THE MEMBERS

SUNY SUNTORO
RISMA DEVI SULISTIYANI
NONNY CAHYANI
WILLIATUN NURDIN
Translation and Culture
 DEFINITIONS
I define culture as the way of life and its manifestations that
are peculiar to a community that uses a particular language as its
means of expression.
 CULTURAL CATEGORIES
1. Ecology Flora, fauna, winds, plains, hills: 'honeysuckle',
'downs', 'sirocco', *rundra\ pampas', abuleiros low plateau),
'plateau', selva tropical rain forest), 'savanna', paddy field*
2. Material culture (artefacts)
 Food: 'zabaglione', 'sake', Kaiserschmarren
 Clothes: 'anorak', kanga (Africa), sarong (South Seas), dhoti
(India)
 Houses and towns: kampong, bourg, bourgade 'chalet', 'low-rise',
'tower‘
 Transport: 'bike*, 'rickshaw', 'Moulton', cabriolet 'tilbury', calichet
(3) Social culture work and leisure ajaki amah, condotttere, biwa,
sithar, raga, 'reggae', 'rock'
 CULTURAL CATEGORIES
1. Social culture-work and leisure ajaki amah, condotttere, biwa,
sithar, raga, 'reggae', 'rock‘
2. Organisations, customs, activities, procedures, concepts
 Political and administrative
 Religious: dharma, karma? 'temple‘
 Artistic
 Gestures and habits: 'Cock a snook','spitting'
 GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
A few general considerations govern the translation of all cultural
words. First, your ultimate\ consideration should be recognition of
the cultural achievements referred to in the SL text, and respect for
all foreign countries and their cultures.
 ECOLOGY
Geographical features can be normally distinguished from other
cultural terms in that they are usually value-free, politically and
commercially. Nevertheless, their diffusion depends on the
importance of their country of origin as well as their degree of
specificity.
 MATERIAL CULTURE
Food is for many the most sensitive and important expression of
national culture; food terms are subject to the widest variety of
translation procedures. Various settings: menus - straight,
multilingual, glossed; cookbooks, food guides; tourist brochures;
journalism increasingly contain foreign food terms.
 SOCIAL ORGANISATION - POLITICAL AND
ADMINISTRATIVE

The political and social life of a country is reflected in its

institutional terms. Where the title of a head of state ('President',
'Prime Minister', 'King) or the name of a parliament (Assembler
Nationale? Camera dei Deputati or 'Senate') are 'transparent',
that is, made up of 'international' or easily translated
morphemes, they are thro ugh-translated ('National Assembly',
'Chamber of Deputies').
 GESTURES AND HABITS
For 'gestures and habits there is a distinction between description
and function which can be made where necessary in ambiguous
cases: thus, if people smile a little when someone dies, do a slow
hand-clap to express warm appreciation, spit as a blessing, nod
to dissent or shake their head to assent, kiss their finger tips to greet
or to praise, give a thumbs-up to signal OK, all of which occur in
some cultures and not in others.