1

Translation Strategies Found in Pe Myint’s Myanmar Version

of “A Brother Like That” By Dan Clark
Ei Khine Zune1
Abstract
Nowadays, translation plays an important role in global communication to exchange various
information, languages and cultures all over the world. This paper attempted to analyse the
translation strategies which are used by the translator Pe Myint when he encountered
difficulties in translation. The aim of this research is to study the translation strategies found in
Pe Myint’s Myanmar version of “A Brother Like That” by Dan Clark through translation
strategies proposed by Bell (1991). The objectives of this research are to investigate the
translation strategies found in Pe Myint’s Myanmar version of “A Brother Like That”, to find
out the frequency of strategies and which strategies are mostly used, and to study how the
translator makes his target text more understandable, effective and worth reading for the
readers. In order to discover translation strategies of Pe Myint in his Myanmar version, the
original text “A Brother Like That” and the translated text are
compared with line by line in data collecting table. According to Bell (1991), there are 9
translation strategies. They are translation by addition, omission, explicitation, implicitation,
domestication, foreignization, formality change, speech act change and trans-editing. In this
research, it is observed that the translator omitted, added, domesticated and formalized certain
items from the original text in order to make his text more figurative, attractive, and easy to
understand.
Key word : translation strategy, short story
Introduction
Language is an important tool for communication. Through language, people
can express opinions, ideas, thoughts, feelings, and even cultures. Besides, a language
can also be used as a media for the transmission of informative messages. English is
an international language which is used by many people all over the world. There are
many English books which have been published abroad. Some people in certain
countries may not understand well when they read these books because English is not
their mother tongue. Therefore, translation is necessary for the spread of information,
knowledge, and ideas. Translating literary works has always become a controversial
thing in translation field. One of those literary works is short stories. In translating a
short story, the translator must be proficient not only in the source language but also
in the target language. It is necessary to preserve the original text’s taste and meaning
when the text is transferred from one language to another. A good and smooth
translation depends on the translator’s skill, experiences, creativity and understanding
the differences between various cultures.
Most theorists agree that translation strategies are used by the translator when
they encounter a problem or literal translation is not useful. Different researchers have
investigated and described various translation strategies from their different
perspectives. This paper concentrates on the translation strategies used by professional
translators when they encounter non-equivalent words in the short story. This paper
also attempts to show what translation strategies exist and, when and why they are
used by professional translators.
Rationale of the Research
Nowadays, translation plays an important role in our country because tourists
visiting and foreign investments are increasing day by day. Translation becomes
essential not only in international relation but also in various fields such as science
and technology, culture and literature, communication and transportation. Moreover,
it can be said that translation becomes the key to open the banks of the world

1
Daw Ei Khine Zune,Lecturer, Department of English, Hpa-an University
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literature. According to Dewi (2016), promoting literature through translation does

