Advance Translation

The problems in translation

 The preliminary
There is no perfect translation; no perfect
congruence in translation.

[] Linguistic asymmetry; there are no two

similar languages since every language has its
own unique system and structure.
[] Cultural asymmetry; there are no two similar
cultures since every culture has its own
categories.
 Next
The central problem in translation is whether to
translate the text literally or freely.

Translating literally means consider translating

the words and the form; translating freely
means consider translating the sense and the
message.

These should be based on texts’ function,

formality, context, and readership.
 Specific problems in translation
[1] Translating idiom and idiomatic expression
Group of words whose meaning cannot be
predicted from the meanings of the
constituent words; it results a new meaning
and it cannot be comprehended literally.

The specify terms: colloquialisms, proverbs,

slangs, idiomatic phrase, and phrasal verbs
 Next
SL: You know, Tom is a lucky dog.
TL: ……………………………

SL: It’s raining cats and dogs.

TL: ……………………………………...

SL: I want to move this desk to the next room,

can you give me a hand?
TL: …………………………………….............................
 Next
[2] Untranslatable Words: New-words and non-
translation
The translators will find an expression that
has no equivalent in the TL; there are some
procedures/strategies to solve the problem:
non-translation/omission, borrowing,
neologism, and addition.
 Next
SL: Untuk membuat sambal, haluskan cabai,
bawang merah, garam dapur, terasi, dan
tomat, kemudian diulek sampai halus.
TL: …………………………………….............................
…………………………………….............................
 Next
[3] Linguistic differences
Each language has its own vocabularies
(morphology) and structure (syntax and
semantic); not every version can be
translated literally and just follow the
structure of the SL since it will affect the
unnatural version in the TL.
SL: books, children, potatoes
TL: …………………………
 Next
SL: Saya belajar pelajaran Bahasa Inggris ketika
SMA.
TL: …………………………………….............................

SL: Saya belajar Bahasa Inggris.

TL: ……………………………………......

SL: Saya belajar Bahasa Inggris besok.

TL: ……………………………………................
 Next
[4] Figurative languages: Metaphor
A figure of speech which is applied to an
object or action that it does not literally
denote in order to imply a resemblance; a
direct comparison to an object.

SL: She is a book worm.

TL: …………………………….
SL: Mat is a lion in the class.
TL: …………………………….
 Next
[5] The technical terms
In translating technical/specific terms, the
translators should consult to the way of
saying the term with the editor/proofreader
instead of translating the term literally; they
can be either TL native or knowledgeable
author.

SL: current balance

TL: ………………………
 Next
SL: Sebelum menyiapkan masker alami, terlebih
dahulu siapkan bubur dari separuh alpukat yang
matang.
TL: …………………………………….............................

SL: When anyone opens a current account at a bank,

he is lending the bank money, and repayment of
which he may demand at any time depending on
whether the customer’s account is in credit or is
overdrawn.
TL: …………………………………….............................
 References
Armstrong, N. (2005). Translation, linguistics,
culture: A French-English handbook.
Multilingual Matters.
Baihaqi, A. (2017). Penerjemahan dan kesepadan
dalam penerjemahan. Staisman Press.
Newmark, P. (1988). A textbook of translation.
Prentice Hall Ltd.
Venuti, L. (2004). The translation studies reader.
Routledge.
Thank you