Color as physical/conceptual attribute: Color word translation by Chinese postgraduate students

Abstract

Color words present a persistent translation challenge because they function as both perceptual descriptors and carriers of conceptual meaning, and translators must decide which dimension to foreground across genres. Grounded in conceptual metaphor theory, this study investigates how 21 Chinese postgraduate students majoring in translation, many with strong technical backgrounds, translate color words in technical, promotional, and literary contexts, and what cognitive and cultural considerations drive their strategy choices. Participants, recruited from six universities in Shaanxi Province with strong technical profiles, were all experienced in translating technical texts. The findings reveal that students’ treatment of color words varies according to the text type: in technical texts, they predominantly draw on the metaphorical schema of COLOR AS PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTE, prioritizing visual precision and literal meaning. In contrast, in literary or promotional texts, they tend to activate the schema of COLOR AS CONCEPTUAL ATTRIBUTE, focusing on cultural and symbolic meanings. Their translation strategies, ranging from literal rendering to free translation and selective annotation, are shaped by the communicative function and symbolic significance of color words. This study demonstrates that color words serve both as perceptual phenomena and carriers of culturally embedded conceptual meanings, and that translators must actively navigate these dimensions to produce functional and culturally appropriate translations. These results contribute a schema-based explanation of genre-sensitive metaphor regulation in color-word translation and inform translator education by recommending differentiated training that balances precision with cultural resonance.