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TRANSLATION PROCEDURES AND MEANING
EQUIVALENCE IN SUBTITLE OF THE ANIMATED
MOVIE MONSTERS UNIVERSITY
A Thesis
Submitted to Adab and Humanities Faculty
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for
The Degree of Strata One
Donny Fandi
1110026000084
ENGLISH LETTERS DEPARTMENT
ADAB AND HUMANITY FACULTY
STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY OF SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH
JAKARTA
2014
i
ABSTRACT
Donny Fandi, Translation Procedures and Meaning Equivalence in Subtitle of the
Animated Movie Monsters University. A Thesis: English Letters Department,
Faculty of Adab and Humanity, State Islamic University of Syarif Hidayatullah
Jakarta, 2014.
In this research, the writer attempts to find out the translation procedures
and equivalence that were used in the subtitle translation of the animated movie
Monsters University. The writer uses qualitative descriptive method to achieve the
purpose of this research. The data is collected by watching the movie, reading the
script, and categorizing the segments (subtitle) of the movie by using Newmark’s
translation procedure and Nida’s equivalence theory.
After analyzing the data, the writer found nine strategies that were used in
the movie. The strategies are: transference, expansion and reduction, modulation,
transposition, functional equivalent, cultural equivalent, synonymy, naturalisation,
and couplets.The commonly used strategies are functional equivalent, expansion
and reduction, and couplets. Also, both formal and dynamic equivalence were
found as well, with the dominant one being the dynamic equivalence. Based on
the findings, it can be concluded that the main point of subtitle translation of
Monsters University involves removing unneeded elements to save space (such as
cultural words and character names), adding extra word to TL if the subtitle is too
short, and neutralizing cultural words or specific terms to achieve clarity for the
TL.
ii
iii
iv
DECLARATION
I Hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my
knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by
another person nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the
award of any other degree or diploma of the university or other institute of higher
learning, except where due acknowledgement has been made in the text.
Jakarta, October 2014
Donny Fandi
v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
In this opportunity the writer would like to convey his deepest gratitude to
Allah SWT, who had blessed and guided the writer to complete this paper. Peace
and salutation always be upon our prophet Muhammad SAW, who has brought
light to illuminate the darkness of this world.
The writer would like to express his most sincere gratitude to his advisor,
Ummi Kultsum, M.Pd., and M. Agus Suriadi, M.Hum., who always encouraged
and guided him to reach the completion of this paper. The writer would also take
this opportunity to express his thankfulness and gratitude to:
1. Prof. Dr. Oman Faturrahman, M.Hum., the Dean of Faculty of Adab and
Humanities.
2. Drs. A. Saefuddin, M.Pd., the head of English Letters Department.
3. Elve Oktaviani, M.Hum., the secretary of English Letters Department.
The writer would also like to express his gratitude to his parents, Teddy
Pranadi and Uchroniyah, who had always reminded him to complete this paper on
time. The writer also thanks his two younger brothers, Egi Kemal Kelana and
Erwin Maulana, who always supported and cheered for the writer’s success.
The writer would like to thank to his colleague, Merizka Elfiza, as she
always supported him in this paper’s completion. She gave him the strength he
needed to overcome the many obstacles of completing this paper. The writer’s
gratitude also applies to the rest of his classmates, notably Auditya Gunawan,
Fikri Fauzan, M. Yusuf, Dwi Santika, Zahrotun Nufus. All of them struggled
together with the writer during the years of study in UIN Syarif Hidayatullah
vi
Jakarta. The precious memories made together during those long years of study
will always be remembered by the writer. Thank you for all the support,
motivations, and encouragement to all the writer’s friends who made all of this
possible. May the blessings of Allah SWT be upon all of the writer’s friends and
everyone who supports him.
Jakarta, October 2014
The Writer
vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... i
APPROVEMENT ........................................................................................................... ii
LEGALIZATION .......................................................................................................... iii
DECLARATION ............................................................................................................ iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .............................................................................................. v
TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................. vii
LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................... viii
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ................................................................................. 1
A. Background of the Study ..................................................................... 1
B. Focus of the Study ............................................................................... 5
C. Research Question ............................................................................... 6
D. Objective of the Study ......................................................................... 6
E. Significance of the Study .................................................................... 6
F. Research Methodology........................................................................ 7
1. The Method of the Research ......................................................... 7
2. Data Analysis Procedure ............................................................... 7
3. The Research Instrument............................................................... 8
4. Unit of Analysis ............................................................................ 8
5. Time and Place of the Research .................................................... 8
viii
CHAPTER II THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK ....................................................... 9
A. Definition of Translation ..................................................................... 9
B. Film Translation ................................................................................ 10
C. Translation Procedures ...................................................................... 14
D. Meaning Equivalence ........................................................................ 22
CHAPTER III RESEARCH FINDINGS .................................................................... 26
A. Data Description................................................................................ 26
B. Data Analysis .................................................................................... 29
CHAPTER IV CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS .......................................... 45
A. Conclusions ....................................................................................... 45
B. Suggestions ........................................................................................ 46
BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................... 47
APPENDICES ............................................................................................................... 49
ix
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 : Monsters University Subtitle Sample ....................................................... 5
Table 2 : Comparison of Formal and Dynamic Equivalence Theory .................... 23
Table 3 : Newmark’s Translation Procedures’ inclination/emphasis towards
Formal and Dynamic Equivalence. ........................................................ 24
Table 4 : The data description of translation procedures and equivalence. ........... 26
1
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
In this modern era, the translation of films continues to develop as the industry
of films keeps progressing. For that matter, a specialized translation branch that
focuses on film is created in order to deal with its translation process. This branch
is called subtitling, which is the sub-branch of audiovisual translation (AVT); a
translation branch that focuses on the transfer of one language to another with
verbal components contained in audiovisual works and products.1 As for the
definition of translation, Catford defines translation as a way to replace the text
material of source language by an equivalent text material in target language.2 By
that definition, it can be said that one could easily decode the discourses (verbal or
non-verbal) of foreign languages.
Examples of audiovisual products include feature films, television programs,
theatrical plays, musicals, opera, web pages, and video games. From this fact, it
should be expected that there would be strong demand on AVT on vast array of
media in today‟s society. For that purpose, the AVT had sub-branches of
translation of its own, in order to focus on particular audiovisual product.
1 Carol A. 2013. The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics. (Oxford : Blackwell Publishing
Ltd) p.1 2J.C Catford. 1965. A Linguistic Theory of Translation. (London : Oxford University
Press) p.20
1
2
One particular AVT sub-branch that specializes on videos and the like would
be the subtitling. Subtitling involves the translation process of the spoken source
language dialogue into the target language in the form of synchronized captions.
The captions are usually located in the bottom screen and enable the target
audience to be aware of the source language‟s „foreignness‟ at all times.3 The
„foreignness‟ refers to the original dub of the source language‟s dialogue, as it is
left unaltered. With the help of subtitles, the audience gets to enjoy the „foreign
voice‟ of the source language while understanding its meaning at the same time.
However, like any other translation branches, subtitling has a degree of
difficulty in its process. For instance, subtitle usually consist one or two lines of
an average maximum of 35 characters per lines.4 This is the standard rule of
subtitling; not following it would certainly ruin the end result. Example, if a
translator makes their subtitles‟ lines and characters exceed the standard amount,
the captions would definitely fill up the entire screen. Not only this makes it
harder to watch the movie, but it also consumes the audience‟s time to read the
entire subtitle (or paragraph, in this case). In any rate, subtitling is a delicate
translation process that had a certain rules to follow. These rules restrict some of
the process on the translation itself, and thus, subtitling is considered a
constrained translation.
