TRANSLATION METHODS

January-June 2020

Dr. Muhd. Al Hafizh, S.S., M.A.

 Translation is like a woman. If it is beautiful, it is not faithful.
If it is faithful, it is most certainly not beautiful.
(Yevgeny Yevtushenko)

SL TL
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 TRANSLATION METHODS

 The principle that underlies our way of

translating text
 Goal: The translation activities carried out are
more efficient and effective
 In practice, translators commonly choose one
method that is appropriate for who and for
what purpose the translation

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 Literal
translation

Word-for-word
translation
SL Faithful
translation
Emphasis

Semantic
translation

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 1-WORD-FOR-WORD TRANSLATION

 Synonyms: direcly, exactly, verbatim

 Being in or following the exact words
 Example: you don't have to record the professor's
comments word for word in your notes
 One by one the words are translated in sequence, without
regard to context.
 SL word order is preserved and translated by their common
meanings
 Generally, this method is used at the pre-translation stage in
the translation of very difficult texts or between two
languages whose systems and structures are very far apart.
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  One problem with this approach is the limitations of a
dictionary. Verbs are listed as infinitives—to be, to
drink, to run—and often without conjugations.
Gerunds, imperatives, and participles are sometimes
shown in the main dictionary entry, sometimes not.
 Nouns appear in their singular form, and it may be
hard to find the plural, to say nothing of the proper
articles in a language where nouns carry gender.
 Another problem with a word-for-word translation is
word order. For instance, adjectives come before the
noun in English, but in Romance languages, they
sometimes come after.

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 Example

 An example: French: Le grand chien floue assis sur l’herbe vert tendre.
 Word-for-word English translation: The large dog fuzzy sat on the grass
green soft.
 Proper English translation: The large fuzzy dog sat on the soft green grass.

 Look, little guy, you-all shouldn’t be doing that.

 Lihat, kecil anak, kamu semua harus tidak melakukan ini.
 Lihat, anak kecil, kamu semua seharusnya tidak melakukan itu.

 I like that clever student.

 Saya menyukai itu pintar anak.
 Saya menyukai anak pintar itu.

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 2-LITERAL TRANSLATION

 In this method, the translator has changed the

structure of SL into a TL structure.
 SL grammatical constructions are converted to their
nearest TL equivalents
 However, the words and style of speech in the SL are
still preserved in the TL.
 Usually this method is also used at the initial stage of
translation.

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 Example

 It’s raining cats and dogs.

 Hujan kucing dan anjing.
 Hujan lebat/hujan deras

 His hearth is in the right place.

 Hatinya berada di tempat yang benar.
 Hatinya tenteram.

 The Sooner or the later the weather will change.

 Lebih cepat atau lebih lambat cuaca akan berubah.
 Cepat atau lambat cuacanya akan berubah.

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 3-FAITHFUL TRANSLATION

 This method tries to form contextual meanings but

still remains tied to the grammatical structure of SL.
 This translation tries as closely as possible to SL. It is
carried out by preserving as far as possible aspects of
SL the format (in legal texts) or aspects of form (in
poetic texts) so that we still fully see loyalty in terms
of its form.
 This method is freer than literal translation, but still
feels stiff because it is still very loyal to SL intentions.

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 Example

 Ben is too well aware that he is naughty.

 Ben menyadari terlalu baik bahwa ia nakal.

 I have quite a few friends.

 Saya mempunyai samasekali tidak banyak teman.

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 4-SEMANTIC TRANSLATION

 Translators emphasize the use of terms, keywords, or

expressions that must be presented in the translation.
 This method is more flexible than faithful translation
methods. The term translated culture becomes easier for
the reader to understand.
 SL aesthetic element is still prioritized, but accompanied by
a compromise with TL.
 Take more account of the aesthetic value, more flexible,
admits the creative

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 Example

 He is a book-worm.
 Dia (laki-laki) adalah seorang yang suka sekali
membaca.
 Dia seorang kutu buku.

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 Free
translation

Adaptation
translation
TL Idiomatic
translation
Emphasis

Communicative
translation

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 1-ADAPTATION

 This method is the freest and closest form of translation to TL.

