Translating organizing and organizational metaphors: From the universal to the particular

Gaggiotti, Hugo; Austin, Heather Marie; Case, Peter; Gosling, Jonathan; Holmgren Caicedo, Mikael

Abstract

This chapter deploys the concept of translation as a “metaphor of metaphor” from which to learn. Thus, the authors explore the relationship between universals and particulars with respect to organizational metaphors and address the contradiction of the practice of translating metaphors from one language/culture to another and the consequences of metaphorical imposition and manipulation. In doing this, they find that metaphor is both universal and particular in its power to translate and transform social realities: metaphorizing is universal in its capacity but particular in its operations. Each instance of metaphor usage is so particular in its operations that its translation carries many interpretive possibilities. This is the source of both its appeal and its translational risks. The chapter concludes with the suggestion that we need to practice an open attitude in order to learn to “learn with the other” as we experience and appreciate each other’s metaphors.

• Online Publication Date: Feb 22, 2024
• Publication Date: Feb 15, 2024
• Deposit Date: Sep 22, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 16, 2026
• Pages: 375-390
• Book Title: The Oxford Handbook of Metaphor in Organization Studies
• Chapter Number: 23
• ISBN: 9780192895707
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780192895707.013.23
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/11131025
• Publisher URL: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-handbook-of-metaphor-in-organization-studies-9780192895707?q=handbook%20metaphor&lang=en&cc=gb
• Contract Date: Aug 12, 2023