The Translation Ideology Of Nias Cultural Terminology In Famatö Harimao Into Bahasa Indonesia Ritus Patung Harimau
16
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1.1
The Background
The increasingly development of human civilization particularly in the
aspect of language communication has made the whole world become a globe
village and driven different tribes and tongues, countries and nations into a
cultural identity competition. Here, cultures with aggressive owner communities
endure, whereas other cultures with unaggressive owner communities disappear.
Such a case is undergone by the Nias Maniamölö formerly culture Famatö
Harimao and Huku Fondrakö that have become gradually extinct by the end of
18th century of the pressure of the western Christianity culture, and are not
recently recognized by its community’s new generations.
Famatö Harimao is a ritual ceremony of fracturing the tiger statue; was
usually began with the renewal of Huku Fondrakö and then continued with the
procession of carrying the statue on shoulders. It was conducted once in seven
years by the five clans of Maniamölö communion (Hämmerle, 1986). Fondrakö is
the community local ordinance that comprises of regulations which organize and
safeguard the social life (the basic rights, obligations, commands, prohibitions,
and punishments) of the Maniamölö community, e.g. hanata jifalele-lele ira
matua ma ira alawe lahuku ya sageu bawi si’otu öri (those who speak abusive
words shall be fined a pig of 30 kg in weight).
Universitas Sumatera Utara
17
Notwithstanding, in 1986, Hämmerle, a German-blood catholic pastor,
who is also a cultural observer conducted a field research on this oral tradition for
preservation and exoticism. In its source version, the research report is entitled
‘Famatö Harimao’, and in its Indonesian translation version, it was entitled Ritus
Patung Harimau. As a culture transmission device, translation should denote
culture preservative device that ensures the existence of the source language (SL)
particularity in the domination of the target language (TL) culture. This can be
seen in the transferring or naturalisation of the SL terms in translation; e.g. the SL
term Siharafia, the name of the local god’s angel (FH, 1986:151) is purely
transferred in the translation text; the SL term Kundri, a small measure instrument
of pig’s chest which is utilized as a standardized small measure instrument in pig
trading (FH, 1986:160) is purely transferred with notes (Kundi115 = satuan ukuran
lingkaran dada babi yang terkecil, RPH, 2010: 174).
However, in some cases, it is identified that some of the translation items
are not proper translation for they ignore the local ideology awareness and
exoticism, and lose the originality of the source text (ST). These are seen in the
application of inappropriate translation procedures on the translation of the ST
individual expressions, e.g: the SL term Sisagötö fa’ara me ma tumbua that refers
to a grandeur designation of god Laŵalani as an everlasting god who has born
into the world (FH, 1986:151) is replaced with an awkward and meaningless term
Yang satu zaman telah lahir in the target text (TT) (RPH, 1986:164). The
equivalent term comprises of two main elements, first, subject element Yang satu
zaman that literally means the one period, second, predicate element telah lahir
that literally means has been born. The predicate element is usually utilized to
Universitas Sumatera Utara
18
refer to a living creature’s birth. Thus, it is obvious that the predicate does not fit
the subject, and the expression is awkwardly arranged, and expresses a
semantically deviated meaning in the TL culture.
This phenomenon presents that translation is ideological, and the translator
stands in between his preference toward two different language cultural contexts
under which his translation work takes place (Venuti, 1995:18). Venuti pioneers
two popular terms to refer to the opposite types of translation ideology:
A domesticating method, an ethnocentric reduction of the foreign text to
target-language cultural values, bringing the author back home, and a
foreignizing method, an ethnodeviant pressure on those values to register
the linguistic and cultural difference of the foreign text, sending the
reader abroad (Venuti, 1995:20).
