The Definition and Process of Translation
19 The second strategy is using an idiom of similar meaning but dissimilar
form. In this strategy, the TL idiom has different lexical components, but carries the same meaning as in the SL idiom. For example, the idiom
kill two birds with one stone
means to achieve two things at the same time with one action. It has
similar meaning with the idiom
sekali merengkuh dayung, dua tiga pulau terlampau
in Bahasa Indonesia. The SL and TL idioms are totally different in form and words. However, the idioms share similarity in the words
kill two birds
and
dua tiga pulau terlampaui
to describe that the achievements are more than one.
The third strategy is borrowing the SL idiom. In other words, the SL idiom does not undergo any change in the TL. This strategy is used for culture-specific
items, such as in an art gallery. An example of idiom given by Baker 2011 is
out of this world
which means fantastic. The idiom is present in the leaflet of the art exhibition and is transferred directly. Besides, Vinay and Darbelnet note
“of course, in some technical fields
there is much borrowing of terms” as cited in
Munday, 2016, p. 89. This means borrowing strategy is also used to translate technical terms.
The fourth strategy is translation by paraphrase. When the match of the SL idiom cannot be found in the TL, paraphrase strategy is used. This strategy
paraphrase does produce a translation with idiom in the TL. However, the translation delivers the same meaning as the SL. For example,
keep your chin up
does not have the idiom of similar meaning in Indonesian. If it is translated
20
pertahankan dagu ke atas,
it will be meaningless. It could be paraphrased
tetap semangat
which is the meaning of the idiom
keep your chin up
itself. The fifth strategy is omission. This strategy is employed when the SL
idiom has no close match in the TL, its meaning cannot be easily paraphrased, or
for stylistic reasons. It may also be used because of the culture. For example, the idiom
son of a bitch
is omitted because it is considered impolite and harsh if it is translated into Indonesian.