3Agnieszka Szarkowska. 2005. The Power of Film Translation" Translation Journal, vol.
3, no. 3.." Cited in Balsam A Mustafa. Film Translation: Subtitling vs. Dubbing., (College of
Arts : Translation Department, Al Mustansirriya University) p.7
www.iasj.net/iasj?func=fulltext&aId=49262 (Accessed on February 2nd, 2014) 4
Frans Sayogie. 2009. Teori & Praktek Penerjemahan, (Tangerang: Pustaka Anak
Negeri) p.240
3
Constrained translation refers to the constraints of space and time contained
within the audiovisual products.5 The space and time itself refers to the words
placement and duration in the subtitle itself, something which needs to be handled
carefully by the subtitler. With that fact, the subtitler needs to keep in mind the
technical aspects of the cinematography such as the camera cuts and the rhythm
match of the subtitles‟ duration to the movie‟s dialogue.6
These technical
difficulties would hinder the translator or the subtitler from using their translation
strategies freely. In addressing this problem, the translator needs to choose an
appropriate translation strategy which is suited to subtitling.
Despite the existence of many technical difficulties of subtitling, a subtitle
would still manage to be produced as a good translation product. Examples of
good translated subtitles would be the ones from TV‟s or official release of
VCD‟s, DVD‟s, or Blu-ray‟s. The official translated subtitles usually possess a
high readability rate or good translation quality. This means that the official
subtitles‟ translator must have followed the subtitling rules and used an
appropriate translation procedures.
The procedures that were used by official subs‟ translators are most likely
adjusted or modified to suit subtitling purposes. The mentioned “adjust” or
“modify” conforms with Clifford‟s statement that a translation strategy needs to
be flexible enough to adapt to changing conditions in the text.7 This applies
5Jeremy Munday. 2008. Introducing Translation Studies: Theories and applications,
(New York : Routledge) p.185 6Ibid.
7Clifford E. Landers. 1998. Literary Translation: A Practical Guide. (Sydney :
Multilingual Matters LTD) p.55
4
especially in subtitles, where the constraints of translation demand a careful
handling of its process. For example, long lines in subtitles cannot be fully
translated; as a result, the line needs to be simplified. This is done in order for it to
fit into the screen, and also to make it easier to read for the audience. After all, the
purpose of translation is not to make things confusing for the reader, but to give a
clear meaning of the source text. This holds true for subtitles; since a good subtitle
would never make the audience to be too “occupied” in reading it. For that matter,
subtitles need to be precise, short, and simple for the sake of the audience.8
The process of translation in official subtitles has sparked the writer‟s
curiosity in studying it. For that matter, the writer chose “Monsters University”
movie to analyze the translation process of its subtitle. The reason why the writer
chose that movie is because its translation is handled by an official company;
which makes it worthy to be studied into. The publisher, Vision Interprima
Pictures Company, is a company which is well known in publishing official
DVD‟s of Disney Movies in Indonesia. Also, the other reason is because Monsters
University gained a 74 % rating on Imdb, an international movie rating site.9 Film
with the average rating of 70% is considered a good rating in Imdb. With that fact,
it has become more than enough reason for the writer to choose Monsters
University as a research subject. Below is a sample of the translation of Monsters
University‟s subtitle:
8Frans Sayogie, Loc.cit.
9 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1453405/
5
Table 1.Monsters University Subtitle Sample
SL TL
but the crown jewel of MU
is the Scaring School.
Tapi jurusan favorit UM
adalah Kelas Menakuti.
Salisbury steak, that hurts! Minta ampun, sakit sekali!
The translation sample data on the table above has a neutralization
procedure applied on it. Notice the crown jewel in the first sample and salisbury
steak on the second sample. Both of them are translated into a neutral word, which
is crown jewel into jurusan favorit and salisbury steak into minta ampun. This is
done to ensure an easy understanding for the meaning towards the audience. The
sample above is just a few of the many translation that lies within Monsters
University. Looking at that fact, the writer tries to find out how the translation
approach really works on Monsters University‟s subtitle translation. By finding
out the translation approach, notably its procedures and equivalence, the writer
hopes to know more about the essence of film translation.
B. Focus of the Study
As mentioned in the background study above, the research will focus on
finding the translation approach of Monsters University. To be more specific, the
approach consists of translation procedures and its meaning equivalence. These
elements will be studied in order to give clearer detail of the translator‟s way of
translating the movie.
6
C. Research Question
Based on problems discussed above, the following questions are created to
match the study problems:
1. What are the translation procedures that are used to translate the subtitles
of Monsters University?
2. How are the equivalence of the translation procedures of Monsters
University‟s subtitles?
D. Objective of the Study
The study focuses on the following:
1. To find out the translation procedures that were used to translate the
subtitles of Monsters University.
2. To find out the equivalence of translation procedures of the subtitle of
Monsters University.
E. Significance of the Study
The research finding benefits both translators and readers. After watching
several of officially translated movies, the writer decided that an official DVD
movie‟s translation procedures and equivalence need to be studied extensively.
For this purpose, the writer conducted this study to shed light on how translation
approach works in subtitling. That way, the readers or fellow translators could use
them as a reference to get the general idea on how to produce a good translation.
7
Hopefully, the research would contribute the development progress of translation
studies, especially in audiovisual translation field.
F. Research Methodology
1. The Method of the Research
The research will use descriptive qualitative method in finding and analyzing
the translation procedures and translation method found in the movie‟s translated
subtitle.
2. Data Analysis Procedure
The procedure consists of chronological steps followed by relevant theories to
support it. The following are carefully organized steps of the data analysis
procedure:
a) Watch “Monsters University” movie with both English subtitle and the
translated subtitle of it.
b) Select a few research-worthy data from the official DVD subtitle by
comparing the data with Newmark‟s translation procedures.
c) After gathering the data, it will then be analyzed by comparing the data
with Nida‟s equivalence theory, to find out its emphasis or inclination
(formal emphasis or dynamic emphasis).
d) Rewatch the movie to match the findings with the movie script, in order to
make sure that no mistakes were made in selecting the data.
8
e) After enough data is found and analyzed, the following table will be
created to contain the data:
SL TL Translation
Procedure
Equivalence
*Example *Example *Example *Example
f) Writing the result of data analysis.
3. The Research Instrument
The writer serves as a research instrument to acquire the data in the research
subject. As for the analysis, the Newmark‟s translation procedures theory and
Nida‟s Equivalence theory will be used to analyze the research data.
4. Unit of Analysis
The analysis unit of the research is the subtitle of the animated movie
“Monsters University” which is produced by Pixar Animation Studio and released
by Walt Disney Pictures in 2013. It is distributed officially in Indonesia by Vision
Interprima Pictures Company in 2014.
5. Time and Place of the Research
The research was conducted from February 2014 to June 2014 in English
Letters Department of Adab and Humanities Faculty, State Islamic University of
Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta.
9
CHAPTER II
THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK
A. Definition of Translation
In translation studies, the definition of translation itself varies from experts to
experts. To further elaborate translation‟s definition, the writer will present the
following definitions from various translation experts. However, before moving to
the experts‟ definition, a general definition should be presented first. Concise
Oxford English Dictionary defines translation as an action or process of
translating words or text from one language into another.10
This implies a general
meaning of translation‟s purpose; an act of transferring text from one language
into another.
