Translation Techniques

1. ADAPTATION
• This technique replaces the source text cultural element
with the target text cultural element.
• In other words, it is used to find the cultural equivalency of
the source language in the target language.
For example:

Dengan Hormat = Dear Sir/Ma’am

Hormat saya = Sincerely yours

I can take a device from my four dimensional pocket.

= Aku bisa mengambil alat dari kantong ajaibku
(In Japanese 四次元ポケット or よじげんポケット – or
yojigenpoketto or in English 4D Pocket)
• Seputih kapas = as white as snow???
• Aku menjawab dengan istilah yang sejak dulu
sudah hendak kugunakan “Si Brengsek” =
............???
 2. AMPLIFICATION
• This technique introduces details that are not formulated in
the source text. It gives more detail information about the
source text. To translate a terminology, translators need to
add notes to represent the contextual meaning of the word to
get the readers’ understanding of the target text. The notes
can be put as footnotes or endnotes.

• For example:
ST : Bulan depan adalah bulan Ramadhan.
TT : Next month is Ramadhan (The Muslim month of fasting)
or
TT : Next month is Ramadhan, the Muslim month of fasting.
• ST : Pecel adalah makanan favorit saya.
TT : Pecel (Indonesian salad with nut
condiment) is my favorite food.
TT : Pecel, Indonesian salad with nut
condiment, is my favorite food.

• ST : Kemarin opung pergi ke Prambanan.

TT : Yesterday opung (grand mother) went to
Prambanan (a Hindhu tample in central Java)
 3. BORROWING
• This technique takes a word straight from another language. It can be
pure borrowing or naturalized borrowing.

• For example;
ST : "Anak Pak Cik akan sebangku dengan Lintang” kata Bu Mus pada
ayahku".
TT : “Pak Cik, your son will share a desk with Lintang”, Bu Mus said to
my father".

ST : Bau hangus yang kucium tadi ternyata adalah bau sandal cunghai.
TT : That burnt smell I noticed earlier was actually the smell of his
cunghai sandals.

• Which one is pure borrowing and which one is naturalized borrowing

according to you, and why?
• The term "pak cik" is purely borrowed by the
TL. the translator use it without changing the
words with another equivalent word. In the
second one, the term "sandal" is naturalized
by the TL.
• So on the TT grammar the term Sandal is
should be in pair that make it plural = Sandals
To make natural into TT.
 4. CALQUE
• This technique is a literal translation of a foreign phrase lexically or
structurally. It is used for translating morpheme of a language into
another equivalent morpheme in another language.

• For example;
Akhir pekan = Weekend
Sekretaris jendral = Secretariat general
Direktorat jendral = Directorate general
Wakil presiden = Vice president

it can be seen that the translator translates“akhir pekan” as "weekend"

in English which is “akhir” means “end” and “pekan” means “week”, so
“weekend” is “akhir pekan”. It also happens to the other examples.
• 1. Calque Tataran Frasa
• Setiap bahasa memiliki ungkapan dan frasa yang biasanya hanya
identik dengan bahasa tersebut sehingga agak menyulitkan untuk
mengalih bahasakannya ke dalam bahasa sasaran karena faktor
perbedaan budaya.
• Walaupun demikian, idiom atau frasa dari suatu bahasa tidak
mustahil untuk digunakan scara utuh ke dalam bahasa sasaran
dengan menerjemahkannya kata per kata.
• Contoh:
• big head – besar kepala
• dark horse - kuda hitam
• gadis cantik - beautiful girl
• 2. Calque Tataran Semantik
Proses penyerapan istilah asing pada tataran ini
melibatkan penerimaan makna yang dikandung
atau dirujuk oleh suatu istilah bahasa sumber.
Setelah itu dialihbahasakan ke dalam bahasa
sasaran dengan rujukan arti (aspek semantik)
yang sama.
Contoh: Mouse (komputer) - Tetikus
• 3. Calque Tataran Sintaksis
Dalam proses penerjemahan, penggunaan sepenuhnya struktur
bahasa sumber ke dalam bahasa sasaran sebisa mungkin dihindari.
Hal ini ditujukan untuk menjaga kenyamanan pembaca teks
sasaran. Selain itu juga untuk mencegah kesan “teks seperti
terjemahan” karena kalimat tidak mengalir secara natural.
Contoh:
It’s understandable that you were surprised to see the beauty of
Indonesia.
Dapat dipahami bahwa kamu terkejut melihat keindahan
Indonesia.
• 4. Calque Berupa Serapan
Metode ini menerapkan proses imitasi istilah
dari bahasa asing ke dalam bahasa sasaran.
Contoh:
Skyscrapper – Pencakar Langit
Ohrwurm - Earworm
 5. COMPENSATION
• This technique introduces the source text stylistic effect in
another place in the target text because it can not be reflected in
the same place as in the source text.

