AN ANALYSIS OF THE TRANSLATION OF SWEARING WORDS IN THE FILM ENTITLED “BAD SANTA”
AN ANALYSIS OF THE TRANSLATION OF SWEARING WORDS IN THE FILM ENTITLED “BAD SANTA” THESIS
Submitted as a Partial Fulfillment for Requirements for the Sarjana Sastra Degree in English Department Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts Sebelas Maret University
By
ARUM KUSUMAYANI
C0305017
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT FACULTY OF LETTERS AND FINE ARTS SEBELAS MARET UNIVERSITY SURAKARTA 2010
AN ANALYSIS OF THE TRANSLATION OF SWEARING WORDS IN THE FILM ENTITLED “BAD SANTA”
Done by: Arum Kusumayani C0305017
Thesis Consultant:
Dyah Ayu Nila Khrisna, SS, M.Hum NIP. 198302112006042001
Head of English Department
DR. Djatmika, M. A NIP. 196707261993021001
AN ANALYSIS OF THE TRANSLATION OF SWEARING WORDS IN THE FILM ENTITLED “BAD SANTA”
Done by: Arum Kusumayani C0305017
Accepted and approved by the board of examiners Faculty of Letters and Fine
Arts of Sebelas Maret University on December 2010
1. Chairman: Drs. S Budi Waskito, M.Pd
( ) NIP. 195211081983031001
2. Secretary: Ardianna Nuraeni, SS, M.Hum
( ) NIP. 198209272008122001
3. First Examiner: Dyah Ayu Nila Khrisna, S.S, M.Hum
( ) NIP. 198302112006042001
4. Second Examiner: Ida Kusuma Dewi, S.S., M.A.
( ) NIP. 197105251998022001
The Dean of Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts Sebelas Maret University
Drs. Sudarno, M. A NIP. 195303141985061001
PRONOUNCEMENT
Name : Arum Kusumayani NIM : C 0305017
Stated whole-heartedly that this thesis entitled An Analysis of the Translation of Swearing Words in the Film entitled “Bad Santa” is originally made by the researcher. It is neither a plagiarism, nor made by others. Things relating to other people’s work are written in quotations and included in bibliography. If it is then proved that the researcher cheats, the researcher is ready to take the responsibility.
Surakarta,
The Researcher
(Arum Kusumayani)
MOTTO
“And when you want something, all the universe conspires
in helping you to achieve it”
(The Alchemist)
“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new”
(Albert Einstein)
DEDICATION
I wholeheartedly dedicate this thesis to My Mother and My Father My Little Sisters and My Little Brother Thank you for your prayer and support
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
All praise just for the Almighty God, Allah SWT, for the leading, blessing, love and guidance so that the researcher can complete this thesis. This thesis will not be complete without support and encourage from many people. Therefore, the writer would like to present her gratitude to those who have given important contribution to this thesis. I would like to express my gratitude to:
1. The Dean of Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts, Drs. Sudarno, M. A. for approving this thesis.
2. The Head of English Department, DR. Djatmiko, M. A, for giving permission to write this thesis.
3. Dyah Ayu Nila Khrisna, SS, M.Hum as my thesis supervisor, thank you for her patience, guidance, and advice in completing this thesis.
4. Prof. Drs. MR. Nababan, M.Ed., M.A., Ph.D., the lecturer of the translation studies who has given so many great lessons dealing with translation.
5. Ida Kusuma Dewi, S.S., M.A., as the lecturer of the translation studies. Thank you for precious knowledge given to me.
6. Herianto Nababan, S.S., Sumardiono, S.S., and Ardianna Nuraeni, SS, M.Hum as my raters. Thank them for the ideas and suggestions.
7. All of the lecturers in English Department whom I can not mention one by one. I thank them very much for every lesson, knowledge given to me.
8. My beloved mother and father who always give their love, care, pray, patience and support to finish this thesis. I love them so much.
9. My beloved sisters (Rahma and Ucie), my little brother (Ayis). Thank them for always cheer me up. I love you all.
10. M. Siko Ardiansyah. I am so thankful for cheer me up and share his love, care, and support.
11. My lovely friends, Dini (thank her for accompanying and helping me through this happiness and sadness), Mew2 (thank her for this friendship and support), Mas Dion (thank him for lending me many books, wish God will recompense his kindness), Elis, Ismi, Ima, and Rupet (thank them for the advice and support. Glad to have you all as my partners), and for all my friends in ED 2005 whom I can not mention one by one (thank them for this friendship).
12. The member of Ajeng boarding house, imung and intan (thank them for the ideas, suggestion, big support, and sisterhood), randut (thank her for this friendship and support), and the upper stair girls (thank them for everything).
