TRANSLATION PROCESS IN “SONET 12” BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: TRANSLATION STUDIES
Mayasari Faculty of Languages and Communication, Universitas Harapan Medan, Indonesia
ABSTRACT The paper revisits the concepts of translation process by Newmark (1988). Translation as a product is a written text in a target language as the end result of a translation process for a source-language text. Following the Newmark‟s (1988) theory, the writer analyzed the text around the analysis of the source text, transfer of the text into the target language and revision of the translation.
Keywords: Translation Process, Newmark’s Theory, Sonet 12
INTRODUCTION language by the same message or statement in another language” Since the study discusses the Newmark emphasizes that translation translation analysis, the definition of is a process of rendering written translation should to be known. Here message, from source language to some definition of translation from target language without adding or experts. According to Newmark reducing the message. The following is (1988:7) “Translation is a craft a diagram about how to translate a text consisting in the attempt to replace a by Newmark (1988:4): written message statement in one
writers, norms, culture and setting and tradition. TranslatorS should keep the originality of each L element from the source language. The only change on the translation processc is the form. The form of the source languageu is changed by the form of the targetl language. The form of language t refers to words, phrases, clauses,u sentences, paragraphs, etc. r Furthermore, translator should consider the In translating a text, there are appropriate form in the target language four important elements, they are such as lexicon and grammatical
193 structure. The writer concluded that The translation process is of the translation only replace the twofold: language. It means that translation The translator needs to detect does not replace the contents of the possible modifications and flaws in the source language, such as the norms, original text and understand the the culture, the setting and tradition. meaning they intend to convey. To do this, the translator often needs to be TRANSLATION AS A PROCESS familiar with the contents of the text in Translation as a product is a order to clarify the ambiguities he has written text in a target language as the come across. end result of a translation process for a source-language text. The translator will un wrap the syntactic structure of the original text The translator is mainly a and then formulate the corresponding “message conveyor.” Thus a message in the target language, thus translation may be understood as the giving the original text added value in process whereby a message which is terms of both wording and impact. expressed in a particular source language is linguistically transformed Phases of Translation: in order to be understood by readers of The First Phase: Analysis of the target language. Actually, the the source text. translator is conveying the meaning The Second Phase: Transfer of expressed by the original writer so the the text into the target end reader gets a translated text that is language. faithful to the source text in meaning. The Third Phase: Revision of translation. When dealing with a translation, one of the processes included in the Analysis of the source text: work is the analysis of the ST. This The goal of this stage is complete analysis, called TOSTA (Translation understanding of the SL text. This may Oriented Source Text Analysis), helps include a number of steps: us discover the function of the text, the 1. General Reading of the source target readers (with different levels of text. knowledge and different ages), as well 2. Underlining the difficult words. as “ST elements that need to be 3. Looking up the difficult words preserved or adapted in translation” in a dictionary. (Nord 1991: 21). 4. Close reading of the source text after understanding the difficult Sometimes the translator finds it words. necessary to reconsider the original wording for better understanding of the source text in order to render it in the target language.
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Transfer of the text into the the level of the conceptual target language: representation). At this stage, the translator tries to 3. Cohesive level: the level where write a draft translation following you aim at making a cohesive certain steps: target text (and analyze the 1. Writing a draft translation of cohesion of the source text). the text in the target language. 4. Level of naturalness: the level 2. Paying special attention to the of constructing a natural target grammar and spelling of the text in an appropriate language. target text. 3. Including all the details The Textual Level: mentioned in the source text. At this level, you translate, or 4. Trying to make the target text transpose, the syntactic structures of as original as possible and the source text into corresponding sound natural not translated. structures in the target text. Often you will find that, for a variety of reasons, Revision of the translation: you will have to change these This stage aims at giving a correct structures into something quite and final translation as a target text. different further down the line to Revising of the translation when it is achieve target language naturalness. completed and trying to make it better by editing it: The Referential Level: 1. Make sure that all the details of As mentioned above, this is the the source text are found in the level of content, so here you operate target text. primarily with the message (or 2. Check the spelling and grammar information) or semantics of the text. of the target text. This is where you decode the meaning 3. Try to make the translated of the source text and build the version sounds natural in its conceptual representation. This is target language form. where you disambiguate polysemous 4. Read the translation after words and phrases and where you finishing the corrections without decode idioms and figurative referring to the source text to expressions. This is where you figure emphasize the naturalness of the out whether what the locution(s) and target text. illocution(s) of the source text are and what the perlocution might be. Levels of the Translation Process Once you have decoded the word In fact, Newmark asserts that the or expression in question, you encode process of translation operates in four it into an appropriate target language levels: expression. Note that there will be 1. Source text level: the source cases, like idioms and metaphors, in text itself and its immediate which you will have to use literal impression on the translator. expressions in the target language, 2. Referential level: the level of because it does not have any content of the text (technically corresponding idioms or metaphors.
