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TRANSLATION TECHNIQUES OF SUBTITLE FROM ENGLISH INTO INDONESIAN IN A MOVIE: A CASE ON LITERATURE
Nanda Saputra1, Sulistyani2, Endang Fatmawati3, Herman4
1Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Teacher Education Study Program, STIT Al-Hilal Sigli, Aceh, Indonesia 2Department of English Education, Universitas Nusantara PGRI Kediri, Mojoroto, Kediri, Jawa Timur, Indonesia 3Information & Public Relations Study Program, Universitas Diponegoro, Tembalang, Semarang, Indonesia, 50275 4Department of English Education, Universitas HKBP Nommensen, Medan city, Indonesia * Corresponding author: Herman, e-mail: [email protected]
ARTICLE INFO
ABSTRACT
Article history: Received date 16.03.2022 Accepted date 19.04.2022 Published date 30.04.2022
Section: Linguistics
DOI
10.21303/2313-8416.2022.002422
KEYWORDS
discourse translation
translation techniques
subtitle
movie
English
Indonesianharm
The objects of research: This study is aimed to categorize the types of translation techniques and the most prevalent translation techniques used in movie subtitles, because the phenomenon that frequently occurs shows that it has a tendency to use subtitles regardless of their disadvantages, so the translator requires appropriate translation techniques in order to transfer the message clearly from the source language into the target language Investigated problem: The recent phenomenon in Indonesia shows that it has the tendency on using the subtitle regardless its drawback. As it is known, there is still the use of subtitles that are not of good quality and there is also the use of subtitles whose quality is much better based on the use appropriate translation techniques.
Methodology: To answer the research question, a descriptive qualitative research strategy was utilized, as well as content analysis, which focuses on the analysis of the sorts of translation approaches proposed by Molina and Albir. The researchers used movie and documentation as the research instrument. The data source of this research was the movie script "The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on The Run"
The area of practical use of the research results: As the result of this research, the researchers found 14 types of translation techniques. The most dominant of translation techniques is literal translation 67 data (33.5 %), followed by modulation 55 data (27.5 %), generalization 26 data (13 %), linguistic amplification 11 data (5.5 %), established equivalence 9 data (4.5 %), linguistic compression 8 data (4 %), transposition 7 data (3.5 %), compensation 5 data (2.5 %), calque and reduction 3 data for each other (1.5 %), borrowing and discursive creation 2 data for each other (1 %), adaptation and description 1 data for each other (0.5 %). Involving the total data are 200 data
Innovative technological product: The result of this research as the reflection and references for linguists and scientist not only to the quality of machine translation such as google translate, and so on but also to the use of good translation in the subtitle in the future. Scope of the innovative technological product: The scope lies on the subtitle product produced by translator. The translator needs to know the target (audience) and the translation must meet the criteria and the target.
Conclusion: It can be concluded that the translation techniques used in the translation of subtitle are literal translation and modulation. The result shows that literal translation and modulation are the main contributors on the translation techniques in order to accurately translate it
© The Author(s) 2021. This is an open access article under the Creative Commons CC BY license
1. Introduction
1. 1. The object of research
This research is aimed to discuss about the techniques of translation implemented in movie subtitle whereas movie subtitle is very important for audience, especially in comprehending the text or discourse depicted in the conversation.
1. 2. Problem description
The researchers choose the translation techniques do the research because the researchers
want to know whether the dominant translation techniques are appropriate and can help the audi-
ences understand the message delivered based on the translation techniques used.
There was a research conducted before regarding subtitling conducted by Fadila [1] in her research entitled Subtitle Strategies in Translating Speech Acts in the Jumanji Film. In her study of subtitle tactics and translation quality, she discovered that deletion was the most commonly utilized strategy by the translator in the film. However, in this study, the major characters of the Jumanji Film used the transfer method the most. She discovered that the source language (English) was translated accurately, acceptably, and legible into the target language (Indonesia). Actually, there are similarities between this research and previous research which is analyzing the subtitle and translation quality of movie. The differences between these researches are the researchers focused on analyzing the types of translation techniques and previous research focused on analyzing subtitle strategies.