The Researcher
(Arum Kusumayani)
2. The Accuracy and Acceptability Level of Translation……… 78
2.1. Accuracy………………………………………………… 80
2.2. Acceptability…………………………………………….. 91
3. The Influence of the Translation Technique Used by the Translator toward the Accuracy and Acceptability Level of Translation ……… ……………………………….. 98
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
A. Conclusion………………………………………………………. 103
B. Recommendation………………………………………………… 105
BIBLIOGRAPHY APPENDICES
ABSTRACT
Arum Kusumayani. C0305017. 2010. An Analysis of the Translation of Swearing Words in the Film Entitled “Bad Santa”. Thesis: English Department. Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts. Sebelas Maret University. Surakarta.
This research focuses to describe the techniques used in translating swearing words in the film entitled “Bad Santa” and how the techniques are used by the translator in translating swearing words influence the accuracy and acceptability levels of the translation.
The research employed qualitative descriptive method with total sampling technique. This research used two kinds of data. The primary data of this research are all of swearing words and their translation taken from the movie entitled “Bad Santa”. While the secondary data are in form of questionnaire result given by the raters.
There are 227 data containing swearing words in this film. From the analysis, the researcher found five techniques applied by the translator in translating swearing words: translation using swearing word having similar expressive meaning covers 55 data, translation using swearing word having less expressive meaning covers 14 data, translation using neutral words covers 32 data, translation using interjection covers 26 data, and translation by omission covers 100 data.
In accordance with the accuracy, the translation of swearing words in this film is less accurate. From 227 data, 87 data (38. 33%) were accurate, 104 data (45. 81%) were less accurate, and 36 data (15. 86%) were inaccurate. Dealing with the acceptability, the translation of swearing words in this film is acceptable. From 227 data, 204 data (89. 87%) were acceptable, 23 data (10.13%) were less acceptable, and no one of the data was unacceptable.
Meanwhile, the influence of the translation technique used by the translator toward the accuracy and acceptability level of the translation can be seen through the percentage belonging to each. In translating the swearing words in the film entitled “Bad Santa” translation using similar expressive meaning technique covers 87.27% for the accuracy and 94.4% for the acceptability, translation using less expressive meaning technique covers 92.857% for the accuracy and 100% for the acceptability, translation using neutral words technique covers 56.66% for the accuracy and 100% for the acceptability, translation technique using interjection has 80.8% for the accuracy and 80.8% for the acceptability, and translation technique by omission covers 63.73% for the accuracy and 85.3% for the acceptability.
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A. Research Background
Edward Sapir in Bassnett and McGuire claims that “Language is a guide to social reality.” (1991: 13). Swearing is considered as a part of the language. It represents the culture where the society lives and is used as a means of communication in their daily life. For instance American black community uses swearing words to complete the sentences they uttered, as they are normal words. Swearing words are expressed by different community in different socio-cultural background. People assume swearing is a kind of response to something unexpected, upsetting or painful. It is considered being rude, blasphemous, insulting, and offensive. The concept of swearing word is considered indecent and inappropriate in polite context; however it exists in most languages and cultures.
According to Anderson and Trudgill (1992: 55) the form of swearing involves blasphemy and obscenity. Blasphemy refers to words which refer to Christian religion in a disrespectful way. It consists of heaven, hell, and their inhabitants. For instance: Jesus, Christ, God damn you, Hell, Go to hell, etc. Whereas, obscenity refers to words that refer to sexual organs and acts and also various body elimination processes and excretory substances. For instance: fuck, shit, fart, asshole etc.
People believe that swearing helps to release tension when they are angry, annoyed, surprised or frustrated. In some contexts the use of swearing word may show affection, admiration, enthusiasm, endearment, solidarity, express trust and People believe that swearing helps to release tension when they are angry, annoyed, surprised or frustrated. In some contexts the use of swearing word may show affection, admiration, enthusiasm, endearment, solidarity, express trust and
There is a great change of the use of swearing in different period of time. Several years ago some words are unusual and taboo to say, but nowadays it is already changed. The severity of blasphemous words has been in decline throughout the past century, in conjunction with a decline in strict Christian beliefs. Bloody, hell, burp and fart are now considered mild or very common. As a result, blasphemous words are replaced by some words which are consistently judged to be more offensive (abrasive, aggressive, impolite, profane, upsetting, etc.) than others. Sexual terms generally rated the most offensive. It is followed by excretory terms which, in turn, are typically judged more offensive than sacred terms. Specifically, fuck, shit, cunt, and motherfucker (in varying orders) have been rated as the most offensive words ( http://scidok.sulb.uni- saarland.de/volltexte/2007/1173 ). Beside that, gender and social class also influence the use of swearing. Society views swearing words uttered mostly by men in accordance with social expectation. Many speakers of swearing words come from lower class-backgrounds. They swear as a means for differentiating themselves from mainstream society and affirming their position as a member of particular social group. Other speakers do not only come from such backgrounds, but also society associating them with people from lower income and education.
