A Bibliometric Analysis of Simile Translation Research

A simile is a figure of speech comparing two unlike things, which is often introduced by like or as. Numerous studies in the field of translation studies have focused on similes. This study offers a comprehensive overview of simile translation research in the last 25 years (2000−2024) based on bibliometric analysis, both in the global and Indonesian context. This study aims: (1) to find out bibliometric information regarding the simile translation research, (2) to find out the prominent topics in simile translation research, and (3) to find out the prominent approaches in simile translation research. This study applied mixed methods, namely quantitative and qualitative. The dataset in this study was obtained from the Scopus database (96 publications) as a global representation and the GARUDA database (62 publications) as a national representation of Indonesia. This study analyzed keywords using Sketch Engine to find prominent topics and approaches in simile translation research. First, this study presents a bibliometric analysis of simile translation research, which includes the number of publications, publishers, journals, types of publications, languages used, and the most widely used references. Second, the topic widely analyzed is simile as a figurative language closely related to metaphors and idioms. Third, the approaches used in simile translation research in the global context are (1) eco-translation, (2) formal and dynamic equivalence, (3) linguo-cultural, and (4) corpus-based. Meanwhile, in the national context of Indonesia, the approaches used are (1) qualitative, (2) cognitive, and (3) functionalist. These findings provide an overview for future studies on trends and gaps in simile translation research.