A study of the translation of the metaphors in George Bernard Shaw`s Man and Superman into Indonesian in Akhmad Santoso`s Manusia Adimanusia - USD Repository
A STUD DY OF TH HE TRAN NSLATIO ON OF TH HE MET TAPHORS S IN
GEOR RGE BER RNARD SH HAW’S M MAN AND D SUPER RMAN INT TO
ANUSIAIN NDONESI
IAN IN A AKHMAD D SANTO OSO’S MA
ADIMAN A NUSIA
AN UND DERGRADU UATE THE ESIS
Presen nted as Part ial Fulfillm ment of the R Requirement ts for the D Degree of S Sarjana Sas tra in English L Letters
By
TITIS RA ASARI
Stude ent Number: : 03421410
1 ENG GLISH LET TTERS STU UDY PRO GRAMME E
DE EPARTME ENT OF EN NGLISH LE ETTERS
FAC ULTY OF LETTERS S
SANATA DHARMA A UNIVER RSITY
Y YOGYAKA ARTA
2011
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“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it to blossom
Anais Nin
Live the life you’ve dreamed. Henry David Thoreau
Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.
Victor Hugo
Flowers grow out of dark moments. Corita Kent
You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly.
Sam Keen
A friend loves at all times… Proverbs 17: 17
What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other?
George Eliot
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This undergraduate thesis is
dedicated to my beloved mother
and father, for your endless love;
especially my father, I hope you get
well soon.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Alhamdulillaahirabbil’aalamiin . Thank God I can finally finish this undergraduate thesis. This is really the moment I have been dreaming for so long.
Very special thanks to my beloved Mother and Father who have been waiting for me throughout the years and have been so patient, this achievement is for you.
J. Harris Hermansyah Setiajid, S.S., M.Hum. and Adventina Putranti S.S., M.Hum. are my advisor and co-advisor whom my gratitude are for; thank you for helping, guiding, and advising me during finishing this undergraduate thesis.
I would like also to thank to all English Letters lecturers and students who cannot be mentioned one by one, thank you for everything.
Special thanks and best of luck to Adin P. Setiawan S.T., thank you for your love, life, and laughter you bring to me; and my very best friend Yeye “Rabbit” for supporting me each day.
My other friends especially Tata, Akmal, Azza, Ayu, Yuda, Rara, Rafi, Lia, Ully, Haidar, and Icha; thank you for being good friends for me.
Finally, for all my respondents, thank you for taking part in this thesis.
Titis Rasari
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE........................................................................................................ i APPROVAL PAGE……………………………………………………………. ii ACCEPTANCE PAGE………………………………………………………… iii MOTTO PAGE…………………………………………………………………. iv DEDICATION PAGE…………………………………………………………. v LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA
ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS…………………………… vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………………..................... vii TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………………………. viii LIST OF TABLES……………………………………………………………… x ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………….. xii ABSTRAK……………………………………………………………………… xiii
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study………………………………………………….... 1 B. Problem Formulation………………………………………………………... 4 C. Objectives of the Study…………………………………………………….. 4 D. Definition of Terms…………………………………………………………. 5 CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW A. Review of Related Studies…………………………………………………. 6 B. Review of Related Theories………………………………………………… 7
1. Theories on Translation…………………………………………………. 7
2. Theories on Metaphor…………………………………………………... 10
3. Theories on Translating Metaphors…………………………………….. 14
4. Theories on Accuracy…………………………………………………… 16
5. Theories on Readability………………………………………………… 17
C. Theoretical Framework……………………………………………………... 19
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY A. Object of the Study………………………………………………………… 20 B. Method of the Study……………………………………………………….. 20
1. Data Collection…………………………………………………………. 20
2. Kinds of Data…………………………………………………………… 21
3. Population and Sample…………………………………………………. 22
4. Data Analysis…………………………………………………………… 22
5. Data Display…………………………………………………………….. 23
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS A. The Accuracy of the Metaphor Translations………………………………...