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The referential level and the makes things more complicated as textual level are, of course, closely naturalness often depends on the intertwined, as the nature and texture situation, such that something might of the source text convey the message, seem natural in one context but and, of course, you also encode the unnatural in another. Perhaps, the only message, using language, into the way, to ensure naturalness is to read target text. through your translation and spot unnaturally sounding parts and change The Cohesive Level: them into something that sounds more The cohesive level links the textual natural. This is something that most and the referential levels in that it people skip when they do translations. deals with the structure/format of the text and information as well as with Sonet 12 what Newmark (1988) calls the mood Sonnet 12 is one of 154 of the text. sonnets written by the English At the structural sublevel, you playwright and poet William investigate how various connectors, Shakespeare. It is a procreation such as conjunctions, enumerations, sonnet within the Fair Youth sequence. repetitions or reiterations, definite articles and determiners, general In the sonnet, the poet goes category labels, synonyms, through a series of images of punctuation marks, simple or complex mortality, such as a clock, a withering conjuncts, link sentences and structure flower, a barren tree and autumn, etc. the text and what Newmark (1988) Then, at the "turn" at the beginning of calls its train of thought – which is the third quatrain, the poet admits that basically its underlying information the young man to whom the poem is structure. addressed must go among the "wastes You establish its tone by finding of time" just as all of the other images so-called value-laden and value-free mentioned. The only way he can fight passages, such as subjective and against Time, Shakespeare proposes, is objective bits, euphemisms, and other by breeding and making a copy of him. framing devices, framing being the strategy of linguistically presenting The sonnet is one long sentence, something in the perspective of one's which helps to show the theme of time own values and worldview, in a way and its urgency. It also suggests that it promoting these. All of this will have is one full and rounded thought, rather to be somehow transferred into the than many different points. There are target text so you achieve maximal also many contrasts showing time's equivalence at this level. power such as the words, "lofty" and The level of naturalness: "barren" when describing the trees, This level is target text oriented alluding to time's power over all of focusing exclusively on the nature. This sonnet also shows the construction of the target text. power of time, in that it is deadly and Random, unpredictable things that just not merciful. Shakespeare shows seem unnatural in the target language time's power by using the descriptive
196 words of "white and bristly beard," across the globe for audiences of all "violet past prime," and "sable curls all ages. Known colloquially as "The silver'd o'er with white." One last Bard" or "The Bard of Avon," image to take note of is the fact that Shakespeare was also an actor and the the only way to defy time is by creator of the Globe Theatre, a creating new virtues and beauties. And historical theatre, and company that is to do this, Shakespeare tells the young visited by hundreds of thousands of man, is by creating descendants. This tourists every year. fact is shown in the volta, the last two lines of the sonnet, when Shakespeare His works span tragedy, comedy, says, "And nothing 'gainst time's and historical works, both in poetry scythe can make defence, / Save breed and prose. And although the man is the to brave him when he takes thee most-recognized playwright in the hence." world, very little of his life is actually known. No known autobiographical Sonnet 12 follows the structure of letters or diaries have survived to a typical Shakespearean sonnet. It modern day, and with no surviving consists of 14 lines of which 12 belong descendants, Shakespeare is a figure to three quatrains and the last two both of magnificent genius and belong to the couplet, with rhyme mystery. scheme abab cdcd efef gg. Reflecting this structure, the first three quatrains This has led to many develop an argument of despair, and interpretations of his life and works, the couplet suggests a (somewhat) creating a legend out of the commoner hopeful resolution. However, the from Stratford-upon-Avon who rose to argument of the poem may also be prominence and in the process wrote seen as reflecting the older structure of many of the seminal works that the Petrarchan sonnet: lines one provide the foundation for the current through eight are the octave which English language. concerns the decay that occurs in nature, and these lines are connected Poems and Sonnets, there are two through alliteration. Lines nine volumes of poetry and over 150 through fourteen form a rhetorical sonnets that are attributed to sestet concerning the decay of the Shakespeare. It is thought that beloved. although Shakespeare was a poet throughout his lifetime, he turned to Introduction to the Author (William poetry most notably during 1593 and Shakespeare) 1594 when a plague forced theatres in William Shakespeare was an London to shut down. English poet and playwright who is considered one of the greatest writers Shakespeare's sonnets were a to ever use the English language. He is collection of over 150 works that were also the most famous playwright in the published late in his life and without world, with his plays being translated any indication of when each of the in over 50 languages and performed pieces was composed. It is widely
