Analysis on the translation of idiomatic expressions in the subtitle of Yes Man based on Baker`s strategies.

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

ABSTRACT
Sulistyaningrum, Rahajeng. 2013. Analysis on the Translation of Idiomatic
Expressions in the Subtitle of Yes Man Based on Baker’s Strategies. Yogyakarta:
English Language Education Study Program, Sanata Dharma University.

English has many idiomatic expressions. The meanings of idiomatic
expressions cannot be derived from the words that make them up. Therefore, they pose
problems in the translation process. The problems in a translation process can
influence the translation product. The usages of idiomatic expressions and their
translations can be found in movie dialogue.
This study answers two main problems. The first one is what types of idiomatic
expressions used in Yes Man. The second one is how the idiomatic expressions are
translated into Indonesian. The researcher as a human instrument functions as the
primary agent to collect data. The second instrument is document instruments which
are the script of Yes Man’s English subtitle and original VCD of Yes Man with the
Indonesian subtitle.
This research is a descriptive-qualitative research. To answer the first problem,
the idiomatic expressions which have been identified are classified based on Hocket’s
theory of idiom (1958). To answer the second problem, the translations of idiomatic

expressions are analyzed based on Baker’s theory of strategies in translating idioms
(1992). Then, the translations are evaluated based on an ideal translation proposed by
Larson (1984).
Based on the result of the research, some conclusions are drawn. To answer the
first problem, English phrasal compound, which is one of the types of idiomatic
expressions, is mostly used by the characters in Yes Man. Slang is ranked second and
figures of speech is on the last position. To answer the second problem, paraphrase
strategy gets 86.5%. Omission ranked the second. Then using an idiomatic expression
of similar meaning and form is on the third position and unfortunately using an
idiomatic expression of similar meaning but dissimilar form is not found. The finding
also shows that 95% of the translation is acceptable.
Keywords: translation, idiomatic expressions, Yes Man, Baker’s strategies

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ABSTRAK
Sulistyaningrum, Rahajeng. 2013. Analysis on the Translation of Idiomatic
Expressions in the Subtitle of Yes Man Based on Baker’s Strategies. Yogyakarta:

Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Bahasa Inggris memiliki banyak ungkapan. Arti dari ungkapan tidak dapat
dimaknai dari kata-kata yang membentuk ungkapan tersebut. Hal ini menimbulkan
beberapa masalah dalam proses terjemahan. Masalah yang timbul dalam proses
terjemahan dapat mempengaruhi produk terjemahan. Penggunaan ungkapan beserta
terjemahannya dapat ditemukan dalam dialog film.
Studi ini terdiri dari dua rumusan masalah. Yang pertama adalah tipe ungkapan
yang digunakan dalam film Yes Man dan yang kedua adalah bagaimana ungkapan
tersebut diterjemahkan ke dalam Bahasa Indonesia. Peneliti bertindak sebagai
intrumen pertama dalam pengumpulan data. Dokumen kedua merupakan skrip subtitle
asli dari Yes Man dan VCD Yes man asli beserta subtitle berbahasa Indonesianya.
Penelitian ini merupakan riset kualitatif-deskriptif. Untuk menjawab rumusan
masalah pertama, ungkapan yang telah diidentifikasi diklasifikasikan berdasarkan teori
Hocket tentang ungkapan (1958). Untuk menjawab rumusan masalah kedua, ungkapan
yang sudah diterjemahkan dianalisis berdasarkan teori Baker mengenai strategi dalam
menerjemahkan ungkapan (1992). Kemudian terjemahan tersebut dievaluasi
berdasarkan teori terjemahan ideal yang dikemukakan Larson (1984).
Berdasarkan hasil penelitian, beberapa kesimpulan dapat ditarik. Berdasarkan
rumusan masalah pertama, kata majemuk yang merupakan salah satu tipe ungkapan
paling banyak digunakan oleh karakter di Yes Man. Sementara itu, bahasa pergaulan

menduduki peringkat kedua dan majas berada dalam posisi terbawah. Berdasarkan
rumusan masalah kedua, strategi parafrasa mendapat 86,5%. penghilangan menduduki
peringkat kedua. Kemudian penggunaan ungkapan yang memiliki arti dan bentuk yang
serupa berada pada posisi ketiga dan penggunaan ungkapan yang memiliki arti serupa
tetapi berbeda bentuk tidak ditemukan. Hasil diskusi menunjukkan bahwa 95%
terjemahan sudah memenuhi syarat berterima.
Kata Kunci: translation, idiomatic expressions, Yes Man, Baker’s strategies

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ANALYSIS ON THE TRANSLATION
OF IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS IN THE SUBTITLE
OFYES MANBASED ON BAKER’S STRATEGIES

A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
to Obtain the SarjanaPendidikan Degree
in English Language Education

By
Rahajeng Sulistyaningrum
Student Number: 081214106

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION
FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2013

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

ANALYSIS ON THE TRANSLATION
OF IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS IN THE SUBTITLE
OFYES MANBASED ON BAKER’S STRATEGIES

A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

to Obtain the SarjanaPendidikan Degree
in English Language Education

By
Rahajeng Sulistyaningrum
Student Number: 081214106

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION
FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2013

i

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

ii

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

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PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY
I honestly declare that this thesis, which I have written, does not contain the work or
parts of the work of other people, except those cited in the quotations and the
references, as a scientific paper should.