25 B. Strategies in Translating the Metaphors…………………………………….. 46
1. Metaphors Translated into Metaphors with the Same Images………….. 46
2. Metaphors Translated into Metaphors with the Different Images……… 53
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3. Metaphors Translated into Similes with the Same Images…………… 55
4. Metaphors Translated into Non-Figures of Speech…………………... 56
5. Translation by Omission……………………………………………… 59
C. The Readability of the Metaphor Translations…………………………… 64
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION Conclusion……………………………………………………………………. 68
BIBLIOGRAPHY.......................................................................................... 70
APPENDICES Appendix 1 Data to be Analyzed…………………………………………….72 Appendix 2 The Strategies for Translating the Metaphors…………………...
78 Appendix 3 The Result of the Reapondents’ Judgment Categorized as English Letters Students on the Readability of the Metaphor Translations.. 84
Appendix 4 The Result of the Reapondents’ Judgment Categorized as English Letters Students on the Readability of the Metaphor Translations.. 86
Appendix 5 Kuesioner Keterbacaan Terjemahan Metafora dalam Manusia Adimanusia versi Akhmad Santoso…………………………….
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LIST OF TABLES
pageTable 1. Nababan’s Score and Indicators of Translation Accuracy Assessment 16 Table 2. Nababan’s Score and Indicators of Translation Readability Assessment18 Table 3. Accurate Translation………………………………………………… 44 Table 4. Quite Accurate Translation…………………………………………. 45 Table 5. Not Accurate Translation…………………………………………… 45 Table 6. Inaccurate Translation………………………………………………. 45 Table 7. Metaphors Translated into Metaphors with the Same Images……… 46 Table 8. Metaphors Translated by Omission………………………………… 59 Table 9. The Summary of The Strategies Used in Translating the Metaphors... 64 Table 10. Metaphor Translation Classified as Not Accurate by English Letters
Students………………………………………………………… 64 Table 11. Readability of Metaphor Translations Akhmad Santoso (English Letters
Students)……………………………………………………….. 65 Table 12. Readability of Metaphor Translations Akhmad Santoso (Non-Letters
Students)……………………………………………………….. 66 Table 13. Metaphor Translations Classified as Unreadable by Non-Letters Students…………………………………………………………. 66
ABSTRACT
TITIS RASARI. A Study of the Translation of the Metaphors in George
Bernard Shaw’s Man And Superman into Indonesian in Akhmad Santoso’s
Manusia Adimanusia. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Sanata
Dharma University, 2011.This undergraduate thesis is about metaphors found in George Bernard Shaw’s Man and Superman and their translations in Akhmad Santoso’s Manusia
Adimanusia . In the play, there are a lot of metaphors. Since a language is closely
related with the background of a culture, then translating metaphor is not easy.Therefore, some strategies are needed to translate the metaphor accurately.
There are three problems that are going to be analyzed. The first problem is how accurate the metaphors in Man And Superman are translated in Manusia
Adimanusia . The second problem is what strategies applied by the translator in
translating the source text metaphors. The third problem is how readable the translations of the metaphors to the target readers.
This study is descriptive as it has been aimed at describing the metaphors in George Bernard Shaw’s Man And Superman into its Indonesian version Adimanusia translated by Akhmad Santoso. It is also an empirical
Manusia research since the writer conducts a survey through questionnaires.
There are forty six metaphors and its translations found in both the source text and the target text. Relating to the strategies of translating the metaphors, five strategies are found: (1) metaphors translated into metaphors with the same image, (2) metaphors translated into metaphors with the different image, (3) metaphors translated into similes with the same image, (4) metaphors translated into non- figure of speech, and (5) translation by omission. Moreover, based on the survey conducted by the writer, it is found that almost all the metaphor translations are accurate and are readable to the target readers. The result of the research cannot be used to generalize the wider population. Nevertheless, the result can be used as a reference to conduct research on the same topic but on the different problem.
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ABSTRAK
TITIS RASARI. A Study of the Translation of the Metaphors in George
Bernard Shaw’s Man And Superman into Indonesian in Akhmad Santoso’s
Manusia Adimanusia. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra,
Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2011.Skripsi ini membahas tentang metafora yang ditemukan dalam Man and
Superman karya George Bernard Shaw dan terjemahannya dalam Manusia
Adimanusia karya Akhmad Santoso. Dalam drama tersebut terdapat banyak
metafora. Karena sebuah bahasa erat kaitannya dengan latar belakang budaya maka menerjemahkan metafora tidaklah mudah. Jadi, beberapa strategi diperlukan untuk menerjemahkan metafora tersebut secara akurat.