197 thought that the sonnets were a part of And summer's green all girded up in a private diary that was never meant to sheaves be read publicly but nevertheless were Borne on the bier with white and published. bristly beard, Then of thy beauty do I question make, The sonnets have a contrasting set That thou among the wastes of time of subjects - one set chronicles the must go, poet's lust for a married woman with a Since sweets and beauties do dark complexion, known as "The Dark themselves forsake Lady," while the other describes a And die as fast as they see others conflicted or confused love for a grow; young man, known as the "fair youth." And nothing 'gainst Time's scythe can While it is not known or confirmed, make defence many in literature circles believe that Save breed, to brave him when he the sonnets accurately portray the heart takes thee hence. of the poet, leading the public to speculate on Shakespeare's views on Analysis: religion, sex, marriage, and life. First, a brief summary of Sonnet 12: Shakespeare presents a series of Critics have praised the sonnets as images suggesting the passing of time being profoundly intimate and and the ageing and decaying of living meditating on the values of love, lust, things. Observing how everything procreation, and death. Now a day, decays and dies, Shakespeare begins to Shakespeare is ranked as all-time most question the Fair Youth‟s beauty, popular English poets on history, along which he has been praising till now: with Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, even the Youth, young as he is now, and Walt Whitman. will grow old and die. And the only thing that can „defend‟ us from this Adaptation of Translation Process inevitable process is breeding, so that Analysis in “Sonet 12” as we grow old we can be content that we left behind something that will Part I outlast us. Analysis of the source text The first four lines of Sonnet 12 SONNET 12 introduce the poem‟s theme: the When I do count the clock that tells the passing of time. Shakespeare „count[s] time, the clock that tells the time‟, and And see the brave day sunk in hideous observes the sun („brave day‟) sinking night; below the horizon, giving way to the When I behold the violet past prime, „hideous‟ night. He sees violets And sable curls all silver'd o'er with withering and „past [their] prime‟ and white; the black hair of men (or women) in When lofty trees I see barren of leaves their prime turn to white as a result of Which erst from heat did canopy the the ageing process. herd,
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Lines 5-8 continue this succession hinting at the „waste‟ of a life if it is of images: tall and mighty trees not used to create new life through without leaves in the autumn which, bearing offspring. Sweet and beautiful when they had leaves, could provide things, Shakespeare says, „forsake‟ shelter from the sun or rain for the themselves, give themselves up to the animals in the wood; and the once- ravages of time, and die as quickly as green grasses of summer which have new things grow to replace them. been gathered up into hay bundles, and Again, Shakespeare is hinting here that have turned white where they have the natural order demands that men, been harvested and stacked up (a „bier‟ including the Youth, should sire is a sort of mobile table used at children to replace them when they funerals for conveying dead bodies, themselves decay and perish. and so the grasses are implicitly associated with human life). These two In the concluding couplet, images cleverly continue the images Shakespeare says that nothing can offered in the first quatrain, but also offer protection against time and death add something: the images being – both Time and Death, of course, offered to us are now hinting at often being personified with a scythe, associations with bearing and raising with Death as the Grim Reaper – children, even though the Bard is except having children, since this can talking about trees and grass. Note help you to „brave‟ or face Time (or how he focuses on the way the trees, Death) when he comes to take you. At when they were in the prime of least you can rest assured, as you summer, used their leaves to provide a wither and die, that you have done as shelter or „canopy‟ for the animals nature expected and that you will live under their leaves (under their care, on through your offspring. like symbolic children?); and look at One final word of analysis of Sonnet how he focuses on the grass which has 12: that word „brave‟, used in the last been cut and bundled up