elephant statue in front of the museum. This museum is chosen for the research because it displays many statues from different periods and the labels which are
displayed using dual language, Indonesian-English, to describe the ancient objects.
Originally, the labels applied only in one language, Indonesian, but due to the numbers of tourists who come to Indonesia and visit museum, the museum
practitioners decide to use bilingual or dual language, Indonesian-English, as the languages that are applied on the labels in the museum. Therefore,
translation is a significant thing to be concerned. The label might be understood by the local visitors because it uses Indonesian as the first language, but if the
label is translated wrong into English or the second language, it can make another perspective to the foreign tourists and it is a shame thing. Hence the
translation is very important not only from the process but also from the procedure.
C. Translation
1. Brief History of Translation
Translation theory is the orientation of a translator of his translation work. “Whenever they do it, whenever they decide to opt for one rendition and not
others, they bring into play a series of ideas about what translation is and how it
should be carried out.”
15
Thus, it helps translator to choose the best concept of his work.
The classification of translation of the twentieth century is ‘literal’, ‘free’ and ‘faithful’ or ‘word-for-word’ and ‘sense-for-sense’.
16
It can be said that word-for-word translation is another term from literal or faithful translation and
sense-for-sense translation is another term from free translation. In the end of 1950s, the distinction of translation is developed by Vinay
and Darbelnet. They divide two methods, namely direct translation and oblique translation, along with its procedures. Those both methods have the same
meaning with literal translation and free translation. The difference from the translation classification of twentieth century is that these two methods have
seven procedures. They are borrowing, calque, literal translation, transposition, modulation, equivalence and adaptation.
2. Definition of Translation
Translation means a transform of language structure of two different texts in totally different languages. Someone whose profession is translating a text is
usually called a translator. A good translator makes no ambiguity words and
15
Anthony Pym, Exploring Translation Theories, New York: Routledge, 2010, p.1
16
Jeremy Munday, Introducing Translation Studies: Theories and Application, New York: Routledge, 2008, 2
nd
ed, p.19
unclear meaning in his translation text because the translation which he provides is a good translation.
17
According to Nida, “skilled translators must have a special capacity for sensing the closest natural equivalent of a text, whether oral or written.”
18
In translation study, there are two similar terms, translation and interpretation.
Translation concerns on the written message and interpretation concerns on the verbal message.
19
It means that a good skill and a sensitivity feeling are needed by a translator in order to match the meaning of languages in any form.
There are many explanations of translation. J.C Catford defines translation as an effort to deliver meaning of a text to another text which the languages are
different. “Translation is the replacement of textual material in one language SL by equivalent textual material in another language.”
20
Machali explains translation as an activity of delivering the same meaning of SL to TL text
concerning some aspects so a good communication through both languages will be achieved.
21
In the other hand, Brislin also defines the meaning of translation:
17
Geoffrey Samuelsson-Brown, A Practical Guide for Translators, Bristol:Multilingual Matters, 2010, p.3
18
Eugene A. Nida, “Theories of Translation”, Pliegos de Yuste, Vol.1 No.4 2006, pp.11-14. Accessed on April 13
th
2014. http:www.pliegosdeyuste.eun4pliegoseugeneanida.pdf
19
Drs. M. Rudolf Nababan, M.Ed., Teori Menerjemah Bahasa Inggris, Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar., 2003, p.18
20
J.C. Catford, A Linguistic Theory of Translation: An Essay in Applied Linguistic, London: Oxford University Press, 1974, p.20
21
Rochayah Machali, Pedoman Bagi Penerjemah, Jakarta: PT.Grasindo, 2000, p.6
“Translation is the general form referring to the transfer of thoughts and ideas from one language source to another target, whether the
languages are in written or oral form whether the language have established ortographies or do not have such standardization or
whether one or both language is based on signs, as with signs of the deaf.”
22
The three statements above mean translation is not only changing the language in both of texts, but also transferring the messages based on the intent
of the author or speaker because the translation can be in written or spoken language.
Hatim and Mason explain translation from another perspective, “an act of communication which attempts to rely, across cultural and linguistic
boundaries, another act of communication which may have been intended for different purposes and different readershearers.”
23
There is another explanation which is defined by Bassnett about culture in translation text, “translation is not just the transfer of texts from one language
into another, it is now rightly seen as a process of negotiation between texts and between cultures.”
24
It can be concluded from all the explanations that the meaning replacement of a text in a language to another text in another language is not the
22
Richard W. Brislin, Translation: Application and Research, New York: Gardner Press, 1976, p.1
23
Basil Hatim and Ian Mason, The Translator as Communicator, London: Routledge, 1997, p.1
24
Susan Bassnett, Translation Studies, London: Routledge, 2002, 3
rd
ed, p.6
only significant thing of the translation. There is another thing that has to be concerned by the translator, the cultural effect. Thus, a text which contains
cultural element can be a good intermediary of culture to its translation text because it is obvious that two texts which have different languages also mean
two texts with different cultural backgrounds as it is applied on the labels of ancient objects.
3. Process of Translation