Yogyakarta, 5 February 2013
The Writer

Rahajeng Sulistyaningrum
081214106

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PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN
PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS
Yang bertandatangan di bawahini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma:
Nama

: Rahajeng Sulistyaningrum

Nomor Mahasiswa

: 081214106

Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan
Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:
ANALYSIS ON THE TRANSLATIONOF IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS IN
THE SUBTITLE OF YES MAN BASED ON BAKER’S STRATEGIES
Beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan
kepada Perpustakaan Univeristas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan
dalam

bentuk

media

lain,

mengelolanya

dalam

bentuk

pangkalan

data,

mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di Internet atau media lain
untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan
royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya.

Dibuat di Yogyakarta
Pada tanggal: 5 Februari 2013
Yang menyatakan

Rahajeng Sulistyaningrum

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PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

ABSTRACT
Sulistyaningrum, Rahajeng. 2013. Analysis on the Translation of Idiomatic
Expressions in the Subtitle of Yes Man Based on Baker’s Strategies. Yogyakarta:
English Language Education Study Program, Sanata Dharma University.

English has many idiomatic expressions. The meanings of idiomatic
expressions cannot be derived from the words that make them up. Therefore, they pose
problems in the translation process. The problems in a translation process can
influence the translation product. The usages of idiomatic expressions and their
translations can be found in movie dialogue.

This study answers two main problems. The first one is what types of idiomatic
expressions used in Yes Man. The second one is how the idiomatic expressions are
translated into Indonesian. The researcher as a human instrument functions as the
primary agent to collect data. The second instrument is document instruments which
are the script of Yes Man’s English subtitle and original VCD of Yes Man with the
Indonesian subtitle.
This research is a descriptive-qualitative research. To answer the first problem,
the idiomatic expressions which have been identified are classified based on Hocket’s
theory of idiom (1958). To answer the second problem, the translations of idiomatic
expressions are analyzed based on Baker’s theory of strategies in translating idioms
(1992). Then, the translations are evaluated based on an ideal translation proposed by
Larson (1984).
Based on the result of the research, some conclusions are drawn. To answer the
first problem, English phrasal compound, which is one of the types of idiomatic
expressions, is mostly used by the characters in Yes Man. Slang is ranked second and
figures of speech is on the last position. To answer the second problem, paraphrase
strategy gets 86.5%. Omission ranked the second. Then using an idiomatic expression
of similar meaning and form is on the third position and unfortunately using an
idiomatic expression of similar meaning but dissimilar form is not found. The finding
also shows that 95% of the translation is acceptable.

Keywords: translation, idiomatic expressions, Yes Man, Baker’s strategies

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PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

ABSTRAK
Sulistyaningrum, Rahajeng. 2013. Analysis on the Translation of Idiomatic
Expressions in the Subtitle of Yes Man Based on Baker’s Strategies. Yogyakarta:
Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Bahasa Inggris memiliki banyak ungkapan. Arti dari ungkapan tidak dapat
dimaknai dari kata-kata yang membentuk ungkapan tersebut. Hal ini menimbulkan
beberapa masalah dalam proses terjemahan. Masalah yang timbul dalam proses
terjemahan dapat mempengaruhi produk terjemahan. Penggunaan ungkapan beserta
terjemahannya dapat ditemukan dalam dialog film.
Studi ini terdiri dari dua rumusan masalah. Yang pertama adalah tipe ungkapan
yang digunakan dalam film Yes Man dan yang kedua adalah bagaimana ungkapan
tersebut diterjemahkan ke dalam Bahasa Indonesia. Peneliti bertindak sebagai
intrumen pertama dalam pengumpulan data. Dokumen kedua merupakan skrip subtitle
asli dari Yes Man dan VCD Yes man asli beserta subtitle berbahasa Indonesianya.
Penelitian ini merupakan riset kualitatif-deskriptif. Untuk menjawab rumusan
masalah pertama, ungkapan yang telah diidentifikasi diklasifikasikan berdasarkan teori
Hocket tentang ungkapan (1958). Untuk menjawab rumusan masalah kedua, ungkapan
yang sudah diterjemahkan dianalisis berdasarkan teori Baker mengenai strategi dalam
menerjemahkan ungkapan (1992). Kemudian terjemahan tersebut dievaluasi
berdasarkan teori terjemahan ideal yang dikemukakan Larson (1984).
Berdasarkan hasil penelitian, beberapa kesimpulan dapat ditarik. Berdasarkan
rumusan masalah pertama, kata majemuk yang merupakan salah satu tipe ungkapan
paling banyak digunakan oleh karakter di Yes Man. Sementara itu, bahasa pergaulan
menduduki peringkat kedua dan majas berada dalam posisi terbawah. Berdasarkan
rumusan masalah kedua, strategi parafrasa mendapat 86,5%. penghilangan menduduki
peringkat kedua. Kemudian penggunaan ungkapan yang memiliki arti dan bentuk yang
serupa berada pada posisi ketiga dan penggunaan ungkapan yang memiliki arti serupa
tetapi berbeda bentuk tidak ditemukan. Hasil diskusi menunjukkan bahwa 95%
terjemahan sudah memenuhi syarat berterima.
Kata Kunci: translation, idiomatic expressions, Yes Man, Baker’s strategies