Globally, this is the age of mass communications, of multimedia experiences and a world where audiences demand the right to share the latest text, such as film, song, or book simultaneously across cultures. Therefore, there is a huge demand for (mainly) American productions and, in response to it, markets are flooded with them ( http://accurapid.com/journal/32film.htm ). Swearing words can be found easily especially through television as the communication media. It can not be denied that television presents many programs containing swearing words, for instance broadcasting movie which most of them are made by American. American films are regarded offensive and they consist of many swearing words. Therefore, they shock for some particular society. However, it should be translated well in the appropriate level so that it will be acceptable to the target audience.
There are some difficulties in translating swearing words from the source language (English) into the target language (Indonesia). They are the difficulties to translate the concept dealing with ecological problem, social culture, material culture, religious culture, and linguistic culture.
Therefore, the translator should transfer the message from the source language (SL) into the target language (TL) properly and accurately using some techniques to find the equivalent words which are acceptable to certain culture. For example:
1. ST : Santa fucking someone in the ass TT : Santa berhubungan dengan orang. (083/ G/1.5/A 31:53)
Context of situation: Gin gives his comment of Chipeska’s complaint about Willie’s behavior in the dressing room. The translator uses ‘translation using neutral word’ techniques in this dialogue. According to Encarta dictionary, the word ‘fuck’ or ‘fucking’ means to have sexual intercourse with someone. The translator makes the dialogue more polite by using ‘berhubungan’ instead of ‘bercinta’ to make it more acceptable in Indonesian culture where the society is avoid using offensive words.
2. ST : Who’s the bitch now, Santy Clause? Huh? TT : Siapa pecundangnya sekarang, Santa Clause?
(060/HT/1.2/A 23:23)
Context of situation: The trouble maker in the bar insults Willy because Willie thinks that the trouble maker is a gay. The troublemaker surprises Willie with a flurry of effective punches. In moments, Willie is on the losing end of homosexual panic. The troublemaker swears at Willie.
The translator uses ‘translation using swearing word of less expressive meaning’ technique in this dialogue. ‘Bitch’ refers to female dog. In An English- Indonesian Dictionary ‘bitch’ mean ‘anjing betina/ perempuan jalang’. It can be seen that the translator translated the word ‘bitch’ is not as offensive as the real meaning in the source language (SL).
The aim of the research is to get a better understanding of swearing words by examining them. It does not mean that swearing is permitted, but as a part of language swearing words need to be studied and analyzed. The researcher takes The aim of the research is to get a better understanding of swearing words by examining them. It does not mean that swearing is permitted, but as a part of language swearing words need to be studied and analyzed. The researcher takes
B. Problem Statements
Consider to the research background, the problems proposed in the present research are:
1. What are techniques used in translating swearing words in the film entitled “Bad Santa”?
2. How do the techniques influence the translator in translating swearing words in the case of the accuracy and acceptability levels of the translation?
C. Research Objectives
The goals of this research are:
1. To find out what techniques used by the translator in translating the swearing words.
2. To reveal how the techniques used by the translator in translating the swearing words influence the accuracy and acceptability level of the translation.
D. Research Limitation
Due to the problem statements formulated, the analysis in this research is limited on the dialogue which contains swearing words in English and the translation found in the film entitled “Bad Santa”.
E. Research Benefits
The researcher hopes this research will be useful and beneficial for:
1. Subtitler/ Film Translator This research expects to give benefit for translator in translating swearing word in the film.
2. Students This research is expected to be useful for the student to give more knowledge about the technique in translating swearing words.
3. Other Researcher This research aims to be useful for other researcher to have further research dealing with the translation of swearing words.
F. Thesis Organization
This research is arranged and divided into five chapters as follows:
Chapter I: Introduction. It consists of Research Background, Problem Statements, Research Objectives, Research Limitation, Research Benefit, Thesis Organization
Chapter II: Literature Review. It consists of Definition of Translation, Meaning in Translation, Translation Technique, Translation Difficulty, Translation Quality Assessment, Definition of Swearing, Swearing Word, Function of Swearing Word, Grammatical Pattern of Swearing Word, Degree of Offensiveness of Swearing Word, Synopsis, Review of Related Current Studies.
Chapter III: Research Methodology. It consists of Types of Research, Source of the Data, Data, Sample and Technique of Sampling, Method of Data Collection, Technique of Data Analysis, Research Procedure.
Chapter IV: Data Analysis. It consists of a process series of analyzing the data and classifying them in purpose to get the answers from the raised problems. Chapter V: Conclusion and Suggestion. It consists of conclusions and suggestion of the research.
CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW
A. Definition of Translation
There are various definition of translation proposed by experts. Brislin states “Translation is the general term referring to the transfer of thoughts and ideas from one language (source) to another (target), whether the languages are in written or oral form” (1976: 1).