Moving on to the perspective of experts, Newmark claims that translation is a
rendering process of the meaning of text into another language in the way that the
author intended. 11
Furthermore, Sayogie elaborates that translation is an act of
replacing text in one language into another.12
Lastly, according to Nida and Taber,
translation is a process of reproducing the target language into its closest natural
equivalent in source language.13
10
Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson. 2005. Concise Oxford English Dictionary 11th
Edition. (Oxford University Press) 11
Peter Newmark. 1988. A Textbook of Translation. (Hertfordshire: Prentice Hall
International) p.5 12
Frans Sayogie, op.cit p.7 13
Eugene A. Nida and Charles Taber. 1982. The Theory and Practice of Translation.
(Leiden: E.J Brill) p.12
9
10
From the experts‟ definition above, it is clear that translation mostly revolves
around rendering, replacing, and reproducing the source text into an equivalent
text in target language. This shows that translation is deeply tied with equivalency.
It means that equivalence is the main component or core of translation. Without it,
a translation would not be a translation at all. This is because equivalence
determines the acceptability of translation in target language. In other words, a
translation needs to possess a well balanced equivalency in order for it to achieve
a high acceptability rate.
B. Film Translation
There are many terms that serve as the label of film translation. The terms are:
transadapatation, film translation, screen translation, traduccióncinematográfica,
multimedia translation, and audiovisual translation.14
Out of all the mentioned
terms, the commonly used term is the audiovisual translation (AVT). Audiovisual
translation is a discipline that is more than a mere text transfer, as it also transfers
pictures, music, sounds and other nonverbal elements on its translation process.15
The non-text elements (music and such) are considered a must on AVT. Because
AVT is mainly about translation of Medias such as TV programs and films, the
socio-cultural factors inside it needs to be retained. This is because it reflects the
value systems and life style of people.16
In translating an audiovisual media, the
14
Betlem Soler Pardo. 2013. Translation Studies: An Introduction to the History and
Development of (Audiovisual) Translation. (Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio : Villanueva de la
Cañada) pp.18-19.
http://www.uax.es/publicacion/translation-studies-an-introduction-to-the-history-and-
development-of.pdf (Accessed on February 2nd, 2014) 15
Balsam A Mustafa. op.cit p.5 16
Ibid.
11
translators have to pay extra attention of the non-text elements inside it, to make
sure that nothing is lost in the translation process.
Serban classifies AVT into the following categories:17
1. Inter-lingual Translation
A. Subtitling
B. Dubbing
C. Voice-over
2. Intra-lingual (monolingual) subtitling for the hard-hearing or deaf people.
3. Audio description for the blind.
4. Live subtitling (E.g.: News broadcast)
5. Subtitling for the opera and the theatre.
The focus of this paper is the highlight of translation process inside subtitling.
Thus, any other AVT categories will not be discussed. For this matter, a thorough
explanation of subtitling needs to be done. Gottlieb established a definition that
subtitling is a rendering of verbal messages of different language contained in
filmic media, which took form in one or more verbal-synchronized lines of
written text presented on screen.18
The written text usually consists no more than
two lines. The lines are usually simplified and precise, which is done in order to
grant a high readability rate for the audience.19
17
Ardiana Serban. 2004. " Introduction to Audiovisual Translation". Cited in Balsam A
Mustafa. op.cit p.6 18
Pilar Orero. (ED.) 2004. Topics in Audiovisual Translation. (Amsterdam and
Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company) p.86 19
Sheng-Jie Chen. 2004. Linguistic Dimensions of Subtitling. Perspective from Taiwan. In
Meta Journal, XLIX, 1.
12
The definition explained above is just a small fraction of how diverse
subtitling actually is. This is seen on the gap of differences between translating
subtitle and a written text. The differences are as follows:20
1. A reader of translated novel usually doesn‟t compare the target text with
the source text, while in subtitling the reader (especially source language
speaker) automatically compares the text.
2. Written text translators have space to make explanatory notes when a
difficult section of a text is available, however, this is impossible to do in
subtitling.
3. Intertextual translation focuses on translating written text to a written text,
while subtitling focuses on translating spoken text to a written text.
4. Due to space constraints, an extended or long message in subtitle needs to
be shortened to fit the screen. While in intertextual translation, a space or
room of translation does not pose to be a problem.
Looking at those points, it should be clear that subtitling is considered a
constrained translation, where space or room of translation is limited. These
constraints are a set of subtitling rules that translators must adhere, in order to
ensure an efficient subtitle. These rules are:
20
Egil Törnqvist. 2014. Ingmar Bergman Abroad: The Problems of Subtitling. Cited in
Jessica Rietveld. The Mind of a Subtitler: Translation Strategies Employed in Subtitling Crime and
Comedy. Master Thesis. (Faculty of Humanities : Utrecht University) p.14
http://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/31713 (Accessed March 3rd, 2014)
13
1. Subtitle (which consists of two full lines) cannot exceed the length of eight
second.21
If a subtitle appears on screen longer than eight seconds, the
viewer might read the subtitle for a second or a third time.
2. The minimum time a subtitle can appear on screen is one second and ten
frames. Frames are the number of images that are used in a second film.
The minimum time for a single line subtitle is three seconds, while a two
lines subtitle is six seconds.22
A minimum time for subtitles is made to
prevent the subtitle from disappearing before the audience can completely
read it. In order to avoid a disappearing subtitle, the subtitler needs to
maintain the subtitle timing efficiently.
3. The average number of characters per line is 37, including spaces and
punctuation marks. The average number is based on the width of the
letters, as such; one line can contain more characters depending on the
medium.23
In other words, it is possible for a subtitle to contain fewer or
more than 37 characters.
4. A subtitler should always create a subtitle consisting of two lines
whenever possible to improve the viewers‟ reading comfort.24
That way,
the audience won‟t be too busy reading the subtitles, and can focus on the
movie. If a subtitle consists of three or more lines, it would definitely fill
up the entire screen, making it hard to watch the movie.
21
Ibid. p.15 22
Ibid. 23
Ibid. p.16 24
Ibid.
14
5. When a sentence consists of two subtitles, the first subtitle is closed with
three sequence dots to inform the viewer that the subtitle does not end yet
(continued).25
The linking dots, three dots at the beginning of the second
subtitle, are used to inform the viewer that the current subtitle is the
continuation of the preceding subtitle.
6. Etc.
The rules of subtitling stated above are strict, as it involves technical matters
such as timing, space, etc. However, the strict rules of subtitling are meant to
produce the best result. Rather than being burdened by the rules, a good subtitler
need to take advantage of it. For example, a difficult message in subtitle can be
translated by shortening or simplifying it. This can be treated as a “freedom” of
translation within subtitling, despite being restricted.
C. Translation Procedures
Translation procedures are used for translations of sentences and the
smaller units of language.26
Subtitle, which is the subject of this research, fits the
definition of “small units of language”. This is because subtitles are mainly made
of sentences, phrases, and such, not paragraphs. For this reason, the writer used
Newmark‟s translation procedures to analyze the subtitle of Monsters University.
The procedures are outlined below:
25
Ibid. p.17
26Peter Newmark, Op.cit. p.81
15
a) Transference
Transference, or also known as loan word or transcription, is a process of
transferring a SL word into a TL text.27
In other words, it is a process that leaves
the SL word completely unchanged in the TL text.
Example: -The names of all living things - The names of private companies
- Geographical and Topographical names - The names of cultural items.
Etc.
In short, transference is mostly used to transfer common terms. In some instances,
cultural terms would be transferred as a whole if there is no recognized translation
for it. Here‟s another example to give a clearer picture of transference:
- I need to reload my thompson.