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The completion of this thesis has been made possible by the support of my
advisor, lecturers, family, and friends. Firstly, I would like to send my genuine
gratitude to my advisor, Carla Sih Prabandari, S.Pd., M.Hum., for her guidance,
constructive feedback, helpful suggestions, encouragement during the process of
writing this thesis.
My special gratitude also goes to Sulistyo Hartanto, Enna Septikawati
Tarigan, Abimata Putra Sulistyo, and Sekar Arum Sulistya Putri for their love,
attention, and financial support. My gratitude and appreciation are also addressed to
Kak Eka for giving me inspiration to choose the movie that I will analyze.
My special thanks go to Melky Marsiano for his willingness to accompany me
in the process of finishing my thesis with his great patience and love. I also deliver my
best thanks to all my friends of English Language Education Study Program, the Last
Leaf-ers and Profectus-ers and my classmates for years, Kang Yoko, Seto, Grace,
Jeni, Heny, Leo, Sherly for the sharing and friendship.

Rahajeng Sulistyaningrum

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page

TITLE PAGE …………………………………………………………………………. i
PAGE OF APROVAL ……………………………………………………..…………. ii
PAGE OF ACCEPTANCE ………………………………………………….………. iii
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ……………………………………… iv
PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI ……………………………….………. v
ABSTRACT …………………………………………………………………………. vi
ABSTRAK ……………………………………………………………………...……. vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ……………………………………………………..……viii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ………………………………………………………..……ix
LIST OF FIGURES ……………………………………………………………...….. xi
LIST OF TABLES ………………………………………………………………..... xiii
LIST OF APPENDICES …………………………………………………………… xiv
CHAPTER I. INRODUCTION ……………………………………………………..... 1
A. Research Background …………………………………………………………….. 1
B. Research Problem ……………………………………………………………........ 5
C. Problem Limitation ……………………………………………………………….. 5
D. Research Objectives ……………………………………………………………… 6
E. Research Benefits ………………………………………………………………… 6
F. Definition of Terms ………………………………………………………………. 6
CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE…………………………….. 9
A. Theoretical Description …………………………………………………………... 9
1. Theory of Translation …………………………………………………………….. 9
a. Definition of Translation …………………………………………………………. 9
b. Translation Method ……………………………………………………………… 11
c. The Criteria of Good Translation ……………………………………………….. 13
d. The Strategies of Translating Idiomatic Expressions …………………………….13

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2. Theory of Idioms ………………………………………………………………... 14
a. Definition of Idioms ……………………………………………………………...14
b. Characteristics of Idioms ……………………………………………………….. 15
c. Types of Idioms ………………………………………………………………..... 15
3. Theoretical Framework …………………………………………………………. 25
CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY …………………………………………………. 26
A. Research Method ………………………………………………………………... 26
B. Research Subject ………………………………………………………………… 27
C. Research Instrument and Data Gathering Technique ……………………………. 28
D. Data Analysis Technique ………………………………………………………… 29
E. Research Procedure …………………………………………………………......... 30
CHAPTER IV. RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ……………………. 33
A. Types of Idiomatic Expressions Used in Yes Man ………………………………. 33
B. How the Idiomatic Expressions are Translated into Indonesian …………………. 47
CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND
IMPLICATIONS ……………………………………………..……………………... 57
A. Conclusions ……………………………………………………………………... 57
B. Recommendations ………………………………………………………………. 58
C. Implications ……………………………………………..………………………. 59
REFERENCES ……………………………………………………………………… 61
APPENDICES ………………………………………………………………………. 65

