36
From the table we can see that there are certain types of ‘tray’ which are similar to talam. The decision to translate talam into ‘tray’ is right because as a
whole it does not matter what kind of tray used in the story.
h. Sitje-Settee
The term sitje is not found in KBBI Daring because perhaps the term is a naturalisation from Dutch, zitje, meaning ‘seat’. At that time, many Indonesian
intellectuals, including writers, were proud of showing that they were literate and belonged to a high-class community by using Dutch terms.
All respondents agree that ‘settee’ is an accurate translation of sitje. Seeing the context indicating that the living rooms are luxurious, the translator specifies
one kind of seat, ‘settee’, as the equivalence of sitje. ‘Settee’ according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary is “a medium-sized sofa with arms and a
back”, not just a general term seat. ‘Settee’ usually is placed in a luxurious living room.
Data ST
Data TT
Score
73STHT 14
Permadani di bawah sitje bergambarkan
motif yang tak pernah kutemui.
73TTHT 26
The carpet under the settee was decorated
with a motif I’d never come across
before. 1
The following table clarifies the semantic properties of the two materials:
ST – Sitje TT – Settee
+ medium-sized sofa + medium-sized sofa
+ having back + having back
+ having arms + having arms
37
It is clear that both materials share the same semantic properties. And it is a good decision by a translator to domesticate sitje into ‘settee’.
i. Ranjau Aceh-Acehnese Bamboo Trap
Without an extensive bicultural knowledge, it is hard to imagine that ranjau Aceh is translated into ‘Acehnese bamboo trap’. The domestication
combined with description strategy is at work here. If the translator only denotes ranjau into ‘booby trap’, the target readers will have no idea what ‘Acehnese
booby trap’ looks like. The decision to add description strategy here makes the translation more imaginable to the readers.
What is interesting here is that one of the respondents gives score 2, showing that she does not quite agree with the translator’s decision to choose
‘Acehnese bamboo trap’. However, the respondent does not give suggestion or reason why she gives score 2.
Data ST
Data TT
Score
127STDF T59
..parang dan tombak, dan ranjau Aceh, takkan
mampu menghadapi senapan dan meriam...
127TTDF T61
..dagger, spear, and Acehnese bamboo
trap would not be able to face up to
rifle and cannon. 1.3
The semantic features of both materials are as follows:
ST – Ranjau Aceh TT – Acehnese Bamboo Trap
+ typical Acehnese + typical Acehnese
+ weaponry + weaponry
+ made from bamboo + made from bamboo