Translates into:
- Aku harus mengisi peluru thompson-ku
Thompson is the name of a firearm. Due to the exclusive nature of the name, it
cannot be translated or change in any way in TL. The only thing that the translator
should do for this kind of situation is to transfer the SL as it is in TL. Therefore,
the SL name is preserved in TL.
27
Ibid.
16
b) Naturalisation
An advanced form of transference that adapts the SL word to the normal
pronunciation, then to the normal morphology of the TL.28
Notable examples are :
- “Pancake” into “Panekuk” - “Gangster” into “Gengster“
- “Humour” into “Humor” - “Escalator” into “Eskalator”
Etc.
As the name implies, this procedure naturalizes the term in SL into a more natural
form in TL.
c) Cultural Equivalent
A procedure that uses TL cultural words to translate SL cultural words.29
The
explanation of this procedure is best shown in example such as:
- “Killing two birds with one stone” into “Sekali dayung dua pulau”
- “Out from frying pan, into the fire” into “Keluar dari kandang buaya,
masuk kandang singa”
- “Two peas in the same pod” into “Seperti pinang dibelah dua”
The first three examples are idioms, which is a culture-specific feature found in
any language. The translation of the idioms above has a matching equivalent with
each other, making them a perfect match. Simply put, it‟s a translation of culture
28
Ibid. p.82 29
Ibid.
17
into culture. However, not every cultural word can be treated like this, which
makes the usage of cultural equivalent procedure very limited.
d) Functional Equivalent
A procedure that uses culture-free word or a new specific term to translate
cultural words.30
In other words, the cultural words is neutralized or generalized in
TL. As such, Newmark regards this as the most accurate way in translating or
deculturalising cultural word. Examples:
- Howdy hotshot!
Translates Into
- Apa kabar, jagoan!
- Oh bugger, I forgot my homework.
Translates into
- Sial, aku lupa mengerjakan PR.
e) Descriptive Equivalent
A procedure that describes the meaning of SL word in TL text.31
This
procedure sometimes combines the functional equivalent strategy on its usage.
For example, “golok” is translated into “A type of large-sized knife that is used to
cut things with its sharp blade”. Notice that in the example, it contains both
description and function of “golok”. This shows that description and function are
essential elements in translation process.
30
Ibid. p.83 31
Ibid.
18
f) Synonymy
A procedure which is used when a precise equivalent in TL may or may not
exist, thus the translator needs to use synonym to compensate for it.32
Example:
- He is a cocky, arrogant, and haughty king.
Translates into
- Dia itu raja yang sombong, angkuh, dan congkak.
- There‟s no broken bone, just a broken pride.
Translates into
- Tak ada tulang yang patah, hanya harga diri yang rusak.
From examples above, there are actually various ways to translate those words.
It is only a matter of words selection or diction. Thus, the mentioned “precise
equivalent” refers to the fact that a literal translation is not always possible.
Here is a bad example of the version above:
- He is a cocky, arrogant, and haughty king.
Translates into
- Dia itu raja yang sombong, sombong , dan sombong. X
- There‟s no broken bone, just a broken pride.
Translates into
- Tak ada tulang yang patah, hanya harga diri yang patah. X
To avoid bad translation like the examples above, a good translator should
always use synonymy to translate words with similar meaning.
32
Ibid. p.84
19
g) Transposition
A translation procedure that involves in a change of grammar or word class
from SL to TL.33
Examples revolve in grammatical categories such as changing a
singular to plural, changing the position of the adjective, etc. For instance,
sentences like this “He was transported to Alchemilla hospital that night” would
be translated using transposition into “Malam itu, dia dipindahkan ke rumah sakit
Alchemilla”.
Transposition is frequently used by translators to overcome numerous
grammatical problems that occur in translation process. Knowing its function,
Transposition should serve as a great tool to avoid any untranslatability or
grammatical changes that may hinder the translator‟s progress.
h) Modulation
A translation procedure that focuses in a change of viewpoint or perspective of
the view in SL.34
Gérard Hardin and Gynthia Picot defines modulation as "a
change in point of view that allows us to express the same phenomenon in a
different way."35
For instance, using the name of a category for a specific member
of the category, using a part for the whole (and vice versa), active for passive,
changing polarity etc. Modulation occurs in sentences such as this one: “He is a
coward” into “Dia bukan seorang yang pemberani”.
33
Ibid. p.85 34
Ibid. p.88 35
Gérard Hardin & Cynthia Picot. 1990. Translate: Initiation à la pratique de la
traduction, Bordas. (Paris: Aubin Imprimeur.) p. 21.
20
i) Reduction and Expansion
A procedure which is used for adding or removing elements in translation.
These two procedures are usually used in poor written texts and changes the
lexical and stylistic aspects of the text.36
However, for a specific purpose of this
research, this strategy is used to draw out possibilities that the translator might add
or remove components in subtitle. Not to be confused that the subtitle itself is a
poorly written text. Examples:
- “Heat-seeking Rocket Launcher” into “Peluncur Roket” (Reduction)
- “I look out for him, He look out for me” into “Kami saling menjaga”
(Reduction)
- “Beckoning Ghost” into “Hantu yang Memancing orang untuk datang”
(Expansion)
In example above, the reduction is used to inspect a deletion of words or
simplification of words. This is especially useful to label simplified subtitle
segments in the writer‟s movie research. As for expansion, as the name suggests,
is used to label any addition of words that occurred in the translation of subtitle
segments of the research.
36Peter Newmark, Op.cit p.90
21
j) Couplets
A combination of two (couplets), three (triplets), or four (quadruplets)
translation procedures in order to deal a single problem.37
This procedure is
especially useful to translate complex texts with cultural words. Example:
Couplets:
- Hey squirt, beat it!
Translates into:
- Hei, enyahlah!
(Reduction + Functional Equivalent)
Triplets:
- You knucklehead mcspazastron! You just ruined my beautiful calico! It
costs a lot more than your salary!
Translates into:
- Dasar bodoh! Kau merusak calico-ku yang indah! Gajimu tak akan cukup
untuk bisa menggantinya! (Functional Equivalent + Transference +
Modulation)
37
Ibid, p.91
22
D. Meaning Equivalence
A meaning equivalence is an indication of the level or degree of “sameness”
between the source text and target text.38
To gauge the level of equivalence of the
subtitle of Monsters University, the writer chose Nida‟s equivalence theory, which
are the formal and dynamic equivalence. The definitions for the theories are as
follows:
a) Formal Equivalence
Formal equivalence is an equivalence theory that focuses attention on the
message itself in both form and content, its main objective is to match the form
and content of the message as closely as possible.39
From this definition, it can be
concluded that this equivalence focuses on preserving the “foreigness” or the
originality of the SL within the TL. Thus, it can be said that Formal Equivalence
is an SL based or SL focused equivalence theory.
b) Dynamic Equivalence
Nida states that the goal of dynamic equivalence is to produce the closest
natural equivalent to the source-language message.40
The naturalness is the
keyword here, and it attempts to minimize the “foreignness” of the SL effects. To
sum it up, this equivalence focuses on achieveing a sense of naturalness towards
38
Despoina Panou. 2013. Equivalence in Translation Theories: A Critical Evaluation.