for the line, returns us to the „brave day‟ in harvest, a time when fruit and crops the second line of the sonnet. It are ripe for picking, suggesting ideas implicitly suggests that, although of fertility, which are designed to call putting on a brave face when to mind the Fair Youth‟s own prime confronted with Death won‟t save you and his fitness to produce children. from him, any more than the „day‟ or sun was kept in the sky when night In lines 9-12, Shakespeare makes came on, you will, in a sense, „rise this association explicit: all of these again‟ as the sun does, through your images of things once in their prime children. (It‟s probably going too far to now growing old prompt him to suggest there‟s a buried pun consider and analyze the Youth‟s own on sun/son going on here, though it has mortality. He, too, will lose his beauty been suggested that we find such and grow old. Note how Shakespeare wordplay later in Shakespeare‟s uses the phrase „the wastes of time‟, Sonnets.) with „wastes‟ not only suggesting a desolate (i.e. infertile) land but also
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Sonnet 12 is a great poem to something without showing fear; in analyze, because it provides a series of this case, that which much be endured images, beginning with Shakespeare is death, or time that will "take thee counting „the clock that tells the time‟, hence." which gradually and subtly move towards suggestions of breeding as a In the first 8 lines, the speaker way to defy time‟s destructiveness, describes evidence of the passage of until this solution is explicitly offered time in nature, using imagery that hints in the poem‟s final line. at the comparison he is about to make to a human life. For instance, the Sonnet 12 is one of the most "violet past prime" refers to a flower famous sonnets of English tradition. It that has wilted and faded. Young is one of the "procreation" sonnets of maids were often compared to flowers; the fair lord sequence. It directly in this case, the woman has aged and is addresses the fair lord, after no longer fertile. The "lofty trees" that contemplating the way that the passage are now "barren of leaves" also of time exemplifies itself in nature. reference the infertility that comes Though most of the poem laments the with old age, with the use of the word effects of time as unavoidable, the "barren. final couplet serves as a source of some hope in an otherwise wistful and Lines 7-8 reference harvested resigned sonnet. wheat being carted away, but they are The word "brave" appears twice in this also a metaphor for an old man being sonnet, once as an adjective describing carried to his own funeral. "Summer's "day" in line 2, and again in line 14 as green" can be interpreted as the man, a verb. In line 2, "brave day" is used who was once young and in his prime, in contrast to "hideous night," and thus but now has a "white and bristly beard. it seems that "brave" is meant to imply "The "white and bristly beard" literally a visual brightness and gallantry. In refers to the the last line, "brave" means to endure Whiskery growth around the grain. A scythe, with which it can cut down "bier" is a wagon or cart, but can also anything it chooses. Thus the only way mean a funeral bier, on which a coffin to "make defense" against Time with is carried to a funeral. its scythe is to "breed," preserving your youth in your progeny. This The "scythe" in line 13 is a tool with a image is used in Sonnet 60, line 12: long, curving blade, used to mow a "And nothing stands but for his scythe crop. Time is often depicted wielding a to mow.”
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Part II Transfer of the text into the target language (Literal Translation)
Source Text Target Text SONNET 12 SONNET 12
When I do count the clock that tells the Saat saya menghitung jam yang time; memberitahukan waktu,
Dan melihat hari yang berani tenggelam And see the brave day sunk in hideous dalam malam yang mengerikan; night; Saat aku melihat masa lalu yang ungu,
When I behold the violet past prime; Dan rambut ikal kusut semua berwarna perak dengan warna putih; And sable curls all silver'd o'er with white; Saat pepohonan luhur aku melihat tandus daun;
When lofty trees I see barren of leaves; Yang erst dari panas kanopi-kanopi;
Dan warna hijau musim panas digabung Which erst from heat did canopy the dalam berkas gandum; herd; Borne pada bier dengan jenggot putih; And summer's green all girded up in sheaves; Lalu kecantikanmu yang harus kuberikan;
Borne on the bier with white and bristly Bahwa di antara sisa-sisa waktu harus beard; pergi;
Then of thy beauty do I question make; Karena permen dan kecantikan sendirilah; That thou among the wastes of time must go; Dan mati secepat mereka melihat orang lain tumbuh; Since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake; Dan tidak ada yang mendapatkan waktu sabit bisa membuat pertahanan; And die as fast as they see others grow;
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Source Text Target Text Simpan berkembang biak, untuk berani saat dia mengambilmu karenanya. And nothing 'gainst Time's scythe can make defence;
Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence.