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figures

Page

Figure 2.1 The Diagram V of Newmark …………………………………………….. 11
Figure 2.2 The Types of Idioms Based on Hockett’s Theory ……………………… 15
Figure 2.3 The Structures of Compound Nouns …………………………………….. 19
Figure 2.4 The Structures of Compound Adjectives ………………………………... 19
Figure 4.1 Compound Nouns Found in the Subtitle Excerpt ………...……………... 35
Figure 4.2 Compound Verbs Found in the Subtitle Excerpt (1) ………….………….36
Figure 4.3 Compound Verbs Found in the Subtitle Excerpt (2) …………………..….37
Figure 4.4 Compound Verbs Found in the Subtitle Excerpt (3) …………………..….38
Figure 4.5 Compound Verbs Found in the Subtitle Excerpt (4) ………………..…….38
Figure 4.6 Compound Verbs Found in the Subtitle Excerpt (5) ………………..…….39
Figure 4.7 Compound Verbs Found in the Subtitle Excerpt (6) ………………..…….39
Figure 4.8 Compound Verbs Found in the Subtitle Excerpt (7) ………………..…….40
Figure 4.9 Compound Verbs Found in the Subtitle Excerpt (8) ………………..…….40
Figure 4.10 Hyperbole Found in the Subtitle Excerpt……..…………………….........42
Figure 4.11 Personification Found in the Subtitle Excerpt …………..……….……...43
Figure 4.12 Simile Found in the Subtitle Excerpt ………..………………….……….43
Figure 4.13 Litotes Found in the Subtitle Excerpt……….……………………………44
Figure 4.14 Slang Found in the Subtitle Excerpt (1)………………………………….45
Figure 4.15 Slang Found in the Subtitle Excerpt (2)…………..………………..…….46
Figure 4.16 Slang Found in the Subtitle Excerpt (3).……………..……………...…...46
Figure 4.17 Slang Found in the Subtitle Excerpt (4) ……….………………………...47
Figure 4.18 Paraphrase in the Translation of Compound Noun…………………...… 50
Figure 4.19 Paraphrase in the Translation of Compound Verbs ..………………..…. 50
Figure 4.20 Paraphrase in the Translation of Hyperbole . …………………...……… 51
Figure 4.21 Paraphrase in the Translation of Litotes . ………………………...…...... 51
Figure 4.22 Paraphrase in the Translation of Slang . …………………………...…… 52
Figure 4.23 Translating Hyperbole by Using an Idiomatic Expression
of Similar Meaning and Form . …………………………………………………...….53
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Figure 4.24 Translating Slang by Omission (1) ………………………………...…....54
Figure 4.25 Translating Slang by Omission (2) ………………………………...…... 54
Figure 4.26 Unacceptable Translation of Compound Verbs ………………………... 55
Figure 4.27 Unacceptable Translation of Personification …………………………... 55

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LIST OF TABLES
Tables

Page

Table 2.1 The Structures of Phrasal Verbs ………………………………………….. 20
Table 4.1 Types of Idiomatic Expressions ………………………………………….. 33
Table 4.2 Classifications of English Phrasal Compound ………………….………... 34
Table 4.3 List of Compound Verbs ………………………………..………...……… 36
Table 4.4 Classifications of Figures of Speech …………………………...………… 41
Table 4.5 List of Idiomatic Expressions Classified as Figures of Speech …………... 42
Table 4.6 Characteristics of Slang …………………………...……………………… 45
Table 4.7 Strategies of Translating Idiomatic Expressions …………………………. 48
Table 4.8 Acceptability of Indonesian Subtitle ……………………….…………….. 49

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LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix A
Classifying the Types of Idiomatic Expression……………………….….………….. 66
Appendix B
The Finding of English Phrasal Compound ……………………….…….………….. 73
Appendix C
The List of Slang ……………………….………………………………………..….. 75
Appendix D
The Analysis of Strategies in Translating Idiomatic Expression ……………..…...... 76
Appendix E
The English Subtitle of Yes Man ……………..….....……………..…......……...…. ..81

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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

This chapter consists of six parts. First the background of the study gives an
overview of the basic reasons to conduct the study. The second part is problem
limitation. The third part is research problem which states the problem of the study
discussed. The fourth part is research objective stating objective that want to be
achieved. The fifth part is benefits of the study stating advantages of the study. The
last part discusses the definition of terms.
A. Research Background
It is well-known that a translation poses some problems to translators. Nord
(2005) states four problems which usually occur in a translation process. There are
pragmatic, linguistic, cultural and text-specific problems. It is quite difficult to
solve the problems, especially in cultural problems. Cultural problems refer to the
differences of habits and conventions in the cultures involved (Nord, 2005). It is
possible if the target language’s style cannot accept the source language’s style.
Therefore, the message of the text is difficult to transfer. This case can happen in
translating jokes and idioms.
Since a translation has problems which are quite difficult to solve,
translators need skills and knowledge to make a good translation. According to
Basnett-McGuire (1980) as cited in Suryawinata (2003), a good translation is
translating the idea of the original text, not translating word by word or sentence by
sentence. There is an example given by Suryawinata (2003) to explain Basnett and
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2

McGuire’s statement. Suryawinata (2003) describes a situation where a husband is
complaining to his wife. Then the wife says, “John, please” to defuse her husband’s
anger. The word “please” can be translated into silahkan in Indonesian. However, it
will not very relevant if “John, please” is translated into John, silahkan in
Indonesian. It will be better if “John, please” is translated into John, sudahlah.
Beloc (1980) states that a translation has to make a spirit of the original text
becomes alive in the target language. Roca-Pons (1982: 404-405) as cited in
Suryawinata (2003) also points out that “a good translation consists of expressing,
according to the requirements and use of a second language, what has been uttered
or written in a source language”.
This study focuses on the translation of idiomatic expressions. English has
many idiomatic expressions. The term “idiomatic” refers to “the use of expressions
that mean something different from the literal meanings of the words making up the
respective expressions” (Lombardo, Haaman, Morley & Taylor, 1999: 298). It can
be concluded that the strings of the words in idiomatic expressions form meanings
which have no relation with the words themselves. Seidl and McMordie (1980) also
say that the way in which the words are put in idiomatic expressions is often odd,
illogical or even grammatically incorrect. However, other idiomatic expressions are
logical in their grammar and vocabulary. The example which is taken from Yes
Man is “I can’t put my finger on you”. The meaning of “I can’t put my finger on
you” is disability to understand someone or something. That idiomatic expression
is grammatically correct and logical but the meaning has no relation with the words
that make it up. Another example also taken from Yes Man is “blowing your mind”.