 The Adaptation Method places more emphasis on the content of
the message, while the form is adjusted to the needs of the reader
of TL.
 Usually, backgrounds, and social contexts are adapted to TL culture.
 Adaptation is the freest form of translation, and is used mainly for
plays (comedies) and poetry; the themes, characters, plots are
usually preserved, the SL culture is converted to the TL culture and
the text is rewritten.
 SL culture converted to TL culture
 Adaptation, also called cultural substitution or cultural equivalent, is
a cultural element which replaces the original text with one that is
better suited to the culture of the target language.
 This achieves a more familiar and comprehensive text.

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 Example

 baseball ⇒ football
 His leg felt like a stone
 Tungkai kakinya seperti terpaku

 Hey Jude, don’t make it bad

 Remember to let her into your heart
 Then you can start to make it better
 (Hey Jude-The Beatles, 196)

 Kasih, dimanakahMengapa kau tinggalkan aku

 Ingatlah-ingatlah kau padaku
 Janji setiamu tak kan kulupa

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 2-FREE TRANSLATION

 More emphasis on the transfer of messages, while

the disclosure in TS is carried out in accordance with
the needs of prospective readers.
 This method can take the form of a paraphrase that
can be longer or shorter than the original.

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 Example

 The flowers in the garden.

 Bunga-bunga yang tumbuh di kebun.

 How they live on what he makes?

 Bagaimana mereka dapat hidup dengan
penghasilannya?

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  Look, little guy, you-all shouldn’t be doing this.
 Dengar nak, mengapa kamu semua melakukan hal-
hal seperti ini. Ini tidak baik.

 I kissed her.
 Saya tinggalkan sebuah ciuman pada bibirnya yang
merah.

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 3-IDIOMATIC TRANSLATION

 Seek the discovery of equivalent terms, expressions, and idioms

of what is available in TL.
 A truly idiomatic translation does not look like the translation.
The translation results as if it were written directly from a native
speaker.
 A good translator will try to translate the text idiomatically.
 Newmark (1988: 47) :idiomatic translation reproduces messages
in TL text with expressions that are more natural and familiar
than SL text.
 It reproduces the 'message' of the original but tends to distort
nuances of meaning by preferring colloquialisms and idioms
where these do not exist in the original.

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 Example

 I can relate to that.

 Aku mengerti maksudnya.

 You’re cheery mood.

 Kamu kelihatan ceria.

 Tell me, I am not in a cage now.

 Ayo, berilah aku semangat bahwa aku orang bebas.

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 4-COMMUNICATIVE TRANSLATION

 This method pays attention to the principles of

communication, namely the purpose of translation and the
reading session.
 Through this translation method allows a SL version to be
translated into several versions in TL.
 Contextual meaning looks right, so that aspects of
language can be accepted and content can be directly
understood by the target reader.
 It attempts to render the exact contextual meaning of the
original in such a way that both content and language are
readily acceptable and comprehensible to the reader.

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  “spine” in phrase “thorns spines in old reef
sediments” will be traslated as “spina” (Latin) in
biology text.
 “spina” can be accepted and content can be directly
understood by the target reader

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 Newmark’s “V” Diagram

SL emphasis TL emphasis

W-for-w transl. (1) (5) Adaptation

Literal translation (2) (6) Free translation
Faithful translation (3) (7) Idiomatic translation
Semantic translation (4) (8) Communicative transl.
The letter "V" indicates that the more down the translation
.
results are closer to the target language TL, making it easier for
the reader to understand the translation
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 Which method is more appropriate?
 Some of the translators used the method of faithful translation, as was
done by the translator of the Harry Potter
 The reason is that he does not want to let go of the contextual meaning
in his TL. He tried to defend the terms related to the socio-culture and
background of SL, for example maintaining the words of Mr. and Mrs.
and the names of the characters in the novel. He did not carry out an
adaptation or domestication but maintained his ideology of foreignism.
 This is done to maintain the authenticity of the story elements and
cultural values that underlie the story so that the reader is invited to
recognize the themes, characters, settings and atmosphere of foreign
cultures.
 The translators of other novels are different in choosing the method of
translation. Among them there are those who use free, semantic,
idiomatic translation and adaptation.
 This is done depending on the habits and styles that are characteristic of
them. It may also depend on the purpose of the translation itself.
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 After class activities

Compare two paragraphs (English-Indonesian translation), then

make a judgment about what method is used by the translator,
provide your judgment with argument/reason.

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