1. 3. Suggested solution to the problem
Translation is essential in communication. Translation is a method of passing on knowledge or information. It can serve as a link between people of different languages and cultures. People can learn and understand each other's languages and cultures by using translation. According to [2], translation entails not just modifying words but also conveying cultural equivalency between the cultures of the originating language and the recipient of that language, if possible [3, 4]. The better translation must be acknowledged by all individuals logically and factually. As a result, the information provided in the message in the source language (SL) can satisfy the reader in the target language (TL) [5, 6]. Essentially, [7] explained that the text is reconstructed by translating the words from the source language into the target language and arranging them based on the sentence structures in the target language; thus, the structures are appropriate for the target language and there will be no loss of meaning [8, 9]. Translation, according to [10], is the substitution of textual material in one language (SL) by equivalent textual material in another language (TL) [11].
A translator should transfer the message of the source language into the target language when translating a text. Brislin [12] defined that a translator does not just translate each word in SL into TL; rather, a good translator must be skilled in translating SL into TL without affecting the meaning and message in TL [13]. As a result, the translator can communicate the SL to the TL text by employing translation procedures that allow the readers to comprehend the translation in the TL. Translation techniques can be characterized as a method of transferring meaning from the SL to the TL that is based on micro units (words, phrases, clauses, or sentences), which influence the translation output [14]. [15] define translation procedures as allowing people to specify the actual processes done by translators in each textual micro-unit and gain unambiguous facts about the general methodological option chosen. Translation techniques are the procedures used to assess and classify the various ways in which equivalency might occur. Translation techniques are defined as the realization of a decision-making process in which the translation product may be identified on the translation result [16].
Translation is used in every aspect of our entertainment and educational sources [17]. A movie is an example of anything that frequently uses translation to convey a message. According to [18], a movie is a type of multimedia that includes both a visual and an audio medium. Although every director employs their local language in their film, this is not a major issue because it can be translated into TL. As a result, subtitles can assist people in learning a foreign language while watching a movie.
Subtitles are used in movies to represent translation. Subtitling is a method of language transfer in mass audiovisual communication such as movies and television [19]. According to [20], subtitling is the representation of a spoken message in filmic medium in a different language, in the form of one or more lines of written text that are exhibited on the movie screen. It is necessary to transmit the message to audiences or viewers of the film who do not grasp the content and message of the film without translation. The subtitle movie translation should be significant to the audience's TL in relation to the specific scene exhibited on the screen movie.
Even if the majority of the movies are in foreign language, largely as a means of communication, it does not deter consumers from watching those movies because subtitles are offered to assist them in understanding the movies, which transform the source language (SL) into the target language (TL). Subtitling, on the other hand, is less expensive and takes less time, but according to [21], subtitling offers only about 57 percent text than spoken dialogue since humans speak quicker than they read. This is because when the translator translates the text, the text is not fully translated word for word but the translator translates the text by understanding the core of the important points conveyed in the conversation, so the translator uses several translation techniques to convey the message contained from the
source language to the target language so that it is easily understood by the audience. Subtitles will help the audience to know more about the movie [21]. That is why in producing a good translation or subtitle, translators should know the translation techniques are more appropriate to use in translating movie or text to be easier to understand by the audiences. The recent phenomenon in Indonesia shows that it has the tendency on using the subtitle regardless its drawback. As it is known, there is still the use of subtitles that are not of good quality and there is also the use of subtitles whose quality is much better based on the use appropriate translation techniques.
To support the explanation above, the researchers will give the examples of a subtitle from the Spongebob Movie: Sponge On The Run. The examples are as follows:
- SL: You're fired!
- TL: Kamu dipecat!
- SL: Quiet, Plankton! Shh, don't listen to him.
- TL: Diam, Plankton! Shh, jangan dengarkan dia.