not only attempt to improve the literary culture but also to satisfy the curiosity of
knowing different cultures from different countries. Translating literatures from one
language to another is not an easy task. Therefore, we need to pay more attention to
Myanmar literary translators’ role.
Aim and Objectives
The aim of this research is to study the translation strategies found in Pe
Myint’s Myanmar version of “A Brother Like That” by Dan Clark through translation
theory proposed by Bell. The objectives of the present research are:
1. to analyze the translation strategies found in , Pe Myint’s
Myanmar version of “A Brother Like That” by Dan Clark.
2. to find out the frequency of translation strategies and which strategies are
the most effective in Myanmar translation style.
3. to investigate what kind of strategies were employed the most in the story,
and when and why they are used by the translator.
4. to study how the translator makes his text more understandable, effective
and worth reading for the readers.
Scope of the Research
This study analyses the translation strategies found in Pe Myint’s Myanmar
version of “A Brother Like That” by Dan Clark through translation strategies
proposed by Bell (1991).The scope of this research is to analyze the translation
strategies used in the story in term of translation strategies
proposed by Bell. Bell (1991) lists nine strategies which include translation by
addition, translation by omission, translation by explicitation, translation by
implicitation, translation by domestication, translation by foreignization, translation
by formality change, translation by speech act change and translation by trans-editing.
Literature review
Theoretical Background
Translation can be defined as encoding the meaning and form in the target
language by means of the decoded meaning and form of the source language.
Different theorists state various definitions for translation. Hatim and Mason (1990)
suggest that translation is a process involving the negotiation of meaning between
producers and receivers of the text. Picken (1989) defines that general translation is a
method of transferring oral and written messages from writing to speech or from one
language to another. Bell (1991) views translation as the replacement of a text in one
language by an equivalent text in another language. Newmark (1981:7) indicates that
translation is a craft that attempts to replace a written message and/or statement in one
language by the same message or statement in another language. Kelly (2005:26-27)
defines translation as the skill of understanding the source text and rendering it in the
target language by using the register, the background knowledge, and other language
resources according to the intended purpose. Likewise different theorists have
different definitions for “translation”, they also have different procedures in solving
translation problems. The means by which the translator deals with their translation
problems are called strategies. Although different theorists have different procedures
in solving translation problems, this paper is based on Bell’s theory to investigate the
translation strategies found in Pe Myint’s Myanmar version of “A Brother Like That”
by Dan Clark. Bell’s theory is easy to understand and perfectly suitable for Myanmar
translation style.
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What is Translation?
Translation occurs very often in our daily life in order to transfer meanings
from one language to another language. Some of the experts and scholars have
proposed various definitions on translation. For example, Larson (1984) states that
translation means transferring the meaning of the source language (SL) into the target
language (TL). The definition of translation stated by Larson cannot be considered as
a complete definition because translation means more than transferring meaning. The
translator needs to consider the cultural and social background of the target language
as well as its grammatical structures. Newmark (1988) stated in his book 'A textbook
of translation' that translation is rendering the meaning of a text into another language
in the way that the author intended the text. It means that translation is transferring the
meaning of a text into another language in accordance with what the author intended,
but this definition is incomplete because it does not consider the form and the
grammar of the target language.
Catford (1965) also stated that translation is the replacement of textual
material in one language by equivalent textual material in another language. It means
that the translation is the replacement of textual material in the source language with
the closest meaning in target language. He distinguished between total translation,
which is the replacement of SL grammar and lexis by equivalent TL grammar and
lexis, and restricted translation that is based on the replacement of SL textual material
at only one level. In the book 'The Technique of Making Idiomatic Translation',
Based on the definitions that have been stated by the experts, the researcher
concludes that the translation is the process of transferring message, knowledge, and
culture of source language into target language as natural as possible by considering
the closest equivalent and the rules of target language, so that readers can understand
the message easily.
Bell’s Pragmatic Strategies
According to Bell (1991) retrived from https:/etheses.bham.ac.uk/1163/1/
Tso10PhD 1-2.pdf, the domain of pragmatics is one step beyond syntax and
semantics. It involves “plans and goals and the textual characteristics of intentionality,
acceptability and situationality – the attitudes of the producer and receiver of the text
and its relevance to its context of use”. From the pragmatic perspective, the most
common translation strategies include:
(a) addition
(b) omission
(c) explicitation
(d) implicitation
(e) domestication
(f) foreignization
(g) formality change
(h) speech act change
(i) transediting
(a) Addition
According to Eco (2003) cited in Bell (1991), sometimes, in order to avoid a
possible loss, a translator may say more than the source text.
(b) Omission
Omission in translation is normally considered unfavourable because during
the process of omission, some information or effect in the source text will be omitted
and therefore lost. While omission is carried out when the content is intentionally or
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unconsciously deleted by the translator, sometimes, omission also occurs when certain
qualities in the source language cannot be kept in the target language.
(c) Explicitation
According to Vinay and Darbelnet cited in Bell (1991), explicitation is
described as “the process of introducing information into target language which is
presented only implicity in the source language, but which can be derived from the
context or the situation”. It can be seen as a method of addition in translation.
(d) Implicitation
According to Vinay and Darbelnet cited in Bell (1991), inverting the process
of explicitation, implicitation is “the process of allowing the target language situation
or context to define certain details which were explicit in the source language”. Being
considered as a form of omission, it is also discussed in term of losses in translation.
(e) Domestication
According to Venuti (1995) cited in Bell (1991), the term “domestication” is
the issue of invisibility and a trend dominating Anglo-American translation culture. A
translator who uses the translation technique of domestication is target – oriented and
reader – oriented. Sometimes, domestication can also be unavoidable.
(f) Foreignization
Foreignization is like the opposite of domestication. Venuti (1997) cited in
Bell (1991) explains a highly desirable translation strategy that “entails choosing a
foreign text and developing a translation method along lines which are excluded by
dominant cultural values in the target language”.
(g) Formality change
According to Heylighen and Dewaele (1999) cited in Bell (1991), formality
can be understood at two levels – surface formality and deep formality. Surface
formality is characterized by attention to form for the sake of convention of form
itself. Occasions such as ceremonies, rituals and examinations are typical social
situations that exemplify surface formality. On the other hand, deep formality is
defined as avoidance of ambiguity by minimizing the context-dependence and
fuzziness of expressions.
(h) Speech act change
J.L Austin, the British Philosopher cited in Bell (1991), he introduces the
notions of “locutionary act”, “illocutionary act” and “perlocutionary act” which later
on become common terms in the study of speech acts. Locutionary act is the simplest
speech act. It refers to the surface meaning of an utterance.
(i)Trans-editing
Trans-editing is a two-in-one term consisting of the processes of translation
and editing. According to Hursti (2001) cited in Bell (1991), trans-editing is “the
composite term used to refer to work done in the realm of “practical texts”, such as
news items in which the processes, editing and translation, are not only very much
present but also equally important and closely intertwined.” Usually trans-editing
takes place when the translator realizes that the readers may need additional
explanations to understand the text.