(Department of Education, University of Leicester: UK) p.2
http://ojs.academypublisher.com/index.php/tpls/article/viewFile/tpls03010106/6188
(Accessed February 4th, 2014) 39
Eugene A Nida. 1964. Toward a Science of Translating. (E.J.Brill: Leiden) p.159 40
Eugene A Nida, Op.cit. p.166
23
the readers. The naturalness will give the text acceptable and comprehensible
traits on it, making it a high readability material for the readers.
From both equivalences‟ definitions above, it can be said that the formal
equivalence aims to reproduce foreign elements in TL and dynamic equivalence
aims to clarity of message in TL. Looking at this, it proves that both of them
operate on the notion of foreignness versus naturalness in TL. To put it simply,
it‟s all about SL focus or TL focus.
To distinguish the characteristics between the two equivalence theory, the
following table is made by the writer to give a better explanation of the
differences between them:
Table 2: Comparison of Formal and Dynamic Equivalence Theory
Formal Equivalence Dynamic Equivalence
Tends to overtranslate in order to stay
faithful.
Tends to undertranslate to gain
simplicity.
Tries to replicate the content and
structure to preserve originality.
Tries to deviate from the original by
adding or deleting some part of the text.
Preserves the cultural elements in the
text.
Integrates or neutralizes the cultural
elements of SL in TL text.
To make the analysis process easier, the writer made an inclination table
of Newmark‟s procedures towards Formal and Dynamic Equivalence theory. This
data is made by comparing the Newmark‟s translation procedures‟ definition with
24
the characteristics of Nida‟s Formal and Dynamic Equivalence, thus, an
inclination can be found and tabulated as depicted in the following table:
Table 3: Newmark‟s Translation Procedures‟ inclination/emphasis towards Formal and
Dynamic Equivalence
Formal Equivalence Dynamic Equivalence
Transference Transference
Naturalisation Naturalisation
- Cultural Equivalent
Synonymy Synonymy
Couplets Couplets
- Functional Equivalent
- Transposition
- Modulation
- Expansion and Reduction
- Descriptive Equivalent
Notice that some of the procedures share their inclination or emphasis with
both formal and dynamic equivalence; this is due to the flexibility of the
procedures, as they are meant to be coupled with each other. Procedures such as
transference, naturalisation, cultural equivalent, etc as described in Newmark‟s
book, are meant to supplement with each other in a couplet.41
Depending on what
41
Peter Newmark, Op.Cit. p.83
25
procedures they are paired with, the procedures might emphasize on an entirely
different method.
In the other hand, descriptive equivalent, functional equivalent,
transposition, modulation, expansion and reduction, is strictly inclined or
emphasized on dynamic equivalence. If one of them is paired with other
procedures, it would inevitably be emphasized on dynamic equivalence. This is
due to their nature of “deviation” in translation. As described in the procedures‟
definitions in chapter II, some of the procedures involve having to change the
structure (transposition) or completely change the words to produce a similar
expression (modulation). This fits the characteristics of dynamic equivalence, as
this equivalence theory tries to reproduce TL in a simpler and natural way that
conforms to a particular register in TL.
26
CHAPTER III
RESEARCH FINDINGS
A. Data Description
To describe the data acquired from the research, the writer made a tabulated
data list to comprehend the data more easily. The table list consists of carefully
selected data from the research subject, and arranged to suit the research question.
Below is the tabulated data list.
Table 4:
The data description of translation procedures and equivalence.
No SL TL Translation
Procedure
Equivalence
1 (1st)
To the head
bone.
(2nd)
The head
bone's
connected
to the horn
bone.
(1st)
Tulang leher
tersambung
ke tulang
kepala.
(2nd)
Tulang kepala
tersambung
ke tulang
tanduk.
Expansion Dynamic
2 (1st)
-Sorry,
Michael. I
didn't see you.
(1st)
-Maaf,
Michael.Aku
tak melihatmu.
Transposition +
Transference +
Functional
Equivalent +
Dynamic
26
27
- That's okay.
(2nd)
When I was on
the bus, I
found a nickel!
-Tak apa. Aku
menemukan
(2nd)
uang 5 sen di
bis! (when I was
is deleted)
Reduction
(Quadruplets)
3 How about we
do
tallest in the
back?
Tolong yang
tinggi berdiri di
belakang!
Modulation Dynamic
4 but everything
in my life
has led to this
moment.
Tapi seluruh
peristiwa
hidupku
membawaku
kemari.
Expansion +
Modulation
(Couplets)
Dynamic
5 Marie, Mr.
Right
is out there
somewhere.
Marie, jodohmu
ada di luar sana.
(somewhere is
deleted)
Transference +
Functional
Equivalent +
Reduction
(Triplets)
Dynamic
6 I'm welling up
with tears.
Now, get off.
Aku banjir air
mata.
Sekarang
turunlah.
Cultural
Equivalent
Dynamic
7 (1st)
It's my job to
make
great students
greater,
(2nd)
Tugasku
membuat
murid yang
hebat lebih
hebat...
bukan membuat
Synoymy +
Modulation
Dynamic
28
not make
mediocre
students
less mediocre.
murid yang
biasa saja
bertambah
buruk.
8 I don't mean to
interrupt.
Aku tak
bermaksud
interupsi.
Naturalisation Formal
9 Like Bill
Sullivan, the
Scarer?
Ada hubungan
dengan
Bill Sullivan,
Monster
Menakuti?
Expansion Dynamic
10 You are Jaws
Theta Chi
material,
freshman.
Kau cocok
untuk Jaws
Theta Chi.
(freshman is
deleted)
Transposition +
Transference +
Modulation +
Reduction
(Quadruplets)
Dynamic
11 (1st)
Sulley, any
freshman with
the guts
to pull off a
stunt like that
(2nd)
has got "Future
Scarer"
written all over
him.
(1st)
(Sulley is
deleted)Siswa
baru mana pun
yang berani
melakukan itu...
(2nd)
punya masa
depan cerah
jadi monster
menakuti.
Reduction +
Functional
Equivalent
(Couplets)
Dynamic
12 (1st)
Just
(1st)
Tunggu saja.
Reduction +
Functional
Dynamic
29
wait,hotshot.
(2nd)
I'm going to
scare circles
around you
this year.
(hotshot is
deleted)
(2nd)
Aku akan lebih
Menakutkan
darimu tahun
ini.
Equivalent
(Couplets)
13 Get ready to
eat my dust.
Bersiaplah
makan debuku.
Transference Formal
B. Data Analysis
The table above consists of 14 data which has been thoroughly inspected and
selected for the purpose of the research. Using Newmark‟s theory, the writer has
categorized and analyzed the data; with the results described in the following
analysis:
1. Subtitle Data 1 (00:01:01 ~ 00:01:05)
SL TL
(1st) To the head bone.
(2nd) The head bone's connected
to the horn bone.
(1st) Tulang leher tersambung
ke tulang kepala.
(2nd) Tulang kepala tersambung
ke tulang tanduk.
This data is a combined two segments of subtitle, which is done in order to
match the context of the subtitle. If the writer only added one line, it wouldn‟t
make sense and it would be difficult in explaining the translation process.
30
The subtitle data 1 depicts the usage of Newmark‟s Expansion strategy. This
is shown in the usage of “tulang leher tersambung”which is not included in SL.
In SL, the first line doesn‟t have any word that relates to “tulang leher”. However,
the word “connected” is found in the second line of the subtitle. This means that
the translator does not rely on one segment of the text to translate it. The translator
most likely tries to grasp the context first by looking the second lines and the ones
proceeding after it. After understanding what it means and how it relates to the
first line, the translator proceeded to translate the first line by adding
“tersambung”.