Terdapat tiga masalah yang akan dibahas. Masalah pertama adalah seberapa akurat metafora yang terdapat dalam Man And Superman diterjemahkan ke dalam Manusia Adimanusia. Masalah kedua adalah strategi apa yang dipakai oleh penerjemah dalam menerjemahkan metafora dalam teks sumber. Masalah ketiga adalah seberapa terbaca terjemahan metafora tersebut oleh pembaca sasaran.
Penelitian ini bersifat deskriptif karena bertujuan untuk mengurai metafora yang ada di dalam drama Man and Superman karya George Bernard Shaw dan terjemahannya di dalam novel Manusia Adimanusia yang diterjemahkan oleh Akhmad Santoso. Penelitian ini juga bersifat empiris karena penulis melakukan survey dengan media kuesioner.
Ditemukan empat puluh enam metafora dan terjemahannya dari kedua sumber dara tersebut. Berkenaan dengan strategi penerjemahan metafora, ditemukan lima strategi: (1) penerjemahan metafora menjadi metafora dengan citra yang sama, (2) penerjemahan metafora menjadi metafora dengan citra yang berbeda, (3) penerjemahan metafora menjadi simile dengan citra yang sama, (4) penerjemahan metafora menjadi ungkapan tak bermajas, (5) penerjemahan dengan menghilangkan metafora. Sebagai tambahan, berdasarkan survey yang dilakukan oleh penulis, ditemukan hampir semua terjemahan metafora dapat dipahami oleh pembaca Indonesia. Hasil penelitian ini tidak dapat dipakai untuk menjeneralisasi populasi yang lebih luas. Namun demikian, hasil penelitian ini dapat dipakai sebagai referensi untuk melakukan penelitian pada topik yang sama dengan masalah yang berbeda.
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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study People have normally assumed that metaphor refers to the use of
extraordinary language rather than ordinary language and it represents imaginative function of language as stated by Lakoff and Johnson (1980: 3).
Besides, the term metaphor refers to the use of words to make comparisons between unlike things (Priestley and Spear, 1963: 81). It is suggested by Newmark (1981: 84) that of “saying an image with another image that is not related to each other.” Therefore, we can say that a metaphor user says one thing but means another. An example of metaphor can be seen in the sentence “That child is a greedy little pig” (Larson, 1984: 246). The sentence compares the child with a greedy little pig, but the comparison in metaphor does not use the word like or as as simile does. In simile, the word like or as is explicitly used to indicate the similarity of two things being compared (Larson, 1984: 246). For example, “O my love is like a red, red rose” (Guth, 1981: 485). In his love poem, Robert Burns compares my love as if it were a red rose which has beautiful color and good fragrance.
Unconsciously, people in the ways they think and talk are structured by metaphor (Lakoff and Johnson, 1980: 5). This basic argument invites the writer’s curiosity and interest in understanding more about what metaphor is. Therefore,
1 metaphor becomes worthy for the writer to be taken as a topic and to be discussed in this undergraduate thesis. By employing metaphor in a language, people try to create an image they meant becomes more abstract and more emphasizing (Guth, 1981: 722). Another example of metaphor is in a situation when a boy says to his girlfriend, “You are my blood.” He does not mean that his girlfriend is the true blood that flows inside his body, but what he means by saying blood is more or less a description that the boy really needs the girl in his life because she is everything for him and he cannot live without her. In this case, he compares his girl to the blood inside his body that its function is to run all of the organ systems.