From the statement is seen that in domestication ideology the focus of
attention is the normality and relevancy in the TL system and culture, the
naturalness of the translation text and the interest of the target beneficieries,
without considering of the originality of the message. Any SL elements showing
etnodeviant difference in the TL are replaced with the elements of the TL, and
even sometimes reduced or ommitted when is required. On the first part, the SL
text undergoes intensive change (reduction or exclusion), and on the other part,
the original intent of the source author’s in the ST is ignored and adapted to the
norms or values pre-exist in the TL, so that, when reading the translation text, the
target readers would feel that as they were not reading a translation text but a
natural text in their own language. In foreignization ideology, the focus of
attention is ensuring the original intention and the existence of the linguistic and
cultural particularity of the SL in the translation text. It reflects the translator’s
etnodeviant attempt of meriting the SL particularity in the TT. Any ST element
Universitas Sumatera Utara
19
presenting particularity in the SL are transfered or accomodated in the translation
text. Consequently, the existence of the SL elements in the translation text often
becomes violation toward the TL system, and makes the translation text
discordant and strange to the TL readers. Notwithstanding, apart from that
weakness, this ideology has its own superiority because it stands as an etnodeviant
strategy of ensuring the existence of the SL particularity in the domination of the
TL culture.
As the translator’s strategy or approach employed, translation ideology has
invisible nature that could not be discerned unless through the analysis of the
more specific approach (applied in the translation) namely translation procedure.
Translation procedure is the specific approach a translator applies in the
translation of individual expressions for transferring the elements of meaning
from the ST into the TT (Newmark, 1988:81).
Translation is not only a linguistic transfer but also a cultural transfer from
one culture into another; where analysis began on identifying the text in relation to
the social culture and situation, and continued with analyzing the structure of the
text (Snell-Hornby, 1996:233-234). In accordance, Newmark proposes five
cultural category in translation: first, ecology (that is divided into several subcategories such as: the flora, fauna, winds, plains, hills and so forth); second,
material culture (that is divided into several sub-categories such as: food, clothes,
houses, towns, and transport and so forth); third, social culture (that is divided
into several sub-categories such as: work and leisure and so forth); fourth,
organizations, customs, ideas (that is divided into several sub-categories such as:
Universitas Sumatera Utara
20
political, social, legal, religious, artistic, and so forth); fifth, gestures and habits
(Newmark, 1988:94-103).
Such phenomenon that confirms translation as an ideological work
motivates to conduct study on ‘The Translation Ideology of Nias Cultural
Terminology in Famatö Harimao into Bahasa Indonesia Ritus Patung Harimau’.
It is considered that Famatö Harimao and its Indonesian translation entitled Ritus
Patung Harimao have given valuable contributions to the preservation and
exoticism of the Maniamölö traditional culture, and in accordance, it is hoped that
this study would be useful as it will not only evoke the sense of love and
awareness of the local community toward their own culture, but will also add the
exoticism of the Maniamölö traditional culture. It is also hoped to be that this
study would be a contributive reference for: first, Nias language translators in
improving their translation competence; second, translation beneficiaries to
become more prudent in deciding to what type of orientation (TL or SL) will be
appropriate for their translation need; means that, for the reason that this study
provides detailed description that translation project is an obviously ideological
work, so it provides easiness for them to negotiate with the translation servers to
adapt their translation orientation to the beneficiaries’ need); third, the original
author because it provides the way how the original text is translated. Last but not
least, it is certained that this study would increase the researher’s translation
knowledge and research experience.
In this study, the cultural category of the Nias cultural terms in Famatö
Harimao into Bahasa Indonesia Ritus Patung Harimau, the translation procedure
applied and the tendency of ideology in the translation will be investigated. In
Universitas Sumatera Utara
21
addition, minor review on: 1. Nias Maniamölö culture 2. concepts of translation 3.
text and context in translation 4. translation as an analysis task 5. translation
competence, and 6. relevant studies are going to be discussed further.
1.2
The Problems
This study is a translation product oriented, and is limited on analyzing the
Nias cultural terms found in chapter IV (Huku Fondrakö and Famatö Harimao),
in terms of the definition of: cultural category by Newmark (1998:94), translation
procedure by Newmark (1998:81-114), and translation ideology by Venuti
(1995:20). Accordingly, based on the above background, the underpinning
problems are formulated as the following:
1.
How is the cultural categorization of the Nias cultural terms in Famatö
Harimao translated into Bahasa Indonesia Ritus Patung Harimau?
2.
How is the translation procedure applied on the translation of the Nias
cultural terms in Famatö Harimao into Bahasa Indonesia Ritus Patung
Harimau?
3.
What is the tendency of the translation ideology in the translation of the
Nias cultural terms in Famatö Harimao into Bahasa Indonesia Ritus Patung
Harimau?