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The meaning of that idiomatic expression is making an extremely strong
impression on somebody.
Idiomatic expressions can be used in formal or informal situations (Seidl &
McMordie, 1980). Idiomatic expressions do not only appear in daily conversations
but also in literatures. In formal situations, idiomatic expressions can be found in
lectures, academic essays, and business reports. For example, “it is hoped the
regulation will open the door to better management” which can be used in formal
situations. The meaning of idiomatic expression “open the door to” is letting
something new start.
Idiomatic expressions are used in formal or informal situations to make
people sound natural and fluent. MacCarthy and O’Dell (2010) state that idiomatic
expressions are used for emphasizing, commenting on people or situations, making
an anecdote more interesting, and catching the reader’s eye.
Since the meanings of idiomatic expressions cannot be inferred from the
meanings of words that make them up, it is quite difficult to translate idiomatic
expressions. Baker (1992: 65-69) also states that translating idiomatic expressions
is difficult. The first difficulty is to recognize the idiomatic expressions. The
difficulty in recognizing idiomatic expressions can occur when the idiomatic
expression offers a reasonable literal interpretation, for example, “I can’t put my
finger on you”. It is possible that someone cannot put his/her finger on somebody
else. Therefore, the reader may not recognize the idiomatic expression. The second
problem is that an idiomatic expression has no equivalent in the target language.
The example of this problem is given by Nida (1992) that is the translation of
“Lamb of God” into Eskimo language. As a matter of fact, the Eskimo culture does

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4

not know lamb because there is no lamb in Eskimo. Thus the word will not
symbolize anything. Therefore, instead of “Lamb of God”, “Seal of God” is used to
transfer the message. The third problem is that an idiomatic expression has similar
form in the target language but different meaning. For example, “to feel blue” in
the English idiomatic expression. The meaning of that idiomatic expression is
feeling sad. If that idiomatic expression is translated word for word into German or
Russian, it will have a different meaning. “To feel blue” in German means to be
drunk. Then, in Russian, “blue” means to be homosexual.
Since translating idiomatic expressions is quite difficult, it gives a more
challenge to do it. It is important to know the meanings of idiomatic expressions in
a target language. Translating idiomatic expressions can be a vehicle for English
learners to master English. By translating English idiomatic expressions, English
learners can be familiar with the idiomatic expressions and their meaning. Genzel
(1991) as cited in Jedlickova (2007) says that it is impossible to be proficient in
English without knowing idioms and expressions. The understanding of idiomatic
expressions can help English learners to get the meaning of English sentences.
Idiomatic expressions can be found in movies, music, novels, or
newspapers. The translation of idiomatic expressions in a movie becomes the focus
in this study. A movie is chosen because the dialogues in movie are conversational.
Therefore, idiomatic expressions which are usually used by native speakers in daily
conversations can be found. Dries (1995) as cited in Szarkowska (2005) says that
the translation of dialogues in movie is called subtitles. Thus, this study will
categorize the idiomatic expressions in movie subtitles.

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5

In this study, the writer is going to categorize the idiomatic expressions
used in Yes Man and evaluate the quality of the translation of idiomatic expressions
in the subtitles. Yes Man tells about a man who decides to spice up his life by
saying “yes” to everything that he would normally say “no”. Yes Man is chosen to
be analyzed because many idiomatic expressions are used in that movie. Therefore,
this movie provides a lot of data to study.
The writer would like to analyze the subtitles of idiomatic expressions and
evaluate the quality of the translation of movie because the writer has seen some
inappropriate subtitles of the idiomatic expressions. Some translators translate the
idiomatic expressions literally or just omit them, which influences the meaning. By
categorizing and evaluating the idiomatic expressions in movie subtitles, the writer
would like to find the best strategy in translating idiomatic expressions.

B. Research Problem
Based on the background, the writer formulates the following questions:
1. What types of idiomatic expressions are used in the subtitle of Yes Man?
2. How are the idiomatic expressions translated into Indonesian?

C. Problem Limitation
This study focuses on categorizing the idiomatic expressions which includes
English phrasal compound, figures of speech, and slang and evaluating the quality
of the Indonesian translation. The translation is analyzed using Baker’s strategies.
The data are taken from the subtitles of Yes Man.

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D. Research Objectives
The objectives of the research are as follows:
1. To categorize the types of idiomatic expressions used in the subtitle of Yes Man.
2. To evaluate how the idiomatic expressions are translated into Indonesian.