That is the examples of subtitle from the Spongebob Movie: Sponge On The Run. The translation techniques used in the subtitle is literal translation which is literal translation is an expression in SL in the word of words into the TL. In the sentence "You're fired!" the translator translated into Indonesian as "Kamu dipecat!" Every word in the sentence is translated. Word You're being Kamu, fired being dipecat!. The translator translated "fired" from source language and translated into "dipecat" in target language. In the world of work, the word "fired" has nothing to do with burning, or fire. The word "fired" describes the treatment carried out, usually by superiors to subordinates.
The subtitle, for example, is translated entirely and properly by keeping its structure from SL to TL using literal translation procedures used by the translator. Subtitles in movies that translate the source language (SL) into the target language (TL) might help audiences understand the movie based on translation methodologies used.
Based on the study's backdrop, the researchers focus on assessing the different types of translation processes and determining the most prevalent translation approaches employed in the Spongebob Movie: Sponge On The Run.
2. Materials and Methods
2. 1. Research Design
To achieve the objective of the study, this research had been conducted by using descriptive qualitative design. A qualitative research, according to [22], is a method of analyzing qualitative data in the form of words, phrases, clauses, and sentences [23]. This method does not need accounting numerically and no treatments. Further, it involves analysis of data such as words, examples from transcript, video or tape recording, notes, documents and so on. According to [24], qualitative research investigates questions such as what, why, and how, rather than how many or how much; it is more concerned with meaning than with measurement. As a study design, the researchers employed the content analysis method or document. Content analysis is a research technique that interprets and codes textual material to create reproducible and accurate judgments [25]. Qualitative data can be transformed into quantitative data by methodically examining texts (e.g., documents, oral communication, and visuals) [26]. The researchers investigated information sources specified by the researchers to supplement the data in this study through writing. As the researchers collect and evaluate data from a movie transcript.
2. 2. Instrument of the Research
In collecting data, the researchers needed tools as instruments. The researchers used movie and documentation as an instrument in this research. The researchers viewed the movie and matched the subtitles. The researchers next examined the translation processes in the movie's text from the documents used to acquire the script of The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run, which was obtained from the Internet.
2. 3. Data Source of the Research
The movie script "The Spongebob Movie: Sponge On The Run" was the topic of this investigation. The film's genres are animation, adventure, and comedy. It was released theatrically in Canada on August 14, 2020, digitally on Netflix on November 5, 2020, and as a Paramount debut title in
the United States on March 4, 2021. The researchers chose this movie to analyze because there were translation techniques that translator uses in translating the movie. While the object of this research was the whole types of translation techniques and translation quality found within the movie. The data which had been analyzed are 200 data. The data had been in form of transcriptions consist of the result of utterances in English and the script of the Indonesian subtitle. Both the English and Indonesian subtitle script were taken from https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/The_SpongeBob_Mov-ie:_Sponge_on_the_Run/transcript by Encyclopedia Spongebobia and https://subimdb.com/subtitles/ the-spongebob-movie-sponge-on-the-run/indonesian/2327318 by Subimdb. The subtitle script had been helped the researchers for classifying the translation techniques.
2. 4. Technique of Data Collection
The data was gathered using qualitative audio and visual elements. Photographs, art pieces, video cassettes, website main pages, e-mail, text message, social media text, or any type of sound such as movies may be used to collect data [22]. The researchers would take the following steps when collecting data:
1. Searching the transcript of the English and Indonesian subtitles in https://spongebob.fan-dom.com/wiki/The_SpongeBob_Movie:_Sponge_on_the_Run/transcript and https://subimdb.com/ subtitles/the-spongebob-movie-sponge-on-the-run/indonesian/2327318
2. Downloading the transcript of the English and Indonesian subtitles in https://spongebob.fan-dom.com/wiki/The_SpongeBob_Movie:_Sponge_on_the_Run/transcript and https://subimdb.com/ subtitles/the-spongebob-movie-sponge-on-the-run/indonesian/2327318
3. Printing the transcript and use it as research data.
2. 5. Technique of Data Analysis
The analysis had been carried out inductively. It means that the data will be presented first and then analyzed. The analysis had been done with an explanation.