Universitas Sumatera Utara
22
1.3
The Objectives
In relation to the problems, it is obvious that this study is aimed at:
1.
Describing the translation of the cultural categorization of the Nias cultural
terms in Famatö Harimao into Bahasa Indonesia Ritus Patung Harimau.
2.
Describing the translation procedure applied on the translation of the Nias
cultural terms in Famatö Harimao into Bahasa Indonesia Ritus Patung
Harimau.
3.
Identifying the tendency of the translation ideology in the translation of the
Nias cultural terms in Famatö Harimao into Bahasa Indonesia Ritus Patung
Harimau.
1.4
The Significances
An Indonesian proverb says mengairi sawah sendiri mengairi sawah
orang which idiomatically means that no work has ever been done without effects
on the doer and other people. So is this study; it is going to be done in order to
contribute theoretical and practical significances as mentioned below:
1.4.1
Theoretical significances
This study is going to serve as a development on translation studies,
especially on the analysis of the cultural category in translation texts, the
translation ideology and the translation procedure applied on different types of
translation due to the linguistic and cultural context that recites in. Besides, it
would serve as a reference that contributes the enlargement of horizon on the
translation work as an integral part of linguistic and cultural analysis of two
Universitas Sumatera Utara
23
language cultures. It also provides understanding about context of translation that
usually leads the application of the translation ideology and translation procedure
in a translation work.
1.4.2
Practical significances
In practice, this study is going to serve as a reference that contributes the
enlargement of the translation knowledge to the translation students, professional
translators and those involved in the translation need. And as it deals with two
language systems, it also serves as a helpful reference to the language scientists
and bilingual teachers in applying the appropriate language teaching strategies
based on the type and level of difficulties students encounter.
The last but not the least expectation is that this study: (1) would evoke the
sense of pride and love of Nias people toward their own culture as their noble
identity which can neither be bought nor sold, (2) would introduce Nias language
culture to the outside world which means that it adds to the exoticism of Nias as a
still unrevealed mystery in the world, (3) would be a helpful reference for Nias
people to solve translation problem encountered in intercultural communication.
Universitas Sumatera Utara
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1.1
The Background
The increasingly development of human civilization particularly in the
aspect of language communication has made the whole world become a globe
village and driven different tribes and tongues, countries and nations into a
cultural identity competition. Here, cultures with aggressive owner communities
endure, whereas other cultures with unaggressive owner communities disappear.
Such a case is undergone by the Nias Maniamölö formerly culture Famatö
Harimao and Huku Fondrakö that have become gradually extinct by the end of
18th century of the pressure of the western Christianity culture, and are not
recently recognized by its community’s new generations.
Famatö Harimao is a ritual ceremony of fracturing the tiger statue; was
usually began with the renewal of Huku Fondrakö and then continued with the
procession of carrying the statue on shoulders. It was conducted once in seven
years by the five clans of Maniamölö communion (Hämmerle, 1986). Fondrakö is
the community local ordinance that comprises of regulations which organize and
safeguard the social life (the basic rights, obligations, commands, prohibitions,
and punishments) of the Maniamölö community, e.g. hanata jifalele-lele ira
matua ma ira alawe lahuku ya sageu bawi si’otu öri (those who speak abusive
words shall be fined a pig of 30 kg in weight).
Universitas Sumatera Utara
17
Notwithstanding, in 1986, Hämmerle, a German-blood catholic pastor,
who is also a cultural observer conducted a field research on this oral tradition for
preservation and exoticism. In its source version, the research report is entitled
‘Famatö Harimao’, and in its Indonesian translation version, it was entitled Ritus
Patung Harimau. As a culture transmission device, translation should denote
culture preservative device that ensures the existence of the source language (SL)
particularity in the domination of the target language (TL) culture. This can be
seen in the transferring or naturalisation of the SL terms in translation; e.g. the SL
term Siharafia, the name of the local god’s angel (FH, 1986:151) is purely
transferred in the translation text; the SL term Kundri, a small measure instrument
of pig’s chest which is utilized as a standardized small measure instrument in pig
trading (FH, 1986:160) is purely transferred with notes (Kundi115 = satuan ukuran
lingkaran dada babi yang terkecil, RPH, 2010: 174).