E. Research Benefits
The writer expects this research to give contributions to academic and
practical fields:
1. To academic benefit, this research can be used as an academic reference by other
researchers to conduct further research dealing with idiomatic expressions and
the strategies in translating idiomatic expressions.
2. To practical benefits:
a. The students are able to study and use idiomatic expressions.
b. The teachers are able to study and teach idiomatic expressions.
c. The translators are able to use the strategies in translating idiomatic
expressions to make better translations.

F. Definition of Terms
In this study, there are four important terms. These terms build up the
organization of the topic and they are the key words on directing the purpose of this
research. They are translation, idiomatic expressions, Yes Man, and Baker’s
strategies.

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1. Translation
The term “translation” implies the process of transferring a message of two
different languages (Newmark, 1984). A translation includes subtitling, dubbing,
and interpreting. The product of subtitling is subtitles. Subtitles can be defined as
“transcription of film or TV dialogue, presented simultaneously on the screen”
(Baker, 1998: 244). In this study, a translation refers to an interlingual subtitle. An
interlingual subtitle translates one language into another language, and from a
spoken dialogue into a written (Dries, 1995).
2. Idiomatic expressions
Poole (1999) says that idiomatic expressions are phrases that have a
different meaning with the words’ individual meaning. In this study, idiomatic
expressions refer to three types of idiomatic expressions proposed by Hocket
(1958). The three types of idiomatic expressions are:
a. English phrasal compound: a form that combines adjectives, nouns, or verbs.
b. Figures of speech: the meaning of the word has a “deep meaning” which is
different from the “surface meaning”.
c. Slang: the use of informal words and expressions to describe an object or a
condition.
3. Yes Man
Yes Man is a 2008 comedy film directed by Peyton Reed. The script is
written by Nicholas Stoller, Jarrad Paul, and Andrew Mogel. The film is based on
the 2005 book Yes Man by Danny Wallace. This movie lasts for 104 minutes. The
official Indonesian subtitle can be downloaded at http://subscene.com/indonesian/

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yes-man/subtitle-471136.aspx. The translator of the official Indonesian subtitles is
Sukair.
4. Baker’s Strategies
The translation of idiomatic expressions into another language depends on
many factors. In this study, the data will be analyzed based on Baker’s theory of
strategies in translating idioms. Baker (1992: 72) presents four strategies in
translating idioms. The strategies are “using an idiom of similar meaning and
form”, “using an idiom of similar meaning but dissimilar form”, “translation by
paraphrase”, and “translation by omission”.

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CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
The aim of this chapter is to provide the theoretical description and
theoretical framework. The chapter organizes the review which is started on
clarifying the definition of the translation. This chapter also discusses the theory of
idioms related to the research problem.
A. Theoretical Description
1. Theory of Translation
a. Definition of Translation
According to Souter as cited in Nida (1964: 164), “Our ideal translation is
to produce on the minds of our readers as nearly as possible the same effect as was
produced by the original on its reader.” In order to reinforce a clear understanding
of a translation, there are some translation definitions from some experts as follow:
Newmark (1988: 7) defines translation as “an attempt to replace a written
message and/or statement in one language by the same message and/or statement in
another.” It indicates that the translation outcome in the target language has to carry
the same meaning in the source language. In another book, he defines a translation
as “transferring the essential meaning of a written text into another language in the
way that the author intended the text” (Newmark, 1984: 5).
Pinhhuck as cited in Hariyanto (2009) defines that a translation is a process
of finding a target language equivalent to a source language utterance. Munday

9

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10

(2006: 5) states that a translation is “a process of changing on an original written
text (source text) in the original verbal language (source language) into a written
text (target text) in a different verbal language (target language).” Hatim and
Mason (1990) as cited in Chan (2003) argue that “a translation involves the
negotiation of meaning between the producer of the source language text and the
reader of the target language text.” From the definitions of translation, it can be
concluded that a translation is an attempt of transferring an idea in a form written
text from a certain language into another language.
The examples of translation are subtitling, dubbing, and interpreting:
1) Subtitling
The product of subtitling is subtitles. Subtitles can be defined as
“transcriptions of film or TV dialogue, presented simultaneously on the

screen”

(Baker, 1998: 244). The types of subtitling can be divided into two categories.
They are an intralingual and an interlingual subtitling. Dries (1995) states that an
intralingual subtitling deals with the production of the same language as the
original and is used for the deaf or hard of hearings and language learners. On the
other hand, an interlingual subtitling translates one language into another language,
and from a spoken dialogue into a written. Therefore, for the purpose of the study,
the term subtitle in this study refers to an interlingual subtitling.
2) Dubbing
Dubbing is different from subtitling. If in subtitling, the product is a written
translation but the product of dubbing is an oral translation. Since the product is an
oral translation, there are some factors which are needed to be considered such as
lip kinetics and intonations (Orero, 2004).