Since a language is closely related with the background of a culture, then metaphor as a part of language taken by people to mean something figuratively, has different meaning in one culture to other cultures as quoted by Hollander,
Bahasa kiasan memiliki kaitan yang kuat dengan kebudayaan. Berarti penggunaan bahasa kiasan tidaklah selalu sama dalam tiap daerah bahasa. Makna kiasan kata kerbau dalam bahasa Indonesia mengacu pada orang yang bodoh dan lamban. Makna kiasan ini dapat saja hilang dalam bahasa lain, jadi kerbau tidak memiliki makna negatif (1995: 41). Figurative language is closely related with culture. It means that the use of figurative language is not always the same in every language. In Indonesian language, the figurative meaning of the word buffalo refers to someone who is stupid and lazy. This figurative meaning may be lost in another language, therefore buffalo has no negative meaning (translated). For this reason, it can be concluded that translating metaphor is not easy and it can cause serious problem for a translator. This idea is relevant to
Newmark’s (1981: 32) who states that metaphor is undoubtedly one of the most complicated topics in language and thought. Moreover, according to Catford, translation is “the replacement of the textual material in one language (SL) by equivalent textual material in another language (TL)” (1965: 20). The fact that literary or nonliterary translations without mistakes are still rare is true, some of them because of the differences in grammatical and semantics structures that exist between SL and TL. Consequently, according to Jakobson (in Bassnett, 1991: 14), finding full equivalence in the process of transferring a message from SL to TL is difficult, even it is done by having synonym, there is ordinarily no full equivalence. In one of Nida’s articles quoted by Sakri in Ihwal Menerjemahkan, it is said that
If one is to insist that translation must involve no loss of information whatsoever, then obviously not only translating but all communication is impossible. No communication, whether intralingual, interlingual, or intersemiotic, can occur without some loss of information (1985: 87).
Furthermore he says that loss of information is a part of any communication process.
Finally, to make this study specific and focused, it will only discuss live metaphors, which contain implied comparison. In other words, it will only deal with metaphors which do not have the words like or as, as in the case of similes. The live metaphors are taken from English philosophical drama entitled Man and
Superman that was written by George Bernard Shaw and was translated by
Akhmad Santoso into Indonesian language entitled Manusia Adimanusia. Man
and Superman is chosen because there are a lot of live metaphors such as “So you
are Hamlet, I suppose” (Shaw, 1954: 56) and “What do you think of your paragon now?” (Shaw, 1954: 99). Both of them can simply be translated into Indonesian language “Oh, jadi Tuan adalah Hamlet-nya, eh?” (Santoso, 2003: 21) and “Lihat kelakuan bidadarimu” (Santoso, 2003: 75) because both SL and TL have the similar concept on those two metaphors. As a result, Indonesian people as target readers can still accept the translated metaphors easily. On the other hand, there are some English metaphors mentioned in Man and Superman that are difficult to be translated into Indonesian language, therefore the strategies of translating metaphor are used to minimize some loss of information. For that reason, the writer considers that the process of translating metaphors becomes worthy to be discussed later since it is a very challenging process as there are different concepts that usually found in two different languages. So that it is necessary to be careful in dealing with it in order to produce messages in a TL naturally.
B. Problem Formulation
1. How are the ST metaphors translated into Indonesian in Manusia Adimanusia?
2. What are the strategies used to translate the ST metaphors into Indonesian?
3. How is the readability of the TT metaphors to Indonesian readers? C.
Objectives of the Study
The objectives of this study are firstly to identify the accuracies of the metaphor translations; secondly, to see whether the ST metaphors are translated into metaphors, similes, or non-figure of speech; and thirdly, to observe whether the metaphor translations are readable or not to the Indonesian people as target readers.
D. Definition of Terms
Translation is a craft consisting in the attempt to replace a written
message and/or statement in one language by the same message and/or statement in another language (Newmark, 1981: 7).
Metaphor is an imaginative comparison presented to us as if one thing really were another, the one to which it is being compared (Guth, 1981: 485).
Source Language (SL) is the form from which the translation is made
(Larson, 1984: 3). In this discussion, Man and Superman written by George Bernard Shaw will be the source text (ST) with English as the SL. Further, she likes using the term receptor language to target language (TL), while the writer will always mention the latter term in the whole discussion. Both of them have the same meaning, that is, the form into which it is to be changed (Larson, 1984: 3).
Manusia Adimanusia written by Akhmad Santoso is the target text (TT) in this
study and Indonesian language will be the TL.Accuracy is the state (of a translation) of being correct in analyzing the
source text or in the transfer process and different meaning results (Larson, 1984: 485-486).
Readability is the state (of a translation) of being readable and
understandable which reflect that the text is good writing or not (Larson, 1984: 499).