In addition, Bassnett and McGuire define translation as follows: What is generally understood as translation involves the rendering of a
source language (SL) text into the target language (TL) so as to ensure that (1) the surface meaning of the two will be approximately similar and (2) the structures of the SL will be preserved as closely as possible but not so closely that the TL structures will be seriously distorted (1991: 2).
From this definition, it can be seen that Bassnett and McGuire emphasize that the process of translation produce the similarity in the surface meaning and the proper translation for the structures.
According to Nida “Translating consists of reproducing in the receptor language the closest natural equivalent of the source language message, first in term of meaning and secondly in terms of style” (1974: 14). This definition emphasizes that a translation product covers the closest natural equivalent of the source language message, in term of meaning and style.
Referring to the three quotations above, the idea of translation is a process of transferring thoughts and ideas from source language (SL) into target language (TL) (in written or oral form) properly and accurately without disregard the natural equivalent of meaning and style
B. Meaning in Translation
The meaning of a given word or set of words is best understood as the contribution that word or phrase can make to the meaning or function of the whole sentence or linguistic utterance where that word or phrase occurs. The meaning of
a given word is governed not only by the external object or idea that particular word is supposed to refer to, but also by the use of that particular word or phrase in a particular way, in a particular context, and to a particular effect ( http://accurapid.com/journal/14theory.htm ). Cruse (in Baker, 1991: 13-16) distinguishes four main types of meaning in words and utterances as follows:
1. Propositional Meaning The prepositional meaning of a word or an utterance arises from the
relation between it and what it refers to or describes in a real or imaginary world, as conceived by the speakers of the particular language to which the word or utterance belongs. It is the type of meaning which provides the basis on which we can judge an utterance as true or false (ibid: 13).
In short, the statement above express that propositional meaning is a type of meaning which describes the real meaning of a word. For example, according to Encarta dictionary, the word ‘asshole’ (or ‘arsehole’ in British English ) is a highly offensive term for the anus. It should not used to refer to the buttocks.
2. Expressive Meaning “Expressive meaning cannot be judged as true or false. This is because it
relates to the speaker’s feelings or attitude rather than to what words and utterances refer to” (ibid: 13).
This type of meaning is not delimiting the choice of word which has the same meaning. The example of expressive meaning can be seen in the using of the word ‘vagina’, ‘pussy’, and ‘cunt’. Basically all of them can be meant as part of This type of meaning is not delimiting the choice of word which has the same meaning. The example of expressive meaning can be seen in the using of the word ‘vagina’, ‘pussy’, and ‘cunt’. Basically all of them can be meant as part of
3. Presupposed Meaning “Presupposed meaning arises from co-occurrence restrictions, i.e. restrictions on what other words or expression we expect to see before or after a particular lexical unit” (ibid.:14).There are two types of these restrictions:
a) Selectional restriction “These are a function of the propositional meaning of a word. Selectional restrictions are deliberately violated in the case of figurative language but are
(ibid.). According to http://www.ctu.edu.vn/coursewares/supham/itdich/ch3.htm figurative or metaphorical extension is the process in which one or more components of the meaning of a particular word (function, appearance, shape, position) are selected and extended to cover or to refer to some object which has not been within the domain of that word. While according to Encarta dictionary (Microsoft Encarta: 2008), figurative representing by allegorical figure: using an allegorical or emblematic human or animal figure to represent an abstract idea or quality. For example is the word
otherwise
strictly
observes”
‘ass’ which can be meant animal resembling horse with long ears or as an offensive term.
b) Collocational restriction “Collocational restrictions are semantically arbitrary restrictions which do not follow logically from the propositional meaning of a word” (ibid.). For example, Andersson and Trudgill (in Sri Haryati, 2006), in English, ‘Who the hell has been here?’ Is grammatically correct, but in Swedish is ‘Who in hell has been here?’
4. Evoked Meaning “Evoke meaning arises from dialect and register variation. A dialect is a
variety of language which has currency within a specific community or group of speakers” (ibid.: 15). It may be classified into:
a) Geographical, for example is the less offensive term for ‘posterior’ in the UK is ‘bum’ which in America might referred to as ‘butt’. However, in America the word as a noun means tramp or hobo, while as a verb means scrounge or borrow ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A753527 ).
b) Temporal (e.g. words and structure used by members of different groups within a community, or words used at different period in the history of a
language) (1991: 15). For example, Hughes (in Sri Haryati, 2006: 13) states the variants of god, agad for example, was used at 1728, golly at 1742, gracious at 1760s, etc.
c) Social (words and structures used by members of different social classes) (1991: 15). As mentioned in chapter I many speaker of swearing words come from lower class-backgrounds. They swear as a means for c) Social (words and structures used by members of different social classes) (1991: 15). As mentioned in chapter I many speaker of swearing words come from lower class-backgrounds. They swear as a means for
“Register is a variety of language that a language user considers appropriate to a specific situation” (1991: 15). Register variation arises from variations in the following:
a) Field of discourse: This is an abstract term for ‘what is going on’ that is relevant to the
speaker’s choice of linguistic items. Different linguistic choices are made by different speakers depending on what kind of action other than the immediate action of speaking they see themselves as participating in (ibid.: 16).