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3) Interpreting
On the surface, the difference between a translation and an interpreting is
placed in the medium. What is translated in an interpreting is an oral text. Gile
(1995) presents three types of interpreting. They are consecutive, whispering, and
simultaneous interpreting. In a consecutive interpreting, the speaker pauses from
time to time to allow the interpreter to speak. On the other hand, a whispering
interpreting keeps the speaker speaking while the interpreter follows it. Then in a
simultaneous interpreting, the interpreter sits in a booth wearing a pair of
headphones and speaks into a microphone. The interpreter has to interpret the
sentence into the target language while listening to and comprehending the next
sentences.

b. Translation Method
Larson (1984) proposes two kinds of translations. They are form-based
translation and meaning-based translation. A form-based translation follows the
form of a source language and is known as a literal translation. A meaning-based
translation communicates the meaning of the source language text in the natural
forms of the target language.
According to Newmark (1988: 45), there are six methods of translation as
shown in diagram V:
SL emphasis
Literal translation
Faithful translation
Semantic translation

TL emphasis
free translation
Idiomatic translation
Communicative translation

Figure 2.1. The Diagram V of Newmark

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The definition of those methods is presented below:
1) Literal Translation
This method converts the source language grammatical construction to their
nearest target language equivalents, for example, “what is your name?” which is
translated into apa namamu?.
2) Faithful Translation
It attempts to reproduce the precise contextual meaning of the original
within the constraints of the target language grammatical structure. For example,
“he got a cold and asked for massage” is translated into ia masuk angin dan minta
dikeroki.
3) Semantic Translation
This kind of method is usually used in translating religious texts, legal texts,
and literatures. For example, “keep off the grass” is translated into jangan injak
rumput itu.
4) Free Translation
A free translation reproduces the matter without the manner, without the
form of the original.
5) Idiomatic Translation
An idiomatic translation reproduces the message of the original. For
example, “what is your name?” is translated into siapa namamu?.
6) Communicative Translation
A communicative translation attempts to render the exact contextual
meaning of the original in such a way that both content and language are readily

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acceptable and comprehensible to the readership. For example, “keep off the grass”
is translated into dilarang menginjak rumput.

c. The Criteria of Good Translation
According to Larson (1984: 485), the success of the translation depends on
how close it is to the ideal translation. The ideal translation will be accurate as to
meaning and natural as to language form used. The following are characteristics of
an ideal translation:
1) Accurate : reproducing as exactly as possible the meaning of the source text.
2) Natural : using natural forms of the receptor language in a way that appropriate
to the kind of text being translated.
3) Clear

: expressing all aspects of the meaning in a way that is readily
understandable to the intended audience.

d. The Strategies of translating idiomatic expressions
According to Baker, “the way in which idiomatic expressions can be
translated into another language depends on many factors” (1992: 72). Baker
(1992: 72) gives four strategies to translate idiomatic expressions. The first strategy
“is using an idiom of similar meaning and form”. This strategy conveys roughly the
same meaning as the source language idiom. For example, “step by step” can be
translated into selangkah demi selangkah in Indonesian.
The second strategy is “using an idiom of similar meaning but dissimilar
form”. It is possible to find an idiom or a fixed expression in the target language
which has a meaning similar to that of the source idiom or expression, but which

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consists of different lexical items. For example, “no rose without thorn” can be
translated into tiada gading yang tak retak and “to cherish a viper in one's bosom”
can be translated into air susu dibalas air tuba.
The third strategy is “translation by paraphrase”. This is the most common
way of translating idioms when an equivalent cannot be found in the target
language or when it seems inappropriate to use an idiomatic language in the target
text because of differences in the stylistic preferences of the source and target
languages. For example, “piece of cake” which can be translated into sangat
mudah.
The fourth strategy is “translation by omission”. An idiom sometimes is
omitted altogether in the target text. It can happen because it has no close
equivalent in the target language, its meaning cannot be easily paraphrased, or for
stylistic reasons.
2. Theory of Idioms
a. Definition of idioms
There are various definitions of idioms. However, all of them share
common features. As stated by Cooper (1999: 233), “an idiom is an expression
whose meaning cannot always be readily derived from the usual meaning of its
constituent elements.” Likewise, Lewis (2002) as cited in Burger (2008) adds, “an
idiom is a relatively fixed expression where the meaning of the whole is not
transparent from the meanings of the constituent words.”

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b. Characteristics of Idioms
There are three characteristics of idioms proposed by Jackson (1996: 106).
First, the meaning of idioms is not the summary of its part, its constituent word.
Second, the meaning is idiomatic. The last characteristic is that idioms are fix
expressions.
The other characteristics of idioms are given by Fernando and Flavell as
cited in Cedar (2008). The first characteristic is that the meaning of idioms is not
the result of the compositional function of its constituent. Second, idioms are units
that either have literal counterparts but the expressions as a whole should not be
interpreted literally. Third, idioms are transformationally deficient in one way or
another. Fourth, idioms constitute set expressions. The last characteristic is that
idioms are institutionalized.

c. Types of Idiom
According to Hockett (1958) as cited in Strassler (1982: 27), there are six
classifications of idioms as shown in figure 2.2:
Substitute