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW A. Review of Related Studies Several relevant statements written in the thesis and undergraduate thesis discussing figurative expressions and translations are reviewed. The first is a thesis by Albertus Suwardi (2005) entitled An Analysis on the Translation of the Metaphor in Danielle Steel’s The Wedding into Indonesian in Ade Dina Sigarlaki’s Pernikahan . The main question in his research is finding the
strategies used in translating the ST metaphors into Indonesian. In the conclusion, he states that out of 41 metaphors, 16 metaphors are translated into metaphors with the same images (39%), 1 metaphor is translated into a metaphor with different image (2%), 8 metaphors are translated into similes with the same images (20%), 1 metaphor is translated into a simile with different image (2 %), and 15 metaphors are translated without keeping the metaphorical imagery (37 %). This study will help the writer in the process of analyzing the translation of English metaphors to Indonesian.
Second, a thesis entitled The Analysis of Propositions in the Meaning-
based Translation of KOMPAS Editorial Quotes for BBC Monitoring written by
Erna Wardani (2005). In the conclusion, she writes that meaning-based or
idiomatic translation plays a significant role in maintaining the quality of
translated editorial quotes. In the process of translation, the form of the TL
6 replaces the form of the SL and it is done by way of semantic structure. It is meaning which is being transferred and must be held constant; only the form changes. This conclusion will be beneficial to add the theories on translation in general.
The third is an undergraduate thesis written by Yunita Wulansari (2007) entitled Translation Strategies in Overcoming Cultural Problem in Translating
Mangunwijaya’s Burung-Burung Manyar into The Weaverbirds . She explains
about the strategies of translating cultural expressions found in the novel; they are translation by a more general word (super ordinate), a cultural substitution, a loan word plus translation, a paraphrase using a related word, a paraphrase using unrelated word, and translation by omission.
The writer considers that all of the reviews are very helpful to this study. In this undergraduate thesis, the writer is going to analyze English metaphors in
Man and Superman which are translated into Indonesian in Manusia Adimanusia,
which have not been analyzed yet. The writer wants to find out the strategies used by Akhmad Santoso in translating English metaphors into Indonesian and to see their readabilities so that the readers will understand and expectedly, this study will also be beneficial to the readers who have research on the same topic.
B. Review of Related Theories 1. Theories on Translation
Catford in his book entitled A Linguistics Theory of Translation defines translation as “the replacement of textual material in one language (SL) by equivalent textual material in another language (TL)” (1965: 20). Although the definition is short and simple, but he suggests that the definition is intentionally wide. Two lexical items in it need comment. These are textual material (where ‘text’ might have been expected) and equivalent. The use of the term textual material underlines the fact that in normal conditions it is not the entirely of a SL text which is translated, that is, replaced by TL equivalents. At one or more levels of language there may be simple replacements, by nonequivalent TL material.
Indeed, the term equivalent is a key word in Catford’s definition of translation.
According to Larson (1984: 3) translation is defined as follows: Translation consists of studying the lexicon, grammatical structure, communication situation, and cultural context of the source language text, analyzing it in order to determine its meaning, and then restructuring this same meaning using the lexicon and grammatical structure which are appropriate in the receptor language and its cultural context. Larson’s description of the process of translation is shown in figure 1. SOURCE LANGUAGE RECEPTOR LANGUAGE
Translation Text to be
translated Discover Re
the ‐express
meaning the meaning MEANING
Figure 1: The Process of Translation Source : Larson, 1984: 4 So, from Larson’s point of view on translation, it can be concluded that
meaning must have priority over form in translation. In other words, it is meaning
which is to be carried over from the SL to the TL, not the linguistics forms.Therefore, the goal of the translator is to keep the meaning constant. Since a
meaning expressed by particular form in one language may be expressed by a
different form in another language, it is often necessary to change the form when translating.
Larson further classifies translation into two kinds (1984: 15-16), they are: 1. Form-based or literal translation, which attempts to follow the form of the SL.
The result of this translation usually does not sound natural.
2. Meaning-based or idiomatic translation, which makes every effort to communicate the meaning of the SL text in the natural forms of the TL. An idiomatic translation does not sound like a translation. It sounds like it was written originally in the TL.
On the other hand, there are three popular terms suggested by Catford (1965: 25), they are:
1. Free translation, which is always unbounded – equivalences shunt up and down the rank scale, but tend to be at the higher ranks – sometimes between larger units than the sentence.
2. Word-for-word translation, which generally means what it says, and is essentially rank-bound at word rank (but may include some morpheme- morpheme equivalences).