However, in some cases, it is identified that some of the translation items
are not proper translation for they ignore the local ideology awareness and
exoticism, and lose the originality of the source text (ST). These are seen in the
application of inappropriate translation procedures on the translation of the ST
individual expressions, e.g: the SL term Sisagötö fa’ara me ma tumbua that refers
to a grandeur designation of god Laŵalani as an everlasting god who has born
into the world (FH, 1986:151) is replaced with an awkward and meaningless term
Yang satu zaman telah lahir in the target text (TT) (RPH, 1986:164). The
equivalent term comprises of two main elements, first, subject element Yang satu
zaman that literally means the one period, second, predicate element telah lahir
that literally means has been born. The predicate element is usually utilized to
Universitas Sumatera Utara
18
refer to a living creature’s birth. Thus, it is obvious that the predicate does not fit
the subject, and the expression is awkwardly arranged, and expresses a
semantically deviated meaning in the TL culture.
This phenomenon presents that translation is ideological, and the translator
stands in between his preference toward two different language cultural contexts
under which his translation work takes place (Venuti, 1995:18). Venuti pioneers
two popular terms to refer to the opposite types of translation ideology:
A domesticating method, an ethnocentric reduction of the foreign text to
target-language cultural values, bringing the author back home, and a
foreignizing method, an ethnodeviant pressure on those values to register
the linguistic and cultural difference of the foreign text, sending the
reader abroad (Venuti, 1995:20).
From the statement is seen that in domestication ideology the focus of
attention is the normality and relevancy in the TL system and culture, the
naturalness of the translation text and the interest of the target beneficieries,
without considering of the originality of the message. Any SL elements showing
etnodeviant difference in the TL are replaced with the elements of the TL, and
even sometimes reduced or ommitted when is required. On the first part, the SL
text undergoes intensive change (reduction or exclusion), and on the other part,
the original intent of the source author’s in the ST is ignored and adapted to the
norms or values pre-exist in the TL, so that, when reading the translation text, the
target readers would feel that as they were not reading a translation text but a
natural text in their own language. In foreignization ideology, the focus of
attention is ensuring the original intention and the existence of the linguistic and
cultural particularity of the SL in the translation text. It reflects the translator’s
etnodeviant attempt of meriting the SL particularity in the TT. Any ST element
Universitas Sumatera Utara
19
presenting particularity in the SL are transfered or accomodated in the translation
text. Consequently, the existence of the SL elements in the translation text often
becomes violation toward the TL system, and makes the translation text
discordant and strange to the TL readers. Notwithstanding, apart from that
weakness, this ideology has its own superiority because it stands as an etnodeviant
strategy of ensuring the existence of the SL particularity in the domination of the
TL culture.
As the translator’s strategy or approach employed, translation ideology has
invisible nature that could not be discerned unless through the analysis of the
more specific approach (applied in the translation) namely translation procedure.
Translation procedure is the specific approach a translator applies in the
translation of individual expressions for transferring the elements of meaning
from the ST into the TT (Newmark, 1988:81).
Translation is not only a linguistic transfer but also a cultural transfer from
one culture into another; where analysis began on identifying the text in relation to
the social culture and situation, and continued with analyzing the structure of the
text (Snell-Hornby, 1996:233-234). In accordance, Newmark proposes five
cultural category in translation: first, ecology (that is divided into several subcategories such as: the flora, fauna, winds, plains, hills and so forth); second,
material culture (that is divided into several sub-categories such as: food, clothes,
houses, towns, and transport and so forth); third, social culture (that is divided
into several sub-categories such as: work and leisure and so forth); fourth,
organizations, customs, ideas (that is divided into several sub-categories such as:
Universitas Sumatera Utara
20
political, social, legal, religious, artistic, and so forth); fifth, gestures and habits
(Newmark, 1988:94-103).
Such phenomenon that confirms translation as an ideological work
motivates to conduct study on ‘The Translation Ideology of Nias Cultural
Terminology in Famatö Harimao into Bahasa Indonesia Ritus Patung Harimau’.