For instance swearing word is used as a way of speaking that some people use to express their feelings of anger, annoyance, and frustration or when they want to hurt someone else's feelings. However, sometimes people swear because they think it is smart or funny.
b) Tenor of discourse: “An abstract term for the relationships between the people taking part in the discourse” (ibid.). According to Andersson and Trudgill (1992: 65-66) swearing is very typical of pheripheral groups (young people, the unemployed, alcoholics, and criminals).
c) Mode of discourse: “An abstract term for the role that the language is playing (speech, essay, lecture, instructions) and for its medium of transmission (spoken or written)” (ibid.). Swearing words are commonly known through television as the communication media. One of television programs presented in form of film. Due to the cultural differences, c) Mode of discourse: “An abstract term for the role that the language is playing (speech, essay, lecture, instructions) and for its medium of transmission (spoken or written)” (ibid.). Swearing words are commonly known through television as the communication media. One of television programs presented in form of film. Due to the cultural differences,
Those all are parts of lexical meaning. According to Baker “The lexical meaning of a word or lexical unit may be thought of as the specific value it has in
a particular linguistic system and the ‘personality’ it acquires through usage within that system” (ibid: 12). In order to find the proper meaning in translating of swearing word, it is important to consider the contextual meaning in which swearing is said. Nababan (2008: 58) states “The meaning(s) that a word refers to are culturally bound, and in most cases the meaning(s) of a word can only be understood through its context of use”. According to http://www.ctu.edu.vn (in Adinugroho, 2008: 16) both lexical and contextual/situational meaning are parts of referential meaning since referential meaning refers to things in reality; dictionary meaning; also contextual meaning; talks about something out of the language extralinguistic; and culturally determined.
C. Translation Technique
Nababan defines translation technique as “Prosedur untuk menganalisa dan mengklasifikasikan bagaimana kesepadanan terjemahan berlangsung dan dapat diterapkan pada berbagai satuan lingual”. While according to Molina and Albir “We needed the category of translation technique that allowed us to describe the actual steps taken by the translator in each textual micro-unit and obtain clear data about the general methodological option chosen” (2001: 499).
Molina and Albir also state that there is some disagreement amongst translator scholars about translation techniques. This disagreement is not only Molina and Albir also state that there is some disagreement amongst translator scholars about translation techniques. This disagreement is not only
Baker (1992: 26) labels the category (which is used to analyze translation) as strategies. She proposed several strategies of translation as follows:
1. Translation by a more general word “This strategies dealing with the use of a general word (superordinate) to overcome a relative lack of specificity in the target language compared to the source language” (ibid.: 26-28).
The translator applies this technique by translating the source language word using a more general word in which covers the propositional meaning. The aim of this technique is to avoid the missing of hyponym in the target language beside what have been mentioned in the statement above. For example: English : She uses vacuum cleaner to clean the carpets Indonesia : Dia menggunakan alat penghisap debu untuk membersihkan karpet
2. Translation by a more neutral/ less expression word In this technique, the translation is less expressive than the original. Less expressive words are usually used by the translator to reduce the degree of offensiveness in order to make the words accepted in the target language. It can be done by changing or even removing the expressive word with the neutral word 2. Translation by a more neutral/ less expression word In this technique, the translation is less expressive than the original. Less expressive words are usually used by the translator to reduce the degree of offensiveness in order to make the words accepted in the target language. It can be done by changing or even removing the expressive word with the neutral word
3. Translation by cultural substitution This strategy involves replacing a culture-specific item or expression with a
target language item which does not have the same propositional meaning but is likely to have a similar impact on the target reader. The main advantage of using this strategy is that it gives the reader a concept with which s/he can identify something familiar and appealing (ibid: 31).
From the statement above, it can be concluded that the aim of this technique is to give a familiar concept without neglecting the norms which exist in the reader’s or audience’s community in order to make it accessible to people from other culture. It can be done by translating the source language word using a familiar and interesting word in which the reader or audience may identify. For example: English : He rudely ordered Karjo about, using language that one might use
with a servant . (Mangunwijaya, 1993: 136) Indonesia: Langsung ia berbahasa ngoko kepadanya, seperti kepada jongos (Mangunwijaya, 1989: 106-107) http://www.translationdirectory.com/article634.htm ( )
4. Translation using a loan word or loan word plus explanation This strategy is particularly common in dealing with culture-specific
items, modern concepts, and buzz words. Following the loan word with an explanation is very useful when the word in question is repeated several times in the text. Once explained, the loan word can then be used on its own; the reader can understand it and is not distracted by further lengthy explanation (ibid: 34).