3. Literal translation, which lies between free and word-for-word translations. It may start from a word-for-word translation, but make changes in conformity with TL grammar (e.g. inserting additional words, changing structures at any rank, etc.); this may make it a group-group or clause-clause translation.
2. Theories on Metaphor
Metaphor is “the kind of figurative language that calls something by a different name” (Guth, 1981: 722). The definition of metaphor is in accordance with what has been stated in the background of the study. A metaphor does not say something is like something else but a metaphor says something is something else. If we say, “He was a perfect target for their jokes,” or “She was a fortress to her people,” we are creating a metaphor. By calling someone a “target” or “fortress,” we give a clear picture of the person without using many words. By leaving out the words like or as – as in “She was like a fortress” – we make the image somewhat stronger and more abstract.
According to Larson (1984: 249), metaphor can be divided into two: live and dead metaphors. A dead metaphor is that which is a part of the idiomatic construction of the lexicon of the language, or it is sometimes called an idiom. When a dead metaphor is used, the person who listens or reads does not think about the primary sense of the words, but only about the idiomatic sense directly.
For example, leg of the table; it is easy to see that there is a comparison between the leg of a table and the leg of a person or animal. However, one no longer thinks about a person when hearing or using the expression leg of the table because it is a dead metaphor. That is, the person using it no longer thinks of the comparison on which it was based.
All languages have idioms; that is, dead metaphors which are constantly used without anyone thinking about the comparison. In English there are many idioms such as foot of the stairs, the head of state, and leg of the chair. Although it is obvious that each of these is built on a type of comparison similar to the type of comparison in a live metaphor, they are dead metaphors since native speakers who use them do not think about comparison, but think directly of the meaning of the idiom. Native speakers understand the meaning of the dead metaphors directly without giving attention to the primary sense of each of the words.
On the other hand, a live metaphor is that which is constructed on the spot by the author or speaker to teach or illustrate. In other words, a live metaphor is one which is understood only after paying special attention to the comparison which is being made.
A live metaphor has three elements: topic, image, and point of similarity (Larson, 1984: 247). The topic can be defined as the thing talked about (nonfigurative), the image (or illustration) is what is being compared with (figurative), and the point of similarity usually based on some characteristics of the topic, which is also a characteristic of the image. For example, John is a tiger.
John is being compared to a tiger because of some point of similarity, some
common characteristic. The topic of the metaphor is John, and the image is a
tiger , but the point of similarity is not stated explicitly. However, sometimes it is
hard to identify point of similarity. For example, the sentence he is a pig does not include the point of similarity. In some cultures, a reference to pigs would give the idea of dirty, but in other cultures it might mean one who is a glutton, and in another culture it might mean someone who does not listen to people.
So, from Larson’s opinion, it is important to make the distinction between dead and live metaphors since dead metaphors are translated directly, without any attempt to keep the metaphorical content of the idiom. However, live metaphors are treated differently in the translation process. It is, therefore, important to identify live metaphors in the text which is being translated. Then they need to be analyzed carefully to be sure that the correct meaning or message is being communicated.
In addition, Lakoff and Johnson (1980: 3-6) state that the essence of metaphor is understanding and experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another.
They further explain that metaphor is pervasive in everyday life, not just in language but also in thoughts and actions. Our ordinary conceptual system, in terms of which we both think and act, is fundamentally metaphorical in nature. Following this line of thinking they start with the concept argument and the conceptual metaphor Argument is war. This metaphor is reflected in our everyday language by a wide variety of expression: Argument is war (Lakoff and Johnson, 1980: 4).
- Your claims are indefensible.
- He attacked every weak point in my argument.
- His criticisms were right on target.
- I demolished his argument.
- I’ve never won an argument with him.
- You disagree? Okay, shoot! - If you use that strategy, he’ll wipe you out.
- He shot down all of my arguments.
The utterances above show that many things we do in arguing are partially structured by the concept of war. It is important to see that we do not just talk about arguments in terms of war. We can actually win or lose arguments. We see the person we are arguing with as an opponent. There is no physical battle but the fact that there is a verbal battle. It is not that arguments are a subspecies of war. Arguments and wars are different kinds of things – verbal discourse and armed conflict – and the actions performed are different kinds of actions. However, argument is partially structured, understood, performed, and talked about in terms of war.