Research Methodology
The focus of this research is to find out translation strategies in Pe Myint’s
Myanmar version of the story “A Brother Like That” written by Dan Clark through
the translation strategies proposed by Bell(1991). They are Translation by Addition,
Translation by Omission, Translation by Explicitation, Translation by Implicitation,
Translation by Domestication, Translation by Foreignization, Translation by
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Formality Change, Translation by Speech Act Change and Translation by Trans-

editing.
Data Collection and Analysis
When data was collected, 9 aspects of Bell’s pragmatic strategies (1991) are
used to investigate and analyse the translated text by Pe Myint,
and the following codes that represent nine pragmatic strategies are applied in
collecting and analyzing the data.
(1) Translation by Addition -S1 (Addition)
(2) Translation by Omission -S2 (Omission)
(3) Translation by Explicitation -S3 (Explicitation)
(4) Translation by Implicitation -S4 (Implicitation)
(5) Translation by Domestication -S5 (Domestication)
(6) Translation by Foreignization -S6 (Foreignization)
(7) Translation by Formality Change -S7 (Formality Change)
(8) Translation by Speech Act Change -S8 (Speech Act Change)
(9) Transltion by Trans-editing -S9 (Trans-editing)
In translating the short story “A Brother Like That”, the translator used the
translation strategy of addition 4 times and that is 11.11%, the translation strategy of
omission 6 times and that is 16.67%, the translation strategy of explicitation 6 times
and that is 16.67%, the translation strategy of domestication 9 times and that is 25%,
the translation strategy of foreignization 3 times and that is 8.33%, the translation
strategy of formality change 3 times and that is 8.33%, the translation strategy of
speech act change 1 time and that is 2.78% and the translation strategy of trans-
editing 4 times and that is 11.11% respectively.

The Frequency of Translation Strategies Found in Pe Myint’s Myanmar Version

of “A Brother Like That” by Dan Clark

Sr Strategies Frequency of Percentage

No Strategies used
1. Translation by ‘Addition’ 4 11.11%
2. Translation by ‘Omission’ 6 16.67%
3. Translation by ‘Explicitation’ 6 16.67%
4. Translation by ‘Implicitation’ - -
5. Translation by ‘Domestication’ 9 25%
6. Translation by ‘Foreignization’ 3 8.33%
7. Translation by ‘Formality 3 8.33%
Change’
8. Translation by ‘Speech Act 1 2.78%
Change’
9. Translation by ‘Trans-editing’ 4 11.11%
Total 36 100%
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The Frequency of Translation Strategies found in Pe Myint’s Myanmar Version

of “A Brother Like That” by Dan Clark
Translation Strategies
10
9
8 Addition
7 Omission
6
Explicitaion
5
4 Implicitation
3 Domestication
2
Foreignization
1
0 Formality Change
Speech Act Change
Trans-editing

The above table and figure describe the use of translation strategies found in
Pe Myint’s Myanmar version of the short story “A Brother Like That”. The translator
applied all strategies in his translation except the translation strategy of
‘Implicitation’. Among them, the translation strategy of ‘Domestication’ is the most
used and the translation strategy of ‘Speech Act Change’ is the least used.
Findings and Discussion

The present research paper analyses the translation strategies used by Pe Myint
in translating the story “A Brother Like That” by Dan Clark into Myanmar version
“ ”. The original author describes the young boy’s feeling and
affection on his younger brother. It shows that he values their relationship by showing
his mercy and sympathy on his younger brother. To convey the original message of
the story, the translator uses a lot of translation strategies.

