variation (Bell 1991), and the intricate web of contextual meanings (Vermeer 1989; Gutt 1991), as well as numerous models have emerged to explain the translation process, each attempting to capture the nuances of meaning transfer across languages (Baker and Saldanha 2009). One of the most recent frameworks proposed is the DNA-metaphor-based translation methodology (Gaballo 2023). This methodology incorporates biological metaphors to elucidate the intricate processes of translation. Within this framework, onomasiological (concept-to-word) and semasiological (word-to-concept) perspectives play a pivotal role, referred to as the “coils” that represent the shifting movement between these two approaches. This essay aims to explore the onomasiological and semasiological coils in the DNA-metaphor-based model, examining their implications for translation theory and practice.