It is considered that Famatö Harimao and its Indonesian translation entitled Ritus
Patung Harimao have given valuable contributions to the preservation and
exoticism of the Maniamölö traditional culture, and in accordance, it is hoped that
this study would be useful as it will not only evoke the sense of love and
awareness of the local community toward their own culture, but will also add the
exoticism of the Maniamölö traditional culture. It is also hoped to be that this
study would be a contributive reference for: first, Nias language translators in
improving their translation competence; second, translation beneficiaries to
become more prudent in deciding to what type of orientation (TL or SL) will be
appropriate for their translation need; means that, for the reason that this study
provides detailed description that translation project is an obviously ideological
work, so it provides easiness for them to negotiate with the translation servers to
adapt their translation orientation to the beneficiaries’ need); third, the original
author because it provides the way how the original text is translated. Last but not
least, it is certained that this study would increase the researher’s translation
knowledge and research experience.
In this study, the cultural category of the Nias cultural terms in Famatö
Harimao into Bahasa Indonesia Ritus Patung Harimau, the translation procedure
applied and the tendency of ideology in the translation will be investigated. In
Universitas Sumatera Utara
21
addition, minor review on: 1. Nias Maniamölö culture 2. concepts of translation 3.
text and context in translation 4. translation as an analysis task 5. translation
competence, and 6. relevant studies are going to be discussed further.
1.2
The Problems
This study is a translation product oriented, and is limited on analyzing the
Nias cultural terms found in chapter IV (Huku Fondrakö and Famatö Harimao),
in terms of the definition of: cultural category by Newmark (1998:94), translation
procedure by Newmark (1998:81-114), and translation ideology by Venuti
(1995:20). Accordingly, based on the above background, the underpinning
problems are formulated as the following:
1.
How is the cultural categorization of the Nias cultural terms in Famatö
Harimao translated into Bahasa Indonesia Ritus Patung Harimau?
2.
How is the translation procedure applied on the translation of the Nias
cultural terms in Famatö Harimao into Bahasa Indonesia Ritus Patung
Harimau?
3.
What is the tendency of the translation ideology in the translation of the
Nias cultural terms in Famatö Harimao into Bahasa Indonesia Ritus Patung
Harimau?
Universitas Sumatera Utara
22
1.3
The Objectives
In relation to the problems, it is obvious that this study is aimed at:
1.
Describing the translation of the cultural categorization of the Nias cultural
terms in Famatö Harimao into Bahasa Indonesia Ritus Patung Harimau.
2.
Describing the translation procedure applied on the translation of the Nias
cultural terms in Famatö Harimao into Bahasa Indonesia Ritus Patung
Harimau.
3.
Identifying the tendency of the translation ideology in the translation of the
Nias cultural terms in Famatö Harimao into Bahasa Indonesia Ritus Patung
Harimau.
1.4
The Significances
An Indonesian proverb says mengairi sawah sendiri mengairi sawah
orang which idiomatically means that no work has ever been done without effects
on the doer and other people. So is this study; it is going to be done in order to
contribute theoretical and practical significances as mentioned below:
1.4.1
Theoretical significances
This study is going to serve as a development on translation studies,
especially on the analysis of the cultural category in translation texts, the
translation ideology and the translation procedure applied on different types of
translation due to the linguistic and cultural context that recites in. Besides, it
would serve as a reference that contributes the enlargement of horizon on the
translation work as an integral part of linguistic and cultural analysis of two
Universitas Sumatera Utara
23
language cultures. It also provides understanding about context of translation that
usually leads the application of the translation ideology and translation procedure
in a translation work.
1.4.2
Practical significances
In practice, this study is going to serve as a reference that contributes the
enlargement of the translation knowledge to the translation students, professional
translators and those involved in the translation need. And as it deals with two
language systems, it also serves as a helpful reference to the language scientists
and bilingual teachers in applying the appropriate language teaching strategies
based on the type and level of difficulties students encounter.
The last but not the least expectation is that this study: (1) would evoke the
sense of pride and love of Nias people toward their own culture as their noble
identity which can neither be bought nor sold, (2) would introduce Nias language
culture to the outside world which means that it adds to the exoticism of Nias as a
still unrevealed mystery in the world, (3) would be a helpful reference for Nias
people to solve translation problem encountered in intercultural communication.
Universitas Sumatera Utara