In this study, there are some techniques used to analyzed the data. In conducting this study, some of those steps are formulated as below:
1. Tabulating the data based in the source languange (SL) to target language (TL).
2. Identifying the translation techniques used in the translation of English into Indonesian subtitles using by [1].
3. Calculating the frequently of theory translation techniques used in the translation of English into Indonesian subtitle in the Spongebob Movie: Sponge On The Run.
4. Drawing the conclusion.
3. Results
3. 1. Findings
As stated in chapter one, the objectives of this research were to identify the types of translation techniques are applied by translator in subtitle of The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on The Run and to find out the most dominantly translation technique applied by translator in translating of The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on The Run. Based on the objectives of this research, in brief, from the result of data sheet, the researchers presented as follow:
3. 2. Types of Translation Techniques
Based on the data analysis, there are 200 data containing types of translation techniques. The types of translation techniques used in translating the subtitle of The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on The Run can be seen in the Table 1:
From Table 1, not all translation approaches were used in The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run. According to the data, the translator used 14 different translation techniques to translate the movie, including adaptation, borrowing, calque, compensation, description, discursive creation, established equivalence, generalization, linguistic amplification, linguistic compression, literal translation, modulation, reduction, and transposition. Furthermore, the translation approaches of Amplification, Particularization, Substitution, and Variation were not identified in The Sponge-bob Movie: Sponge on the Run subtitle translation.
Table 1
Translation Techniques used in the translated Subtitle of The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on The Run
No Translation Techniques Frequency Percentage (%)
1. Adaptation 1 0.5 %
2. Amplification (Addition) 0 0 %
3. Borrowing 2 1 %
4. Calque 3 1.5 %
5. Compensation 5 2.5 %
6. Description 1 0.5 %
7. Discursive Creation 2 1 %
8. Established Equivalence 9 4.5 %
9. Generalization 26 13 %
10. Linguistic Amplification 11 5.5 %
11. Linguistic Compression 8 4 %
12. Literal Translation 67 33.5 %
13. Modulation 55 27.5 %
14. Particularization 0 0 %
15. Reduction 3 1.5 %
16. Substitution 0 0 %
17. Transposition 7 3.5 %
18. Variation 0 0 %
Total 200 100 %
3. 3. Descriptions of The Most Dominant Translation Techniques
Based on 200 data that have been analyzed, the dominant translation techniques that is used in subtitle of The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on The Run can be seen in the form of a Fig. 1.
TYPES OF TRANSLATION TECHNIQUE
■ Adaptation ■ Amplification ■ Borrowing Calque «Compensation «Description
■ Discursive Creation «Established Equivalence ■ Generalization
■ Linguistic Amplification ■ Linguistic Compression ■ Literal Translation
Fig. 1. Translation Techniques used in subtitle of The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on The Run
The highest frequency of translation techniques is Literal Translation 67 data (33.5 %). The second is Modulation 52 data (27.5 %). The third is Generalization 26 data (13 %). The fourth is Linguistic Amplification 11 data (5.5 %). The fifth is Established Equivalence 9 data (4.5 %). The sixth is Linguistic Compression 8 data (4 %). The seventh is Transposition 7 data (3.5 %). The eight is Compensation 5 data (2.5 %). The ninth are Calque and Reduction 3 data for each other (1.5 %). The tenth are Borrowing and Discursive Creation 2 data for each other (1 %). Finally, the eleventh are Adaptation and Description 1 data for each other (0.5 %). Additionally, the translation techniques of Amplification, Particularization, Substitution, and Variation were not found in translating subtitle in The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on The Run.