The translator using loan word not because there is no equivalent word in the target language. It is used because there is an opinion that loan word represents the image of modern, smart, and high class. However, the use of loan word is considering the norms of translation which exist in the communities. Baker adds “The emphasis here is on evoked rather than propositional meaning” (ibid: 36). For example: English : The new walkman phone Sonny Ericsson W595 is completed with share jack . Indonesia : Walkman phone baru dari Sonny Ericsson W595 dilengkapi dengan share jac k.
5. Translation by paraphrase using related words “This strategy tends to be used when the concept expressed by the source item is lexicalized in the target language but in a different form, and when the frequency with which a certain form is used in the source text is significantly higher than would be natural in the target language” (ibid: 34).
According to the statement above, this technique can be used if the concept of the original word is lexicalized to the target language word. The aim of technique is to avoid the repetition of word. For example: English : They offer 2 chicken thighs Indonesia : Mereka menawarkan 2 daging paha ayam
Sardjana (2005: 18)
6. Translation by paraphrase using unrelated words If the concept by the source item is not lexicalized at all in the target
language, the paraphrase strategy can still be used in some contexts. Instead of a related word, the paraphrase may be based on modifying a superordinate or simply on unpacking the meaning of the source item, particularly if the item in question is semantically complex (1992: 38).
The paraphrase technique still can be applied even though the concept of the source language word is not lexicalized to the target language text. It can be done by modifying a word which meaning encompasses the meaning of another more specific word. For example: English : That painting really caught my eye Indonesia : Lukisan itu sangat menarik perhatianku. Back translated: That painting really attracted my attention
Sardjana (2005: 18)
7. Translation by omission In fact it does no harm to omit translating a word or expression in some
contexts. If the meaning conveyed by a particular items or expression is not vital enough to the development of the text to justify distracting the reader with lengthy explanation, translator can and often do simply omit translating the word or expression in question (ibid: 40).
From the statement above, it can be concluded that omission is allowed in translation process as long as the omitted word is not significant to the development of the text. However, unavoidably there will be loss of meaning if word is omitted in translation. Therefore, this technique ought to use as the last choice taken by the translator in doing translation process.
For example: English : What the fuck are you doing here? Indonesia : Apa yang kau lakukan di sini?
8. Translation by illustration “This is a useful option in the word which lacks an equivalent in the target language refers to physical entity which can be illustrated, particularly if there are restrictions on space and if the text has to remain short, concise, and to the point” (ibid: 42).
This technique shows the meaning of a word (which has a physical entity) by giving an illustration. The aim of this technique is to make the target reader easier in conceiving the representation of something which is intended. For example: English : Coca-Cola Zero or Coke Zero is the latest in a whole range of
drinks from Coca-Cola Company Indonesia : Coca-Cola Zero atau Coke Zero merupakan produk minuman terbaru dari Coca-Cola Company.
9. Translation using an idiom/ expression of similar meaning and form “This strategy involves using an idiom in the target language which conveys roughly the same meaning as that of the source-language idiom and, in addition, consists of equivalent lexical items” (ibid: 72).
From the statement above, it can be seen that in this technique the translator tries to find out the translation of the original word or expression in the target language which has the same meaning and same lexical item. Example SL
: Where there’s a will, there’s a way. TL
: Bila ada kemauan, pasti ada jalan. Adinugroho (2008: 21)
10. Translation using an idiom/ expression of similar meaning but dissimilar form “It is often possible to find an idiom or fixed expression in the target language which has a meaning similar to that of the source idiom or expression, but which consist of different lexical item” (ibid: 74).
In short, idiom or expression of the source language text which has similar meaning but has different lexical item in the target language text may be translated using dissimilar form but must express the same meaning. Example: SL
: It is raining cats and dogs TL
: Hujannya lebat sekali Machali (2000: 86-88)
D. Translation Difficulty
Every language has its own system which is different from one to another. That is the reason why translating is not an easy thing to do. Baker (1992: 21) states “The source-language word may express a concept which totally unknown in the target culture. The concept in question may be abstract or concrete; it may relate to a religious belief, a social custom, or even a type of food.” Moreover, Nababan states “Perbedaan budaya antara teks bahasa sumber dan bahasa sasaran menimbulkan ketakterjemahan budaya (cultural untranslatability)” (2008: 54). According to Newmark (in Nababan, 2008: 54) cultural untranslatability relates to ecological problem, social culture, material culture, religious culture, and linguistic culture
1. Ecological problem “Ecological problem occurs when translating a name of creature or phenomenon which exists in one place (in the source language) but not in the other place (in the target language)” Nida (1988: 95).