• For example;
ST : Sebuah gunting
TT : ???

ST : Saya mencari anda yang mulia

TT : ???

ST : Kami juga tak punya kotak P3K.

TT :
• TT : A pair of scissors
• TT : IM looking at you, your highness/my lord/
your majesty
• TT : We don't have first aid kit either
 6. Description
• This technique replaces a terminology with a description of
its form or function.

• For example;
ST : Gadis itu menari dengan luwesnya
TT : The girl is dancing with great grace.

ST : Hari ini Ibuku masak Nasi Tumpeng.

TT : ???

ST : Yuk, beli Rujak.

TT : ???
• TT : Today my mom is cooking rice with
turmeric designed in the shape of cone.
• TT : Let’s buy some fruit salad with spicy
sauce.
 7. DISCURSIVE CREATION
• This technique establishes a temporary equivalent that
is totally unpredictable out of context. It is often used
for translating the titles of movies.

• For examples:
ST: … nanti jika Buya menulis lagi buku berjudul Si
Kancil Anak Nakal Suka Mencuri Timun barulah buku
seperti itu cocok buatmu
TT: … if Buya writes a book called The Bad Little Boy
Who Steal Pumpkin, it would be more suitable for your
literary taste !”
• Try to translate these following sentences into english using
Discursive Creation technique :
1. Saya sedang menonton kisah Malin Kundang di TV.
2. Film mengenai Penyamun yang baik hati telah diputar di
bioskop.
3. Cerita Lutung Kasarung sangat kaya akan nilai moral yang
luhur.
4. Anak-anak sangat terkesan dengan cerita Bawang Merah
dan Bawang Putih yang guru mereka kisahkan di kelas tadi
pagi.
• 5. Tujuh manusia harimau
• It could be translated into the
1. I'm watching The Rebellious Son on TV right now.
Here, Malin kundang is translated as “The rebellious son”
which is totally unpredictable out of context because Malin
kundang is a name of person. If we translate it literally,
then it will be “The Malin kundang” which probably will
not be able to catch the target readers’ attention as the
target readers don’t know this person (Malin kundang) as
Indonesian people know.
• 2. Film mengenai Penyamun yang baik hati
telah diputar di bioskop.
• Cerita Penyamun yang baik hati juga bisa
diterjemahkan menjadi Robin Hood.Meskipun
penyamun yang dimaksud dicerita asli bukan
lah benar-benar Robin Hood, namun Cerita
Robin Hood lebih familier bagi Target reader
dan ada kesepadanan disana.
• 3. Cerita Lutung Kasarung sangat kaya akan
nilai moral yang luhur.
• Dengan Discursive creation kalian bisa
menterjemahkan Lutung Kasarung menjadi
misalkan, jadi "The Princess and the Monkey",
or "The Princess and the Beast" sehingga pada
akhirnya kalian tau jika ada cerita yang lebih
dikenal oleh Target Reader dengan cerita yang
agak mirip yaitu "Beauty and the Beast"
• 4. Anak-anak sangat terkesan dengan cerita
Bawang Merah dan Bawang Putih yang guru
mereka kisahkan di kelas tadi pagi.
• Bawang Merah Bawang Putih, bisa
diterjemahkan menjadi “ Cinderella”/ "The
good and the bad", atau "Kindness will
reward" juga boleh kalau mau.
• 5. Tujuh Manusia Harimau = Seven Werewolves

• Kuncinya adalah kalian harus tau cerita dari judul film atau
cerita yang dimaksud di ST, sehingga terjemahan yang
kalian buat mampu memberikan definisi yang hampir
tepat terdahadap persepsi makna dari judul buku atau film
tersebut. Teknik penerjemahan ini mampu memberikan
kesepadanan makna secara utuh dengan tidak
menghilangkan unsur utama cerita yakni isi secara penuh,
meskipun hanya sebatas dari judul, namun sebagai
pembaca dari buku ataupun penikmat film dari movie yang
ditonton, mampu menangkap arti dengan yakin jika isi
cerita akan diarahkan dengan baik sesuai dengan
intepretasi.
 8. ESTABLISHED EQUIVALENT
• This technique uses a terminology or expression recognized
by dictionaries or language in use as an equivalent in the
target language. It is used by giving common expression
used everyday in the target text that is able to express the
expression in the source text.

