Can “相” ever be translated as “elephant”?
The Wikipedia about Xiangqi has a part about these pieces:

Elephant

Elephants (or bishops) are labeled 象 xiàng (&quot;elephant&quot;) for Black and 相 xiàng (&quot;minister&quot;) for Red. They are located next to the advisors. These pieces move and capture exactly two points diagonally and may not jump over intervening pieces; the move is described as being like the character 田 Tián (&quot;field&quot;). If an elephant cannot move due to a diagonally adjacent piece, it is known as &quot;blocking the elephant's eye&quot; (塞象眼).
Elephants may not cross the river, and serve as defensive pieces. Because an elephant's movement is restricted to just seven board positions, it can be easily trapped or threatened. The two elephants are often used to defend each other.
The Chinese characters for &quot;minister&quot; and &quot;elephant&quot; are homophones in Mandarin and both have alternative meanings as &quot;appearance&quot; or &quot;image&quot;. However, in English, both are referred to as elephants.

So, while 相 is &quot;minister,&quot; it is often referred to as an &quot;elephant&quot; along with 象. 相 is never translated as &quot;elephant&quot; outside of xiangqi.