Culture can also be the concept of metaphor. Considering the metaphorical concept Time is money, we can find many expressions employed from this concept.
Time is money (Lakoff and Johnson, 1980: 7-8).
- You’re wasting my time.
- This gadget will save you hours.
- I don’t have the time to give you.
- How do you spend your time these days? - That flat tire cost me an hour.
- I’ve invested a lot of time in her.
- I don’t have enough time to spare for that.
- You’re running out of time.
- You need to budget your time.
- Put aside some time for ping pong.
- Is that worth your while?
- Do you have much time left? - He’s living on borrowed time.
- You don’t use your time profitably.
- I lost a lot of time when I got sick.
- Thank you for your time. Time in Western culture is a valuable commodity. It is considered as a limited resource that they use to accomplish their goals. Because of the concept of
a limited resource, and Time is a valuable commodity are metaphorical concepts.
In Lakoff and Johnson’s opinion, they are metaphorical since Western people utilize their everyday experiences with money, limited resource, and valuable commodities to conceptualize time.
3. Theories on Translating Metaphors
In translating metaphor, if the comparison is a live metaphor, then the first task of the translator is to analyze the metaphors carefully. It can be very helpful to write down the two propositions with the topic, the image, and the point of similarity. If any one of these is unclear, the text needs to be read as a whole to see what would be an appropriate interpretation in the particular paragraph where the metaphor is used.
Larson (1984, 253-254) suggests five strategies for translating metaphors. They are as follows:
1. The metaphor may be kept if the receptor language permits (that is, if it sounds natural and is understood correctly by the readers). For example, in the metaphor he is my sun can literally be translated into Indonesian dia itu matahariku .
2. A metaphor may be translated as a simile by adding the word like or as. For example, the tongue is a fire, it will sound more natural if it is translated into simile lidah itu bagaikan api.
3. A metaphor of the receptor language which has the same meaning may be substituted. A metaphor in the SL may be substituted with a different metaphor in the TL that carries the same meaning as the metaphor in the SL. For example, there was a storm in parliament last night. It might be good in some languages to change the metaphor from storm to fire and the translation would read the parliament was on fire last night. If this is the metaphor which will be more clearly understood and indicate that there was fierce debate in
, then it would be the best metaphor to use.
parliament
4. The metaphor may be kept and the meaning explained (that is, the topic and/or point of similarity may be added). Sometimes the translator will want to keep the metaphor of the SL, but it will be necessary to include the meaning so as not to lose the intended force of the metaphor. For example, the tongue is a
fire might be kept in the translation and the meaning added: The tongue is a fire. A fire destroys things and what we say can ruin people .
5. The meaning of the metaphor may be translated without keeping the metaphorical imagery. The translator can simply ignore the image in the SL.
That is, he can translate the meaning directly without using a metaphor. The metaphor there was a storm in parliament last night might simply be translated directly there was a lot of argument and debate in the parliament last night .
Newmark (1981: 88-91) proposes seven ways for translating metaphors; (1) the translator may reproduce the same image, (2) the translator may replace the image in the SL with a standard TL image which does not clash with the TL culture, (3) the translator may translate the metaphor into simile, (4) the translator may translate the metaphor into simile plus sense, (5) the translator may converse the metaphor to sense, (6) the translator may delete the metaphor, (7) the translator may translate the metaphor combined with sense. From the seven ways suggested by Newmark, five are the same as Larson’s suggestion, only procedures number 4 and 6 are not found in Larson’s.
4. Theories on Accuracy
Sometimes the translator makes mistakes in which the source text is incorrectly analyzed so that the translation will be considered inaccurate.
Accuracy is the state of the translation in which the ST is correctly analyzed by the translator so that it contains no mistake (Larson, 1984: 485-486). Here is the score and indicator in assessing the translation accuracy.
Table 1. Nababan’s Score and Indicator of Translation Accuracy Assessment
(in Setiajid, 2007: 10, translated)Score Indicator
1 The content of the ST is conveyed accurately to the TT. The sentences can be understood clearly. Rewriting is not needed.
2 The content of the ST is conveyed accurately to the TT. The sentences can be understood clearly, but a little restructuring and rewriting are needed.