This phenomenon is called the Role of Context, where the translator made
use of the context to compensate for the loss of meaning in translation of TL. This
conforms to Nida‟s theory of contexts, which is:
“No translator can afford to overlook the role of contexts in translating because
they are crucial for so many decisions, The most obvious relevance of contexts
occurs in the choice of words in the immediate syntagmatic context of a single
sentence or in the subtle connections between different words within the same
semantic field or domain, as an extension of paradigmatic contexts.” 42
The statement above is self-explanatory. To put it simply, every translator
needs to understand the overall gist of the context first before translating. After
understanding the context, the translator could take advantage of it to decide the
word choice and to organize the discourse in TL. This way, the translator and the
42
Eugene A Nida. 1999 The Role of Contexts in Translating. In Word, Text, Translation:
Liber Amicorum for Peter Newmark. (Clevedon: Multilingual Matters) p.1
31
context would sync with each other. The synchronization of this data‟s translation
balances the outcome of the translation.43
Concerning the equivalence result, because there is an act „deviation‟ of
adding “tersambung” in the translation of TL, it qualifies as a dynamic
equivalence. The addition of “tersambung” will give the audience an
understanding that the first line is in rhyme with the second line and the line that
comes after it. Therefore, it creates a communicative effect towards the audience.
2. Subtitle Data 2 (00:01:33 ~ 00:01:39)
SL TL
(1st) -Sorry, Michael. I didn't see
you.
- That's okay.
(2nd)When I was on the bus, I
found a nickel!
(1st) -Maaf, Michael. Aku tak
melihatmu.
-Tak apa. Aku menemukan
(2nd)uang 5 sen di bis! (when I was
is deleted)
As for this subtitle data, a rare translation process has occurred here, namely,
the quadruplets (combination of four translation procedures). The translation
involves the transfer of the name of a character “Michael” which is completely
unchanged. Next is the deletion of “when I was on the bus”. If it‟s translated, it
would become: “ketika aku di dalam bis”. Notice that in the TL, there were no
translations of “when I was”. The last one, the phrase “I found a nickel” was
translated first and the “on the bus” was translated last, which indicates a
43
Ibid.
32
translation shift. Hence, by the chronological order of the process, Transference
was used first, reduction second, and then proceeds to Transposition and
Functional Equivalent.
Regarding the equivalence result, this data qualifies as dynamic equivalence
emphasis. This is because of its three main deviations that involve: Deleting some
of the words, changing the position of the sentence, and neutralizing cultural word
(nickel into 5 sen). By doing so, the translator managed to save space in the
subtitle and gave the audience a clear and precise translation.
3. Subtitle Data 3 (00:04:05 ~ 00:04:07)
SL TL
How about we do
tallest in the back?
Tolong yang tinggi berdiri di
belakang!
This data is translated by using the Modulation procedure. The translation
approach cab be seen in the change of SL‟s question sentence (?) into TL‟s
imperative sentence (!). The literal translation of SL in data above would be:
“Bagaimana kalau kita melakukan yang tertinggi di belakang?” This version is
way too long and the expression is too “foreign” to the audience. To deal with this,
the translator used modulation to make the subtitle in TL feels natural. Normally,
people in our language will say “Tolong yang tinggi berdiri di belakang!” in any
situation, time, and place if there is a tall person that needs to stay in the back.
33
Consequently, the naturalness that this data contained has resulted this data to
be called as dynamic equivalence. This is because the translation qualifies the
condition of dynamic equivalence which is the “deviation” from the original. And
also, the modulation is one of the emphasis of the dynamic equivalence (from the
inclination table). This points strongly to the translation‟s attempt to make the
subtitle‟s translation natural and easier to understand to the target audience.
4. Subtitle Data 4 (00:07:20 ~ 00:07:23)
SL TL
but everything in my life
has led to this moment.
Tapi seluruh peristiwa hidupku
Membawaku kemari.
This data made use of a double procedure (couplets), which consists of
expansion and synonymy. The first translation process here is depicted in
“everything in my life”, which literally translates to “segalanya dalam hidupku”.
The translator instead translated it by adding “peristiwa” on it to make it clear
what exactly that “everything” relates to. For the second translation process, “led
to this moment” is literally translated to “membawaku pada momen ini”. However,
the translator opted to translate it to “membawaku kemari” which has the same
meaning but different viewpoint with “membawaku pada momen ini”.
“Membawaku kemari” translates into “has brought me here” in English. Notice
that this version is more neutral; both in English and in our language. This is
probably done to get rid of the use of “moment”. Adding “momen” in TL is just
too foreign and unnatural.
34
As for the equivalence result, because of the process of adding extra words
and changing the viewpoint of the subtitle; it is qualified as a dynamic
equivalence. This is because of the translator‟s attempt to get rid of the unnatural
elements that would make the TL feels foreign.
5. Subtitle Data 5 (00:07:29 ~ 00:07:31)
SL TL
Marie, Mr. Right
is out there somewhere.
Marie, jodohmu ada di luar sana.
In this data, it uses triplets on its translation process. The triplets consist of
transference, functional equivalent, and reduction. The first one is the transfer of a
character name “Marie”. The second one is the translation of the idiomatic
expression: “Mr. Right” into “Jodohmu”. Note that “Mr. Right” is not really a
person‟s name, but a slang which means “a man who would be the best husband
for a particular woman” or “a man who would make the perfect husband”.44
An
experienced translator would never try to literally translate everything, which is
why that this movie‟s translator in particular, chose to translate “Mr. Right” into
“Jodohmu”. This act is considered a neutralization of the word “Mr. Right”, thus a
functional equivalent is used to describe this process. The last translation process
(reduction) is the deletion of“somewhere”. Hence, the translator only translated
“is out there”. This is possibly done to make the subtitle short and simple.
44
Mr. Right. 2014. In Merriam-Webster.com. Accessed May 31, 2014.
From http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mr.right
35
From the process above, the act of neutralizing and deleting a word has
qualified this data as dynamic equivalence. This is because the data fits the
condition of dynamic equivalence of minimizing (deleting) the translation in order
to gain simplicity. This can also be called deviation from the original because of
the translator‟s decision to remove some part of the text. This is why the dynamic
equivalence is the dominant one in this data.
6. Subtitle Data 6 (00:07:40 ~ 00:07:43)
SL TL
I'm welling up with tears. Now, get
off.
Aku banjir air mata.
Sekarang turunlah.
For this data, a rare translation process is found here. The translation process
in question is the cultural equivalent; the act of translating SL culture into TL
culture. The word “welling up with tears” in SL match perfectly in the TL version
“banjir air mata”. Because the translator has managed to match the English-only
expression with the TL, this subtitle data can be considered a dynamic
equivalence emphasis.
This is because of the the translation fulfills the condition of dynamic
equivalence, which is the “integration” of the cultural-bound elements of the SL
into the TL. The mentioned cultural-bound elements consist of language-exclusive
expressions, idiom or slang, or cultural terms. In this data in particular, the
cultural-bound element is an expression. Not all of them can be successfully
36
integrated into Indonesian language. For example, common expressions such as
“I’m all ears” can‟t be translated to match the expression in Indonesian language.
The only way to translate it is to neutralize the meaning, which is”aku
mendengarkan”, not literally translate it into ”Aku semua telinga”. However,
expressions such as”Looking for a needle in a haystack” can be integrated
perfectly into the culture in Indonesian. It can be translated into “Mencari jarum
dalam tumpukan jerami”. Looking at those examples, it can be concluded that this
data‟s translation is a culture into culture translation (cultural equivalent) which is
the dynamic equivalence emphasis.