4. Discussion
Nowadays, translation is very useful for people who do not have good ability in understanding certain source language, so they need help to translate it into the target language well. So that, the translator used translation to help them. In translating, translation techniques is needed to transfer the meaning and message, so the audiences can understand about what is translated by the translator. In this research, the researchers analyzed translation techniques in subtitle of The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on The Run. The type of the research used is qualitative research. Researchers found types of translation techniques based on Molina and Albir's theory and the most dominant translation techniques used by the translator are literal translation and modulation. This techniques greatly affects the translation result, for examples:
- SL: Good morning Otto, you're almost ready for the world!
- TL: Selamat Pagi Otto. Kau hampir siap untuk dunia!
- SL: I just want to find Gary and bring him home.
- TL: Aku hanya ingin menemukan Gary da membawanya pulang.
From the data above, use of literal translation techniques is good because the message conveyed is more meaningful and can be understand by the audiences. In this reasearch, there are no cases of amplification, particularization, substitution, and variation found from the data which are analyzed and does not affect the translation result.
Based on the data findings in this research, the researchers found differences from this research with previous research. In previous research, the research conducted by Cahyaningrum (2013). The goal of this study is to explain the types and functions of questions in the source text, as well as to identify the translation strategies used and the effect of translation quality. This study is a descriptive qualitative study. The data comes from the Sherlock Holmes film transcript. Cahyaningrum's theory is based on Molina and Albir. The prior research and the researchers' research both use Molina and Albir's theory to analyze translation techniques. The parallels between her research and mine are that we both chose translation as our main issue. There are differences in data and data sources, and the distinctions in both studies are the reference used in assessing the data and the media utilized to collect data.
Referred to the data analysis with the results in this research, the researchers are sure that this research is still far of being perfect since this research only focused on one movie subtitle that was chosen randomly. This limitation is sure to be lack and the researchers hope that this research can be a references and also as a further research for other research in conducting more about translation technique research related not only to literature scope but also to other scope including the impact of translation in teaching and learning process at school.
5. Conclusions
1. The aim of this research is to determine the different sorts of translation processes employed in the subtitle of The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run. The researchers employed Molina and Albir's theory to categorize translation techniques into 18 categories: adaptation, amplification, borrowing, calque, compensation, description, discursive creation, established equivalence, generalization, linguistic amplification, linguistic compression, literal translation, modulation, particularization, reduction, substitution, transposition, and variation. From those types, the researchers found the 14 types of translation techniques applied by the translator to translate the movie as follows; adaptation 1 data (0.5 %), borrowing 2 data (1 %), calque 3 data (1.5 %), compensation 5 data (2.5 %), description 1 data (0.5 %), discursive creation 2 data (1 %), established equivalence 9 data (4.5 %), generalization 26 data (13 %), linguistic amplification 11 data (5.5 %), linguistic compression 8 data (4 %), literal translation 67 data (33.5 %), modulation 55 data (27.5 %), reduction 3 data (1.5 %), and transposition 7 data (3.5 %).
2. The most common translation style utilized by translators is literal translation. Literal translation refers to words, phrases, and sentences that are entirely and accurately translated from SL to TL while keeping their structure. It signifies that it is the most popular and easiest strategy that the translator can use before applying additional techniques. This is due to the fact that literal translation does not necessitate a greater level of background knowledge from the translator in order to detect the difference in meaning equivalency from SL to TL. In summary, this study suggests that adequate translation approaches are required in translating to interpret the messages in order to generate good translation.
It can be concluded that the translation techniques used in the translation of subtitle are literal translation and modulation. The result shows that literal translation and modulation are the main con-
tributors on the translation techniques in order to accurately translate it. The translator can use more than one translation techniques in translation of the subtitle. It can be seen in the data which had been analyzed that the translator used various translation techniques on order to transfer the message clearly from the source language into the target language. There are no cases of amplification, particularization, substitution, and variation found from the data which are analyzed. Furthermore, this research is expected to be a reference for readers to better understand knowledge about translatiion techniques in analyzing and making translating subtitle not only in cartoon or animated but also in many kinds of movie.
Conflict of interest
There is no conflict interest
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