43
characteristic of an ideal translation which are proposed by Larson 1984. First, it does not add or omit any information from the SL idiom. As a result, the meaning
from SL idiom is transferred accurately. Second, the meaning from ‘bukanlah akhir dunia’ is also easy to understand by the TL speaker as same as the SL
speaker. Third, the translation sounds natural for the TL speaker because the TL idiom exists in the TL. Thus, the TL speaker will consider it as their own
language. Another example which was found in this research was ‘before you know
it’. It was translated into ‘sebelum kau menyadarinya’. Both idioms have similar meaning which is ‘very quick or very soon’. In addition, they also have similar
lexical items. The words ‘before’ and ‘sebelum’, ‘you’ and ‘kau’, and ‘know it’ and ‘menyadarinya’, all of them are equal to each other and carrying the similar
idiomatic meaning. Hence, this idiom translation was considered as acceptable and appropriate for the target language speaker. This conclusion was drawn from
Larson’s theory. Just like the previous idiom, this idiom also has those three characteristics. The translation is accurate, clear and natural for the TL speaker.
2. Similar Meaning but Dissimilar Form
Using similar meaning idiom with dissimilar form is a strategy which uses an idiom from TL which conveys similar meaning but has dissimilar form or
lexical items. It is used if the translators cannot find a match idiom with similar form in TL. In other words, the translators have a possibility to choose another
idiom which conveys similar meaning to the SL idiom even though the form or the lexical item is different. From the data analyzed, the researcher only found one
44
idiom which used this strategy, which is ‘take up much space’. It was the least strategy which was used to translate the idiom. This idiom used different lexical
items from the SL idiom, yet, it carries similar meaning to the SL idiom. The only idiom which was translated using this strategy is ‘take up much
space’. The meaning of this idiom is ‘to fill or occupy space’. In Bahasa Indonesia, ‘take up’ literally means ‘menggunakan’ and ‘space’ literally means
‘ruang atau tempat’. Thus, if it was translated using the first strategy it would become ‘menggunakan terlalu banyak tempat’. This translation was less
appropriate to be used because it had lost its idiomatic sense. However, in this case, the translator translated the SL idiom using TL idiom which has dissimilar
form or lexical items, which is ‘memakan tempat’. The meaning of ‘memakan tempat’ is similar to ‘take up much space’. Hence, this translation is more
appropriate. It is because the translation still brings the idiomatic meaning of the SL idiom even though it has dissimilar form from the SL idiom. In further
analysis, this translation was considered as an acceptable translation. The accuracy, clarity, and the naturalness of the translation had been fulfilled.
3. Paraphrase
Translation by paraphrase was the most common strategy which was used in translating SL idiom into TL. According to Baker 1992, this strategy is
translating the idiom by writing the meaning of the idiom directly. Thus, the result of the translation is not considered as idiomatic because it directly refers to SL
idiom meaning. The translators usually employ this strategy when they are not able to find the equivalent idiom in TL.
45
This strategy dominated the frequency of the strategies used in translating idiom in subtitle Ice Age: Continental Drift. There were 122 idioms which were
translated using this strategy. In other words, it gained about 87.2 of all the idioms found. The researcher provides some idioms which were translated using
this strategy. The first idiom is so long which was found in Data 4. The meaning of this
idiom is actually ‘to say goodbye’. In this movie, it was paraphrase into usaha yang bagus. In this case, the translator makes less accurate paraphrase because the
meaning of usaha yang bagus is ‘to do a good work’. Thus, his paraphrase was not acceptable to the context. If it was translated into sampai jumpa it might be an
appropriate translation. It is because phrase sampai jumpa may have similar meaning to so long, which means ‘goodbye’.
Another idiom which was translated using paraphrase strategy is genius. This word was considered as idiom because of the context where it was used. It
can be seen in Data 5. The word genius is kind of irony. Based on Tarigan 1985, it is a figure of speech which is used to mention the opposite meaning of the word
or in short, to be sarcastic. Hence, it is also considered as idiom. In this case, it does not mean ‘very smart’, but it means ‘stupid or dumb’. The translator noticed
the meaning of this idiom, so that he translates it into bodoh. Based on Larson’s
Excerpt from 00:52:17,041 -- 00:52:20,043 Grandma: So long, banana breath.
Thanks for the ship Data 4. Paraphrase Strategy Excerpt 1
46
theory this translation is considered acceptable. It is because it has fulfilled the three categories which are proposed by Larson.
It is indeed that translating idioms by paraphrase is the easiest way to translate idioms compared to the previous strategies. In addition, it will make the
TL speakers are easier to understand the meaning. However, it would be better if a translator prioritizes the first two idioms. In other words, ‘idiom to idiom’
translation is recommended as long as there is an equivalence idiom in TL, so that the idiomatic sense from the SL text can be reflected on the TL text.
4. Omission
