Acceptable Translation of the Verbal Humor

SE English TE Bahasa Indonesia Subtitle Acceptability Scale Eduardo : Mimi. This is Sue. Eduardo pointed out to Blu. Blu : Actually, Im Blu. Aunt Mimi : Arent we all? Blu : No, really, thats my name. Aunt Mimi : Thats why they call us Blue Macaws. She was laughing. Eduardo : Mimi. Ini adalah Sue. Blu : Sebenarnya, aku Blu. Blue: Biru. Aunt Mimi : Kita semua kan, biru? Blu : Tidak, sungguh, itu namaku. Aunt Mimi : Itu sebabnya mereka memanggil kita Blue Macaw Macaw Biru. Acceptable 3 Datum : 50WP-HpEx3 In the example above, “Blu” and “Blue” have similar sound but they have different meaning. “Blu” is the name of the one character in the film, while “Blue” is the color of the birds’ feather Blue Macaws. This dialogue contains verbal humor which is caused by missunderstanding between these words Blu and Blue. Further, the translator creatively translate this wordplay using expansion strategy which is considered as acceptable translation. Thus, the audiences in the target language understand as well as the audiences in the source language since those words are different and funny in this conversation. 2 Acceptable Translation of Allusion Table 75. Example of Acceptable Translation of Allusion 1 Setting : Jewel and Blu arrived in a boat. She looks happy. They are almost there to the Amazon jungle. SE English TE Bahasa Indonesia Subtitling Acceptability Level Jewel : This air Its so fresh and full. Goodbye, stinky city air Blu : Yeah, bye. Jewel : Udara ini Sungguh segar dan penuh. Selamat tinggal, udara kota yang bau Blu : Ya, selamat tinggal. Acceptable 3 Datum : 33AL-KPTf3 The translation of verbal humor expression containing allusion above is considered as acceptable translation. This humorous expression is rendered well in the target expression. Using paraphrase strategy in translating “Good bye, stinky air ” to be “Selamat tinggal, udara kota yang bau” seems this decision to make the translation is accepted as humor for the target audiences. Table 76. Example of Acceptable Translation of Allusion 2 Setting : Nigel succeeded to run away from the market. He rode Charlie as his vehicle. Gabi, who fell in love with Nigel, joint them, too. SE English TE Bahasa Indonesia Subtitle Acceptability Scale Nigel : The croaking cockatoo doth bellow for revenge. Thats Shakespeare, by the way. Gabi : Without your performance, its nothing. Nigel : Kakak tua yang bernyanyi ini akan membalaskan dendamnya. Sebenarnya, itu syair Shakespeare. Gabi : Tanpa penampilanmu, itu tidak ada artinya. Acceptable 3 Datum : 32AL-PNIm3 In the example above, proper nounname Shakespeare is translated using imitation strategy which is considered as an acceptable translation. The translator does not find any difficulty to translate this proper name because it is translated as what it is using imitation strategy. 3 Acceptable Translation of Verbal Irony Table 77. Example of Acceptable Translation of Verbal Irony 1 Setting : After watching TV that Tulio and Linda were in the Amazon jungle, Jewel decided to go to Amazon to help them to find other Blue Macaws bird flock. Blu did not agree with that, but Jewel explained that it was important to go to Amazon because they could meet another Blue Macaws like them. Jewel realized that they were not humans, they were birds who should wander to the jungle and be wild, be the real birds. SE English TE Bahasa Indonesia Subtitle Acceptability Scale Children were happy that they were going to the Amazon, but actually Tiago did not know yet what did it really mean. Tiago : Yeah Were going to the Amazon Wait. Whats the Amazon? Tiago : Hore Kita akan pergi ke Amazon Tunggu, apa itu Amazon? Acceptable 3 Datum : 17VI-IJTf3 In the example above, Tiago’s utterance is using interjection, “Yeah We’re going to the Amazon”. He was very happy that he was going to the Amazon for holiday. In fact, ironically he did not know at all what did actually meant by “the Amazon”. He further asked that “What is the Amazon?”. It is totally funny in the conversation which brings the laughter of the audiences. In the target language, it is translated using transfer strategy which is considered as acceptable translation. Table 78. Example of Acceptable Translation of Verbal Irony 2 Setting : The Carnival is held in the Amazon Jungle. Everybody is singing and dancing together. Blu and Jewel are dancing, too. SE English TE Bahasa Indonesia Subtitling Acceptability Scale Jewel : Are you sure you can make the Amazon our home.. with the heat and the creepy bugs? Blu : Are you kidding? I am Mr. Jungle. Totally wild, and very birdly. Jewel : Maybe we can do summers in Rio. Blu : Youre my one and only, Jewel. Jewel : Apakah kau yakin kau bisa membuat Amazon menjadi rumah kita... dengan suhu panas dan serangga aneh? Blu : Apa kau bercanda? Aku adalah tuan Hutan. Sangat liar, dan burung sejati. Jewel : Mungkin kita bisa menghabiskan musim panas di Rio. Blu : Kau cintaku satu- satunya, Jewel. Acceptable 3 Datum : 82AL-KPTf3 The verbal irony expression containing humorous effect above is translated using transfer strategy which sounds proper for the target audiences. Thus, it is considered as an acceptable translation of verbal humor expression. The phrase “Are you kidding? I am Mr. Jungle. Totally wild and very birdly” is translated into “Apa kau bercanda? Aku adalah tuan Hutan. Sangat liar, dan burung sejati. ” which makes humor in the target expression.