After detailed analysis of the translation strategies found in Pe Myint’s

Myanmar version of the story “A Brother Like That” by Dan Clark, the findings are
described as follows. Among Bell’s nine strategies, only eight strategies are found in
the process of translation by Pe Myint. In Myanmar translation, the following
strategies proposed by Bell(1991) are found. They are translation by “Addition”,
translation by “Omission”, translation by “Explicitation”, translation by
“Implicitation”, translation by “Domestication”, translation by “Foreignization”,
translation by “Formality Change” and translation by “Trans-editing”. The translator
didn’t use the translation strategy of “Speech Act Change”.

According to the findings, it can be found that the most frequently strategies
used by the translator are translation by “domestication”. It is used 9 times. They are 9
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out of 36 and that is (25%). In order to give the information without deviating the
original meaning, the translator uses the strategy of “domestication”. The strategy of
“Domestication” is the opposite of the translation by “Foreignization”. The translator
domesticated some words from the source text to be able to get the main theme with
better understanding. This strategy makes the translation more familiar and suitable
with the Myanmar readers.

The second frequently used strategies are translation by “Omission” and

translation by “explicitation”. Each of both is 6 out of 36 and that is (16.67%). The
translation strategy of “Omission” is used to make the target text to be more concrete
for the readers. Although the translator uses this strategy, the original meaning does
not deviate in the target text. The third used strategies are translation by “Addition”
and translation by “trans-editing”. They are 4 out of 36 and that is (11.11%). In order
to give the readers more information, the translator used these strategies. The
translator added some words and phrases, and even a full sentence to make the story
more effective and understandable.

The fourth frequently used strategies are translation by “Foreignization” and

translation by “formality change”. They are 3 out of 36 and that is (8.33%). In the
translated version, the translator translated the name of ceremony such as Christmas
and to make the readers in touch with others’ culture by using this strategy.The least
used strategy in the story is translation by “Speech act change”. It is 1 out of 36 and
that is (2.78%). It is found that the translation strategy of “Implicitation” is not used in
this translation.

By applying the strategies, the translator makes his text more understandable,
effective, and worth reading for the readers. The original story “A Brother Like That”
is an excellent one. Similarly, the translated version “ ” can also
maintain the essence of the story.

Conclusion

Translation is not an easy task. Every language has different structures and
cultures that can complicate the translator to convey the original message from the
source text. One of the most difficult parts in translation process is translating literary
works, such as short stories and novels. In translating the story, the more skillful the
translator, the more he can give the main theme of the original text to the readers.

The present research is an attempt to investigate the translation strategies

found in the translated text “ ”, a Myanmar version of the story “A
Brother Like That” by Dan Clark based on Bell’s translation strategies. When a source
text is translated into a target text, only literal translation or direct translation is not
enough. According to the findings, certain items are added, omitted, domesticated and
formalized to adjust the differences between two languages.
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The analysis of the data shows that the translator uses a variety of strategies in
translating the story “A Brother Like That” to make his translation more effective and
excellent without deviating the intended meaning of the original text. It is found that
the translation strategy by “Implicitation” is not used. In this research, the most
frequently used strategy is “Translation by Domestication”. Such strategy helps the
translator in covering the general meaning of the intended message. The least
frequently used strategy is “Speech act change”. The translator used this strategy only
one time. The translator also applied “Translation by Additon”, “Translation by
Omission”, “Translation by Domestication”, “Translation by Foreignization” and
“Translation by Trans-editing” to make the story more figurative, attractive and easy
to understand.

It is observed that the intended messages of the story are vividly accepted by
the readers and the readers are easily able to appreciate the essence of the story. The
translator’s skillful choice of strategies make his text more understandable and worth
reading for the readers. Finally, the researcher expects that this study can partially
fulfill the need of the students who want to improve their translation qualities by
studying the translation strategies found in the famous translator’s work. In addition,
through this study, the researcher hopes that other researchers can develop the
researchs in the filed of translation by using better techniques and analysis in the
future.

Acknowledgements
First of all, I would like to express a great sense of gratitude to Dr. Soe Soe Aye, Acting-
Rector of the Hpa-an University, the pro-rectors, Dr. San San Hmwe and Dr. Khin Moe Moe, for
giving me opportunity to do this research paper. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to
Associate Professor Daw Zar Chi Soe, Head of English Department, Hpa-an University, for her sincere
encouragement and invaluable comments in the writing of this research paper. My gratitude and
appreciations are also addressed to all of the teachers from English Department in Hpa-an University,
for their valuable suggestions. Without their sound advices, the completion of this work would not be
possible.
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Zohre Owji (January 2013). Translation Strategies: A Review and Comparison of
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