7. Subtitle Data 7 (00:14:30 ~ 00:14:38)
SL TL
(1st)It's my job to make
great students greater,
(2nd) not make mediocre students
less mediocre.
(1st)Tugasku membuat
murid yang hebat lebih hebat...
(2nd) bukan membuat murid yang
Biasa saja bertambah buruk.
The translation process that occurred are synonymy and modulation. The
synonymy is found on the first line, which is “it’s my job”. It literally translates to
“pekerjaanku” in TL. However, “pekerjaan” has another meaning in english as
“occupation”, which is commonly used to state one‟s job or occupation (as a
status). So, if the translator used “pekerjaanku” in TL instead, it will definitely
sound awkward and stiff. Here‟s an example: “Pekerjaanku membuat murid yang
hebat lebih hebat..”. Looking at the example, The word “pekerjaanku” doesn‟t
37
seem to fit at all. As mentioned before, it is commonly used in sentences like this:
“Pekerjaanku adalah guru sekolah menengah”, “Instruktur beladiri sudah
menjadi pekerjaanku sejak dulu”, etc. So, the translator‟s choice to use “tugasku”
is a reasonable decision.
Next one is the modulation that was found on the second line, which is “less
mediocre”. The translation of the second line here relies on context. Meaning that
it is connected with the first line, notably the “great students greater” which is
connected to “mediocre students less mediocre”. The lines are in rhyme with each
other, so a literal translation is not appropriate. The literal translation of “less
mediocre” is “kurang biasa”. If it is applied in TL, it would look like this:
- The first line “murid yang hebat lebih hebat”
- The second line “murid yang biasa saja kurang biasa”
The result, the second line is not in rhyme with the first line, which in turn
disrupts the balance of the translation. To compensate for this, the translator
switched the literal meaning “kurang biasa” into “tambah buruk”. In this way, the
two lines would have a perfect rhyme with each other. This shows that a literal
meaning is not always better. In addition, because there is a change of meaning in
the second line (modulation), this subtitle‟s translation qualifies as a dynamic
equivalence.
38
8. Subtitle Data 8 (00:14:00 ~ 00:14:02)
SL TL
I don't mean to interrupt. Aku tak bermaksud interupsi.
The translation process in this data is the naturalisation. This subtitle segment
is the only segment that has a naturalisation strategy on the whole translation of
Monsters University. The translator could have translated “interrupt” literally into
“menganggu”. It is quite possible that the translator translated it that way in order
to preserve the “foreigness” in the subtitle.
With that fact, this subtitle data deserves to be called formal equivalence,
because of the decision of not literally translates the “interrupt” word in TL. The
other reason for this is because the SL structure is preserved in TL (no change
whatsoever), and it shows that the translator is being faithful to this subtitle‟s
translation. Because of that, this data qualifies as formal equivalence emphasis.
9. Subtitle Data 9 (00:15:36 ~ 00:15:38)
SL TL
Like Bill Sullivan, the Scarer? Ada hubungan dengan
Bill Sullivan, Monster Menakuti?
The translation process here is just a single procedure. Which is the expansion
procedure; an act of adding extra elements in TL. The process occurred because a
literal translation would not be enough in TL. It literally translates to “Seperti Bill
39
Sullivan, monster menakuti?” which does not make sense. As mentioned in
analysis of data 1, the role of context needs to be used by the translator. First is
the understanding of the subtitle‟s context, which is finding out the identity of Bill
Sullivan (not a detailed identity, just its relation). By paying attention for the
situation in the movie, the translator could have easily deducted that Bill Sullivan
was the main character (James Sullivan)‟s father. With that in mind, the translator
added an expansion: “ada hubungan dengan” to finish the translation. This is just
a matter of using the context and common sense, as it really helps choosing the
appropriate word to translate a text.
Because the existence of adding extra words in TL is present in this data, it
qualifies as dynamic equivalence. This is because it fits with the condition of
dynamic equivalence which is “tries to deviate from the original by adding or
deleting some of the text”. In this data in particular, the translator decided to add
an addition of words to the TL to gain clarity. Thus, this data is qualified as a
dynamic equivalence emphasis.
10. Subtitle Data 10 (00:19:40 ~ 00:19:42)
SL TL
You are Jaws Theta Chi material,
freshman.
Kau cocok untuk Jaws Theta Chi.
The translation process that occurred here is the quadruplets procedure, which
consists of transposition, transference, modulation, and reduction. The
40
transposition occurred in the position change of “material” in TL. The translation
of “material” is positioned in front of “kau” instead in front of “Jaws Theta Chi”.
Literal translation here would only produce an abnormal structure in TL. This is
because it is not appropriate to force SL structure into TL structure, especially
when its position is put where it is not to be. This is what happens if the position
is not changed: “Kau Jaws Theta Chi cocok”. Looking at the example, it is
obvious that the example is not a good translation and it would ruin the movie‟s
subtitle translation. The next one, transference, is depicted in the transfer of “Jaws
Theta Chi”, which is unchanged and left as it is. As for the reduction, it is
occurred in “freshman”, where it is deleted in TL. This is most likely done in
order to make it short and simple.
Because there is a change of structure and deletion of a word, it is clear that
this translation data is a dynamic equivalence emphasis. Dynamic equivalence
involves switching the positions of the word into a more TL-like structure just like
in this data. It fulfills the condition of the dynamic equivalence, and thus, is
qualified to be called dynamic equivalence emphasis.
41
11. Subtitle Data 11 (00:20:04 ~ 00:20:10)
SL TL
(1st)Sulley, any freshman with the
guts
to pull off a stunt like that
(2nd) has got "Future Scarer"
written all over him.
(1st) (Sulley is deleted)Siswa baru
mana pun
Yang berani melakukan itu...
(2nd) punya masa depan cerah
jadi monster menakuti.
The couplets procedure is also used in this data. It consists of reduction
and functional equivalent. The reduction is used to delete “Sulley” in the first
line. Notice that “Sulley” is the name of a character. The translator of this
movie had also deleted some names that appear in certain segments of the
movie. This is probably done because the translator thought that names are
something that the audience can notice very easily, so the translator deleted
them for his/her convenience. Keep in mind that not all names were deleted in
the subtitle, only some of them.
As for the functional equivalent, it is used in two sentences, which in fact,
both of them are idiomatic expressions. As elaborated in chapter II, the
functional equivalent is the most appropriate and accurate way of translating
cultural words. This includes idiomatic expressions. To make it simple and
clearer, the only way is to neutralize them instead of translating it literally.
That way, the result will contain a simple meaning that greatly improves the
understanding of meaning for the audience.
42
As for the meaning for the neutralized words, they are as follows:
- To pull off a stunt like that
Meaning: To pull off = To manage to make something happen.45
- “Future Scarer” written all over him
Meaning: written all over : used to convey that the presence of a particular
quality or feeling is clearly revealed by a person's expression.46
Because there is a deletion of word and neutralizing process in the data, it
is qualified to be a dynamic equivalence. As explained many times over, any
deletion or neutralizing of the SL would inevitably result in a dynamic
equivalence because of the “deviation” act.
12. Subtitle Data 12 (00:20:54 ~ 00:20:57)
SL TL
(1st) Just wait, hotshot.
(2nd) I'm going to scare circles
around you this year.
(1st) Tunggu saja. (hotshot is
deleted)
(2nd) Aku akan lebih
Menakutkan darimu tahun ini.