• Example :
ST : Pelajaran ini seujung kuku buatku
TT : This lesson is as easy as pie for me.
• In the example above, it can be seen that the translator finds
an equivalent for the expression “seujung kuku” in Indonesia
as “as easy as pie” in English.
• ST : Pencuri itu tertangkap basah mengambil
sepeda.
• TT : The thief caught red handed taking a
bicycle.
 9. GENERALIZATION
• This technique uses a more general
terminology.

• For example:
ST: Nelayan itu berhasil mendapatkan seekor
Ikan tongkol
TT : The fisherman managed to get a fish
• ST : Dia pergi kuliah dengan Honda
TT : He go to school by motorcycle

ST : Dia memberi pacarnya bunga mawar

TT : He give his girlfriend flower
 10. LINGUISTIC AMPLIFICATION
• This technique adds linguistic elements, and it is often used for interpreting
(spontaneous translation) and dubbing.
This translation techniques add a linguistic element to the translation. It's
almost like a description, but in description it only serves to explain a term
into the target language.
While in Linguistic Amplification, the addition is adding words and word
structures to the target language.

• Example :
ST : Lumba-lumba itu keluar dan melompat melewati lingkaran api.
TT : The dolphin comes out of the water and jump over the fire hole.
• From the target text we can see that there is an addition of the word water
in the target language. The purpose of adding this word element is to clarify
the meaning of the sentence, that the dolphin came out of the water.
• Now try to translate this sentence :
• ST : Sungai Kapuas adalah sungai yang panjang
di Indonesia, penduduk sekitar sangat senang
memancing disitu.
• The Kapuas River in West Kalimantan is one of
the longest rivers in Indonesia, people who
live around the Kapuas river really like fishing
there.
 11. LINGUISTIC COMPRESSION
• The opposite of the previous technique, this technique synthesizes linguistic
elements in the target text, and it is often used in interpreting or subtitling.
Basically, linguistic compression technique is a translation technique that
reduces the linguistic element of a sentence. The reduction of the linguistic
element in a sentence using this technique aims to cut or shorten the
duration of the pronunciation of a sentence, so that the duration is shorter.

Example :
ST : Berita baik ini akan memberikan senyuman ke wajah-wajah mereka.
TT : This news will makes them smile.

Here the translator's goal is not only to shorten the sentence, but rather to
make a translation that is reasonable and more natural in TT.
• Try to translate this one : ST : Vaksin virus
corona yang sudah dikembangkan oleh
perusahaan obat negara China sedang dinilai
dan diuji cobakan di beberapa wilayah di
Indonesia untuk mendapatkan persetujuan
bersyarat dari pemerintah Indonesia, yang
akan memperbolehkan pemberian vaksin
corona tersebut kepada masyarakat umum.
• The Corona Virus vaccine that has been developed
by China is being tested in Indonesia for
conditional approval from the Indonesian
government, which will permit the provision of the
vaccine to the public.

• So the point is to make the sentence more

effective and more clear for the target reader, but
make sure to reduce the unnecessary element
only.
 12. LITERAL TRANSLATION
• Or may also called as direct translation or word-for-word
translation, is a translation of a text done by translating
each word separately, without looking at how the words
are used together in a phrase or sentence.
Example :

ST : It’s raining cats and dogs

TT : Ini hujan kucing dan anjing

ST : Aku punya sebuah mobil

TT : I have a car
 13. MODULATION
• This technique changes the point of view of the source text
lexically or structurally. It is a way used by translators to see the
message of the source language from different angle. This strategy
is used when a literal translation produces unnatural translation. If
transposition functions to shift the language structure, then
modulation functions to shift the language meaning in order to
make the message of the source text can be understood well by
the target readers. The shift in modulation here means to change
the point of view the text has.
For example:

ST : Kakiku patah
TT : I broke my leg
 How about these ?
• ST : Jariku tersayat
• ST : Anda akan menjadi seorang ayah.
• ST : Uang saya hilang
• ST : He pulled at the heavy iron frame and it
slowly opened
• ST : Row after row he searched
• 1. I cut my finger,
• 2. You'll have a baby soon
• 3. Ditariknya bingkai besi berat tersebut dan
perlahan terbuka.
• 4 Baris demi baris dicarinya.
• Still in MODULATION technique,
A modulation also made as compulsory when a translator can not find the
equivalent word or sentence in the target language, for example:
• a. An active structure of source text shifts into passive in the target language
and vise versa. For example:

ST : Masalah itu sukar dipecahkan

TT : The problem is hard to solve
"sukar dipecahkan" = "hard to solve"

ST : Laporan itu akan saya serahkan besok pagi

TT : I will submit the report tomorrow morning.

• b. The subject structure of the source language is combined in the target

language. For example:

ST : Vaksin tersebut telah disahkan penggunaanya oleh pemerintah

TT : The use of the vaccine has been approved by government

ST : Gerakan Non-Block dituntut peranannya.

 14. PARTICULARIZATION
• This technique uses more precise or concrete term.
It is the opposite of Generalization technique.
Example :
ST : Transportasi umum
TT : Bus

ST : Kendaraan
TT : Car

ST : Tempat tinggal
TT : Penthouse

ST : Transportasi udara
TT : Helicopter
 15. REDUCTION
• This technique suppresses the source text information in the target
text. This technique is the opposite for amplification. Reduction is also
called as omission or deletion. It is used by omitting words of the
source text in the target text. In other words, these parts
are not translated into the target language. It is made because the
words are not very important and difficult to translate. It reduces the
component of the source language, for example;

ST : “Sama dengan raden ayu ibunya,” katanya lirih

TT : “Just like her mother,” she whispered.

ST : "memunguti kutu-kutu dan ulat-ulat lentik diantara bulir-bulir

beras kelas tiga"
TT : " to pick maggots out of their third-class rice "
• Now try to translate these one.
1. Kami lari terbirit-birit menuju perahu.
2. Wajah Flo seperti kucing kebanyakan tidur
dan bangun magrib-magrib.
3. Senyum Bu Mus adalah senyum getir yang
dipaksakan.
4. Wajahnya tenang, bersih, dan bening,
tipikal wajah yang sering tersiram air wudu.
• 1. We run toward the boat
2. She was like a cat that had too much sleep.
(So Flo's face is like a cat which .....)
3. Bu Mus smile was a forced smile
4. He has a calm face.
 16. SUBSTITUTION
• This technique changes the linguistic elements for
paralinguistic elements (intonation or
gestures). For example; an act of putting your hand on your
heart is translated as “thank
you”.
ST : Both Japanese bow to each other.
TT : Kedua orang Jepang saling memberi salam

ST : Anak itu menggelengkan kepalanya saat diminta maju

kedepan kelas oleh gurunya.
TT : The boy said no, when the teacher asked him to come
to the front of the class.
 17. TRANSPOSITION
• Transposition is the changing word class
without changing the meaning or grammatical
categories. For example:
SL = He has no knowledge of that accident
TL = Dia tidak mengetahui tentang kecelakaan
tersebut.
 18. VARIATION
• Variation is the change of linguistic or
paralinguistic elements that affects the
aspects of linguistic variation: changes of
textual tone, style, social dialect, geographical
dialect. For example:
• SL = “He will never get to sleep with all this
din,” said Ma Lion
• TL = “Leo tidak akan bisa tidur jika ramai
seperti ini,” kata Bu Singa
Nida and Taber (1969)
 19. ADDITION
• Addition is generally applied in the translation
technique to gain more information that actually
does not exist in the source text. According to
Nida (1964), the purpose of addition is to clarify
an elliptic expression, to avoid ambiguity in the
target language, to change grammatical category,
and to add some connectors. For example:
• SL= she came late.
• TL = wanita itu datang terlambat
 20. DELETION
• Deletion is similar with reduction. Both of
these techniques require reducing some
information. For the reduction technique, it is
marked by partial deletion, meanwhile
deletion is marked with the complete
deletion.
• SL= you truly are incorruptible, aren’t you?
• TL= kamu memang tak bisa dirusak, ya?