The difficulty in translating something dealing with the ecological problem is often faced by the translator. In this case, the difficulty to find the equivalent term is caused by the lack or even no similar concept of the source language into the target language.
2. Social culture Different cultural background of the society is undeniable become the main reason why translating a certain source language into a certain target language is quite difficult to do. Nida states “…translators are permanently faced with the problems of how to treat the cultural aspect implicit in a source text (SL) 2. Social culture Different cultural background of the society is undeniable become the main reason why translating a certain source language into a certain target language is quite difficult to do. Nida states “…translators are permanently faced with the problems of how to treat the cultural aspect implicit in a source text (SL)
“As language is one of the elements of culture, consequently, different cultural background is reflected in the usage of language in every society” (ibid.). Therefore, in translating the source language text the translator has to consider the acceptability of the equivalent term in the target language culture.
3. Material culture The material culture of one place is often different from the others. As stated by Nida “material culture has something to do with different materials of each place” (ibid). This could be a difficulty for the translator in translating material culture since each place has their own material culture which dissimilar one another, for example things or tools which are produced by human.
4. Religious culture In fact, every religion has different terms or activities from one to another. The problems appear when the translator transfers the terms or activities to another language as the target readers, whose religion are different, do not have the same religious terms or activities (ibid). For instance, some words which are blasphemy expression such as Christ, Jesus, or Jesus Christ can be used as swearing word in English to express anger, surprise, or annoyance as stated by Hornby (2005: 261). However, it can not be considered as same in Indonesian translation because mentioning the name of God in Indonesian language even for showing anger, annoyance, shock or pain is not considered swearing or refer to something taboo.
5. Linguistic culture Each language has their own linguistic system which is not always similar each other. Therefore, there is a difficulty in finding the equivalent term or structure in the target language. As stated by Nida “The fact that each language has its own characteristics either in grammar, vocabulary, or pronunciation makes the translator often experiences problems in choosing appropriate words in translating a text” (ibid.). As a matter of fact, there is a problem in translating English swearing word into Indonesian as a result of the complexity of English swearing word itself dealing with the difficulty to find the similar expressive or propositional meaning in Indonesia.
E. Translation Quality Assessment
Newmark defines “Translation quality assessment is a very important in the process of translation and it becomes a significant link between translation theory and its practice” (1988: 184). Dealing with Translation Quality Assessment there are three types of measurement of the translation quality: accuracy, acceptability, and readability.
1. Accuracy It cannot be denied that accuracy is one of the main features that have to
be checked in scoring for each unit of translation. Translation should convey the information from the source language into the target language properly and accurately. According to http://www.jostrans.org/issue11/art_fiederer_obrien.pdf accuracy refers to the extent to which the translated text contains the “same” information as the original. Shuttleworth and Cowie state as follows:
Accuracy is a term used in translation evaluation to refer to the extent to which a translation matches its original. While it is usually refers to preservation of the information content of ST in TT, with an accurate translation being generally literal rather than free, its actual meaning in the content of a given translation must depend on the type of equivalence (1997: 3)
While Baker states “Accuracy is no doubt an important aim in translation, but it is also important to bear in mind that the use of common target-language patterns which are familiar to the target reader plays an important role in keeping the communication channels open” (1992: 57). The capability of the translator to choose the correct words is needed to build an accurate translation.
2. Acceptability Translation product should be natural in order to make it acceptable in
target language system. Shuttleworth and Cowie (2007: 17) state “Translation which lean towards acceptability can thus be thought of as fulfilling the requirement of ‘reading as an original’ written in the target language rather than that of ‘reading as the original’, and consequently generally have a more natural ‘feel’”.
According to the statement above, it can be concluded that the level of acceptability of translation product can be determined if it fulfills the requirement of ‘reading as an original’.
3. Readability The readability level of translation sometimes betrays the content of the text. Therefore, the translator must be aware in doing translation. Nababan (1999:
84) states about readability of translation product, “Sebuah karya terjemahan kadang kala mirip dengan buah jambu di musim hujan yang kulitnya mulus tanpa 84) states about readability of translation product, “Sebuah karya terjemahan kadang kala mirip dengan buah jambu di musim hujan yang kulitnya mulus tanpa
Based on the statement above, we can conclude that level of readability of
a translation can be seen through the comprehension level of target text when it is read by the readers.
