Abstract

Background: Translating conceptual metaphors from one language to another is challenging due to linguistic and cultural differences, as well as the need to convey the intended meaning precisely and concisely. Purpose: The study examines how conceptual metaphors are translated from Arabic into English in official Jordanian tourist brochures and argues that, in this context, metaphor translation functions as both intercultural mediation and destination branding. Methodology: The study adopts a qualitative descriptive-analytical design and analyzes a purposive parallel corpus of twenty brochure excerpts drawn from official Jordanian tourism materials. Metaphorical expressions are identified through Conceptual Metaphor Theory and examined using Newmark's (1988) taxonomy of metaphor translation procedures. Findings: This research shows that the English versions do not simply reproduce Arabic imagery. Instead, metaphors are often retained, intensified, substituted, explicated, or newly created to enhance persuasive force and improve readability for international audiences. Four dominant conceptual clusters emerge: Jordan as treasure and living history; landscape as sanctuary and cosmos; mobility as a historical or spiritual journey; and local culture as an immersive experience. Although this reshaping supports readability and marketability, it also softens parts of the local symbolic texture. Research implications: The study emphasizes that metaphor translation in Jordanian tourism discourse should be approached as a culturally accountable act of re-narration rather than as a narrow issue of lexical equivalence.