b. Less Acceptable Translation of the Verbal Humor

The translation is considered as less acceptable translation if the subtitling generally expression sounds natural, however, it sounds clumsy and uses unfamiliar expressions and dictions. Thus, it needs several adjustments to be suited in the target expressions. In addition, the meaning of the verbal humor in the source expressions are not so naturally rendered and the style of the expressions are not culturally acceptable into the target language. Below are the analysis and the examples of the verbal humor dialogues and their Bahasa Indonesia subtitling expression that belong to less acceptable translation as the verbal humor in Rio 2 film. 1 Less Acceptable Translation of Wordplay Table 79. Example of Less Acceptable Translation of Wordplay Setting : Bia loves to observe something new. She looks at the larva which is about to enter the pupa stage. Tiago does not know about pupa, it sounds like poop for him so thats why he laughs and ridicules her. SE English TE Bahasa Indonesia Subtitling Acceptability Scale Bia is amazed with a larva walks in wood, with a book in her hands she knows what is the larva going to do next. Bia : Thats a Heliconious larva. Its about to enter the pupa stage. Tiago : You said poop. Bia : Itu seekor larva Heliconious. Ini akan memasuki tahap kepompongnya. Tiago : Kamu mengatakan kotoran. Less Acceptable 2 Datum : 38WP-HpRe2 The translated expression of “Kamu mengatakan kotoran” sounds bizzare in the target expression because the meaning is literally translated using transfer strategy. The translator did not aware about the previous utterance that the character said “pupa” which is close in pronunciation with “poop”. It is same in meaning but the humorous effect can not be rendered well in the target expression. Furthermore, it sounds less natural because the translator does not imply the wordplay like the source expression do. As for suggestion, it can be translated using expansion strategy which is the word “poop” will be explained further in a bracket. It also can be translated into “popok” using paraphrase strategy. Thus, it creates the humor as well intended in the source expression. 2 Less Acceptable Translation of Allusion Table 80. Example of Less Acceptable Translation of Allusion Setting : Eduardo is happy to see Blus children. He realizes that now he has already become a grandfather. SE English TE Bahasa Indonesia Subtitling Acceptability Scale Gabi : Youre the only one who knows what it feels like to be all alone. Misunderstood. Youre the evil to my lethal. Nigel : I can see why they call you Gabi. Where are you, you filthy fowl? keep looking around to search Blu Gabi : Kaulah satu- satunya yang tahu bagaimana rasanya menjadi sendirian. Disalahpahami. Kaulah si jahat untuk benda mematikanku. Nigel : Aku paham mengapa mereka memanggilmu Gabi. Dimana kau, dasar kau unggas kotor? Less Acceptable 2 Datum : 53AL-PNIm2 In the example above, the target expression does not seem as humor at all. There is no such humorous effect which makes the audiences of the target language showing their laugh. It indicates that, humor cannot instantly be translated using imitation strategy. Thus, the translator has to find another word that is more suitable for the sake of understanding of the target language