F. Definition of Swearing
The Oxford English Dictionary defines swearing as follows: “To utter a form of oath lightly or irreverently, as mere intensive, or an expression of anger, vexation or other strong feeling…to utter a profane oath, or use profane language habitually; more widely, to use bad language” (OED XVII:367). According to Eckert and McConnel “Swearing is widely considered an expression of very strong emotion: anger at specific others or simply deep frustration, often manifest as anger directed at the closest available target. It is viewed as potent language and can indeed sometimes achieve impressive effect” (2003: 181). While Anderson and Trudgill states “Swearing can be defined as a type of language use in which the expression (a) refers to something that is taboo and/or stigmatized in the culture; (b) should not be interpreted literally; (c) can be used to express strong emotions and attitudes” (1990: 53).
In http://www.gusworld.com.au/nrc/thesis/ch-1.htm another definition of swearing is proposed by Anna Wierzbicka in her English Speech Act Verbs: A Semantic Dictionary, utilizing the NSM methodology which will also be used in the present study:
(1) swearing (a) I'm thinking about X (b) I feel something bad because of that (c) I want to say something bad because of that (d) I want to say some words because of that that people think one should not say (e) I say: [#@!?*!] (f) I imagine that by saying these words I could cause something bad to happen to
something (g) I imagine that by saying these words I could cause myself to feel better (h) I say this because I want to show what I feel
(Wierzbicka 1987:252-253) The statements above show that swearing is a deliberately “bad” act designed for emotional expression. It explicitly acknowledges the importance of the speaker’s attitude and the fact that particular words will be used in such context.
Based on Echols and Shadily, the word ‘swearing’ or ‘cursing’ means mengutuk or memaki (1988: 160). According KBBI (2007: 620) kutuk means n 1 doa atau kata-kata yang dapat mengakibatkan kesusahan atau bencana kepada seseorang; 2 kesusahan atau bencana yang menimpa seseorang disebabkan doa atau kata-kata yang di ucapkan orang lain; laknat; sumpah; mengutuk means v 1 mengatakan (mengenakan) kutuk kepada; menyumpahi; melaknati; 2 menyatakan dan memetapkan salah (buruk) (ibid). While maki means v cak mengeluarkan kata-kata (ucapan) keji (kotor, kasar, dsb) sebagai pelampiasan kemarahan atau rasa jengkel dsb; memaki means v 1 mengucapkan kata-kata keji, tidak pantas, Based on Echols and Shadily, the word ‘swearing’ or ‘cursing’ means mengutuk or memaki (1988: 160). According KBBI (2007: 620) kutuk means n 1 doa atau kata-kata yang dapat mengakibatkan kesusahan atau bencana kepada seseorang; 2 kesusahan atau bencana yang menimpa seseorang disebabkan doa atau kata-kata yang di ucapkan orang lain; laknat; sumpah; mengutuk means v 1 mengatakan (mengenakan) kutuk kepada; menyumpahi; melaknati; 2 menyatakan dan memetapkan salah (buruk) (ibid). While maki means v cak mengeluarkan kata-kata (ucapan) keji (kotor, kasar, dsb) sebagai pelampiasan kemarahan atau rasa jengkel dsb; memaki means v 1 mengucapkan kata-kata keji, tidak pantas,
1. mengeluarkan umpat(an); memburuk-burukan orang; mengeluarkan kata-kata keji (kotor) karena marah (jengkel, kecewa, dsb); 2. mencerca; mencela keras; 3. memaki-maki; mengutuk orang karena merasa diperlakukan kurang baik. (2002: 1244).
Wijana and Rohmadi (2006: 125) state as follows: Guna menjalankan fungsinya sebagai wahana pengungkap perasaan,
bahasa memerlukan berbagai sarana. Bentuk- bentuk makian adalah sarana kebahasaan yang dibutuhkan oleh para penutur untuk mengekspresikan ketidaksenangan dan mereaksi berbagai fenomena yang menimbulkan perasaan seperti tiu. Dalam hal ini sekurang-kurangnya ada lima buah substansi yang sering dijadikan sasaran makian, yakni kebodohan (1), keabnormalan (2), sesuatu yang terkutuk atau dilarang agama (3), ketidakberuntungan (4), sesuatu yang menjijikkan (5), dan sesuatu yang menganggu hidup manusia dalam arti yang seluas-luasnya (6).
While according to http://edukasi.kompasiana.com/2010/01/23/umpatan- kompasioner-yang-marah/ swearing words are the evidence of language universality
Umpatan barangkali juga merupakan bukti universalitas bahasa. Semua bahasa pasti mengandung kata umpatan apapun bentuknya. Dalam bahasa Indonesia umpatan yang kita jumpai biasanya berupa nama binatang, bagian tubuh manusia, atau sesuatu yang dianggap kotor atau menjijikan.
From several definitions above, it can be concluded that swearing is language which can be used to express strong emotions (anger at specific others or simply deep frustration, often manifest as anger directed at the closest available target) but does not always relate to emotional feelings.
G. Swearing Word
Swearing words regarded as bad words. There is an opinion that these words are not appropriate to use in front of the public. However, in a certain community, swearing words are used in social interactions.