Proper Name

Abbreviation

Types of Idioms
English phrasal
compound
Compound
Nouns

Compound
Adjectives

Figures of Speech

Compound
Ve r b s

Slang
Hyperbole

Litotes
Personification
Simile

Figure 2.2 The Types of Idioms Based on Hockett’s Theory

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16

The explanation of those types is presented below:
1) Substitute
A substitute includes personal pronouns and numbers. One consequence of
this view is that “I”, “you”, and “he/she” can happen to be the same idiom if they
denote the same person. The same case can also happen with numerals. For
example, the answer “two” can be given to varieties of questions such as “how
many children do you have?” and “how old are you?”.
2) Proper name
A proper name is a symbol which designs an entity of which there is only
one. In all human communities, there are certain recurrent idiom-creating events
called naming. People are named; places are named; sometimes certain individual
animals, spirits, or vehicles are named. The use of proper name in one language
can be different from that in another because it does not have a similar connotation
to the proper name meaning in another language. It can also cause
misunderstanding because of the use of it, for example, “how is Jack?”. ‘Jack’ is a
common name used in America. Some people perhaps are positively sure that
‘Jack’ is the name of a male person. However, it is not only a name of human but
also a name of animal. Therefore, someone has to be aware of the meaning of
proper name.
3) Abbreviation/Clipping
An abbreviation or a clipping is the use of a part for a whole. Some
examples of an abbreviation in English are “cello” from “violoncello”, “plane”
from “airplane”.

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4) English Phrasal Compound
There are various definitions of an English phrasal compound. However, all
of them share common features. Matthews (1991: 82) states that “compounding is a
process by which a compound lexeme is derived from two or more simpler
lexemes”. Dobrovolsky and O’Grady (1989) also agree that English phrasal
compound is a way to form new words by combining two existing words.
There are two types of English phrasal compound which are based on the
point of view of its ‘head’ and its components.
a) English Phrasal Compound Based on Its Head
From the point of view of its ‘head’, English phrasal compound is classified
into endocentric and exocentric compounds (Katamba, 1993: 304). A head of
compound means the compound’s broad meaning (Fromkin, 2000). A compound
which has the head in the construction is called an endocentric compound. In an
endocentric compound, the compound functions as a hyponym of the grammatical
head (Bauer, 1983). In other words, the entity or action denoted by compound
represent a subset of what is denoted by the head, for example, “drawbridge”
which is a particular kind of bridge and “drip-dry” which is a special way of
drying.
In addition, an endocentric compound has certain characteristics as follows:
- They contain a constituent which functions as the syntactic head.
- The syntactic properties of the head categories percolate to the entire compound
word.
- The head is on the right hand.

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- There is a tendency for the semantic relation between the head and non head to be
one modification.
The second classification is an exocentric compound. Katamba (1993: 305)
explains that an exocentric compound is “a construction of compound that the
compound is not hyponym of the head element”. Therefore, this construction often
cannot be transparently guessed from its constituent part. The examples are “flatfoot” which means policeman and “egghead” which means intellectual.
An exocentric compound has characteristics as follows:
- There is no element in a compound that functions as the semantic head of the
compound which is modified by the non head element.
- The meaning of this construction is opaque. It is impossible to work out what an
exocentric compound means from the sum of the meanings of its constituent.
b) English Phrasal Compound Based on its Component
The components of English phrasal compound are lexical categories. Based
on its components, English phrasal compound consists of compound nouns,
compound adjectives, and compound verbs (Katamba, 1993: 320). Compound
nouns are mainly endocentric, while only a limited group is represented by
exocentric compounds like skinhead and blue-collar, in which the referent of the
compound does not correspond to that denoted by the head. Katamba (1993) states
that compound nouns may contain a noun followed by another noun, an adjective
followed by a noun or a preposition followed by a noun. The examples are
“bookcase”, “hothouse”, and “undergraduate”. Dobrovolsky and O’Grady (1989)
also give the structures of compound nouns which are illustrated in figure 2.3.

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N

N
steam

N

N
boat

V
cry

N

N
baby

Adj
N
strong box

Figure 2.3. The Structures of Compound Nouns

The second type is compound adjectives. Compound adjectives contain
a noun followed by an adjective, an adjective followed by an adjective (derived
from the past participle form of verbs), and a preposition followed by an adjective
(derived from the present or past participle form of verb), for example, “worldwide”, “short-lived”, and “overwhelming”. Dobrovolsky and O’Grady (1989) also
give the structures of compound adjectives which are illustrated in figure 2.4.
Adj

N
Ad
blood thirsty

Adj

Adj
red

Adj
hot

Figure 2.4 The Structures of Compound Adjectives

The last type is compound verbs. By far, the commonest type of compound
verbs in English is phrasal verbs. In his book, Dobrovolsky and O’Grady (1989) do
not propose any structures of compound verbs. McCarthy and O’Dell (2004: 5)
give the structures of phrasal verbs which are illustrated in table 2.1.

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Table 2.1. The Structures of Phrasal Verbs

No.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Structures
Verb + preposition
Verb + adverb particle
Verb + object + adverb particle or verb
+ adverb particle + object
Verb + adverb particle