This data uses couplets that consist of reduction and functional equivalent,
just like in subtitle data 11. The only difference is that the translator deleted a
slang or idiomatic word, rather than neutralizing it. This shows the possibility
45
Pull Off. 2014. In idioms.freedictionary.org. Accessed May 31, 2014.
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/pull+off 46
Judith Siefrin. Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms. (2nd ed.) New York, NY: Oxford
University Press, USA. 2004. p320
43
that a translator might take an option to delete a cultural word rather than
translating it. The deletion is applied on Hotshot, which is a slang that
represents a person of impressive skill and daring, especially one who highly
successful and self-assured.47
As for the second line, the phrase “scare circles
around you” is a modified version of the idiom “run circles around you”
which means to outperform someone with a great margin.48
The translator
translated the SL into “lebih menakutkan darimu” in order to neutralize the
meaning into something clearer, rather than literally translate it.
Consequently, because this data is similar as subtitle data 11, it qualifies as
a dynamic equivalence emphasis. The similarity in question can be seen in the
neutralization of the “scare circles around you”. If it‟s translated literally, it‟ll
become “menakuti memutarimu”, which doesn‟t make any sense. Looking at
this, it is clear that the translater wanted to avoid any literal translation. The
translator decided to translate it by neutralizing it into a more simpler meaning
in order to gain simplicity to make it easier to understand. Because of this, this
data is qualified to called dynamic equivalence emphasis
47
Hotshot. 2014. In thefreedictionary.com. Accessed June 5, 2014
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/hotshot 48
Run circles around. 2014. In wiktionary.org. Accessed May 31, 2014.
From http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ run_circles_around
44
13. Subtitle Data 13 (00:41:50 ~ 00:41:52)
SL TL
Get ready to eat my dust. Bersiaplah makan debuku.
This subtitle data uses transference strategy, in which the translator
decided to translate it literally. This creates a replica of the effect in SL, in
other words, borrowing the effect of SL. The phrase “Eat my dust” is a slang
that is commonly used towards the opponents when competing. It is used as an
in-your-face (blatant or direct) mockery to a losing rival or something similar.
49
The act of preserving the cultural effect grants this data the qualification of
formal equivalence. This is because the translator literally translated the
subtitle, it fits the condition of the formal equivalence which is “tries to
replicate the content and structure to preserve originality”. Because it is
literally translated, it still contains the cultural elements on it (the idiom of eat
my dust) in the TL. Thus, the subtitle data is qualified to be called a formal
equivalence emphasis.
49
Eat my dust. 2014. In wiktionary.org. Accessed May 31, 2014.
From http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/eat_my_dust
45
CHAPTER IV
CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
A. Conclusions
Translating movies or subtitling is not the same as intertextual translation.
This is because it has technical matters such as space and timing. The translator
has to follow the rules of subtitling with a precise translation. This includes,
removing, adding, or altering the structures of the text in TL, in order to gain a
good translation quality in film translation.
Nine strategies were used in the translation of the subtitle of Monsters
University. The commonly found procedures here are expansion and reduction,
functional equivalent, and couplets. This is due to the fact there are many act of
removal, addition, and neutralizing in the translation. Most of them are
emphasized toward dynamic equivalence. The formal equivalence was used as
well, but its usage was minimal. This indicates that the translator strives in
reproducing the SL in TL in a shorter and neutral way, and also, the translator also
complements an addition to the TL if the subtitle is too short. As a conclusion, the
essence of film translation is all about cutting down unneeded elements to save
space (such as cultural words and character names), adding extra word to TL if the
subtitle is too short, and neutralizing cultural words or specific terms to gain
clarity.
45
46
B. Suggestions
In translating film, it is recommended to always emphasize it into dynamic
equivalence and try making the subtitles shorter and simpler. And also, this
research has not described in detail on how formal equivalence really works in
translation of film. As a result, it is highly necessary to conduct further research
into formal equivalence in film translation.
47
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books:
A Nida, Eugene.1999.The Role of Contexts in Translating. In Word, Text,
Translation: Liber Amicorum for Peter Newmark. Clevedon:
Multilingual Matters.
A. Nida , Eugene and Taber, Charles. 1982. The Theory and Practice of
Translation. Leiden: E.J Brill.
Catford, J.C. 1965. A Linguistic Theory of Translation, Oxford University Press,
London.
Chen, Sheng-Jie. 2004. Linguistic Dimensions of Subtitling. Perspective from
Taiwan. In Meta Journal, XLIX, 1.
E. Landers, Clifford. 1998. Literary Translation : A Practical Guide. Sydney :
Multilingual Matters LTD.
Hardin, Gérard and Picot, Cynthia. 1990. Translate: Initiation à la pratique de la
traduction, Bordas, Paris: Aubin Imprimeur.
Munday, Jeremy. 2008. Introducing Translation Studies : Theories and
applications. Routledge, New York.
Newmark, Peter. 1988. A Textbook of Translation. Hertfordshire: Prentice Hall
International.
Orero, Pilar. 2004. Topics in Audiovisual Translation. Amsterdam and
Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Sayogie, Frans. 2009. Teori & Praktek Penerjemahan, Tangerang: Pustaka Anak
Negeri.
Siefrin, Judith. 2004. Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms. (2nd ed.). Oxford
University Press, USA.
Soanes, Catherine. and Stevenson, Angus 2005. Concise Oxford English
Dictionary 11th Edition. Oxford University Press.
Websites:
Eat my dust. 2014. In wiktionary.org. Accessed May 31, 2014.
From http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/eat_my_dust
Mr. Right. 2014. In Merriam-Webster.com. Accessed May 31, 2014.
From http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mr.right
47
48
Run circles around. 2014. In wiktionary.org. Accessed May 31, 2014.
From http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ run_circles_around
Pull Off. 2014. In idioms.freedictionary.org. Accessed November 1, 2014.
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/pull+off
Hotshot. 2014. In thefreedictionary.com. Accessed November 1, 2014
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/hotshot
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1453405/
Panou , Despoina. Equivalence in Translation Theories: A Critical Evaluation.
Department of Education, University of Leicester, UK. 2013.
http://ojs.academypublisher.com/index.php/tpls/article/viewFile/tpls03010106/61
88
(Accessed February 2nd, 2014)
Soler Pardo, Betlem. Translation Studies: An Introduction to the History and
Development of (Audiovisual) Translation. Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio.
Villanueva de la Cañada. 2013.
http://www.uax.es/publicacion/translation-studies-an-introduction-to-the-history-
and-development-of.pdf (Accessed on February 2nd, 2014)
Szarkowska, Agnieszka. 2005."The Power of Film Translation" Translation
Journal, vol. 3, no. 3. Cited in Balsam A Mustafa, Film Translation: Subtitling vs.
Dubbing, College of Arts : Translation Department, Al Mustansirriya University.
www.iasj.net/iasj?func=fulltext&aId=49262 (Accessed on February 2nd, 2014)
Törnqvist, Egil. Ingmar Bergman Abroad: The Problems of Subtitling. Cited
inJessica Rietveld. The Mind of a Subtitler: Translation Strategies Employed in
Subtitling Crime and Comedy. Master Thesis. Faculty of Humanities. Utrecht
University.
http://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/31713 (Accessed March 3rd, 2014)
49
APPENDICES
Attachment 1: Monsters University Screenshot comparison
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Attachment 2: Monsters University Screenshot comparison
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Attachment 11: Monsters University Screenshot comparison
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Attachment 16: Monsters University Screenshot comparison
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Attachment 17: Monsters University Screenshot comparison