In this article we introduce a model for and an empirical study of the role of metaphors in the construction and application of subjective or implicit theories by novice translators. Our goals are to analyze the structure of the subjective knowledge of translators and to determine their role in the process of translation, but also to develop a specific research method. From a theoretical point of view the study is based on our model of the nature, the function and the acquisition of subjective theories of translation. The analysis of metaphors is based on conceptual metaphor theory and on empirical research on metaphor in applied linguistics. Both the models and the research method have proved to be useful for the investigation of implicit theories about translation.