Part III Revision of the translation
Source Text Target Text SONNET 12 SONNET 12
When I do count the clock that tells the Ketika saya menghitung jam yang time; menunjukkan waktu,
Menatap malam tenggelam yang And see the brave day sunk in hideous mengerikan pada hari yang berani; night; Saat aku melihat masa lalu yang kelam,
When I behold the violet past prime; Berambut ikal kusut berwarna perak dan warna putih; And sable curls all silver'd o'er with white; Saat aku melihat pepohonan tua yang tandus;
When lofty trees I see barren of leaves; Dahulu kala di suatu tempat yang sangat panas; Which erst from heat did canopy the herd; Musim panas yang member kesejukkan dalam balutan ladang gandum; And summer's green all girded up in sheaves; Terlihat seperti jenggot yang sudah memutih;
Borne on the bier with white and bristly Lalu kecantikanmu yang harus beard; kuberikan;
Then of thy beauty do I question make; Diantara sisa-sisa waktu yang harus
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Source Text Target Text pergi; That thou among the wastes of time must go; Manis dan kecantikan sendirilah;
Since sweets and beauties do themselves Yang mati secepat disaat yang lain forsake; tumbuh;
And die as fast as they see others grow; Dan tidak ada waktu yang bisa membuat bertahan; And nothing 'gainst Time's scythe can make defence; Tetap hidup menjaga anak-anak, untuk berani saat dia akan mengambilmu.
Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence.
The revision words from Source was changed by Malone (ed. Text (ST) into Target Text (TT): 1780) to all silver'd o'er, due to Malone's insistence that or was count (1): count the chimes. a printing mistake. However, (berbunyi) some editors leave or, hideous (2): The exact believing it refers to the meaning here is likely derived heraldic color gold (see Tucker from the Old ed. 1924). (keemasan) French hisde meaning dread. Malone's simple explanation Thus we have a balanced seems to make most sense, antithesis in brave/day and especially if we hideous/night. (malam yang compare Hamlet: Hamlet. His mencekam) beard was grizzled-- prime (3): peak; also a no? Horatio. It was, as I have continuation of the extended seen it in his life, A sable time metaphor as prime was silver'd. (1.2.242) the first hour of the day, canopy (6): shelter. usually 6 a.m. or the hour of erst (6): formerly. (dahulu sunrise (OED). (utama, awal) kala) sable (4): darkest brown. Note summer's green the extensive color imagery (as (7): Shakespeare here uses a we also see in Sonnet 73) -- literary device known violet, sable, green, silver, as synecdoche (by which a white. (warna hitam, gelap) specific part is taken for the all silver'd o'er (4): The whole); thus summer's green is original, Q's or siluer'd ore,
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the bounty of crops. hulls, are personified as the (kesejukkan di musim panas) body of an old man, carried on girded up (7): tied up tightly a cart or wagon to church, (the first use of the term as wrapped tightly in his shroud, such in English). with his protruding white (berkepanjangan) beard. And...beard (8-9): One of the breed (14): children. most striking metaphors in the brave (14): challenge. sonnets. The harvested crops, carried on the bier, wrapped tightly with protruding pale lecturer at Institut Pendidikan Tapanuli CONCLUSION Selatan for his encouragement. Sonnet 12 is a great poem to analyze, because it provides a series of images, beginning with Shakespeare counting „the clock that tells the time‟, which gradually and subtly move towards suggestions of breeding as a way to defy time‟s destructiveness, until this solution is explicitly offered in the poem‟s final line.
Sonnet 12 is one of the most famous sonnets of English tradition. It is one of the "procreation" sonnets of the fair lord sequence. It directly addresses the fair lord, after contemplating the way that the passage of time exemplifies itself in nature. Though most of the poem laments the effects of time as unavoidable, the final couplet serves as a source of some hope in an otherwise wistful and resigned sonnet.
Acknowledgements I sincerely thank to Dr. Wan Anayati, M.A. as the Dean of Universitas Harapan Medan for the guidance and support during my writing of this paper. Many thanks go to my parents, my daughter, husband, family and friends. I am also grateful to Ilham Sahdi Lubis, S.Pd., M.Si. as the
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REFERENCES
Kim Ebensgaard Jensen, Basics of Translation, The process of translating– spring 09.
Newmark, Peter,1988, A textbook of translation. Prentice-Hall International (New York).
Nord, C. (1991). Text analysis in translation: Theory, methodology and didactic application of a model for translation-oriented text analysis.
Shakespeare, William. The Sonnets of Shakespeare. Ed. T. G. Tucker. Cambridge: UP, 1924.
Shakespeare, William. The Works of Shakespeare. Ed. John Dover Wilson. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1969.
Chambers, William. Chambers's etymological dictionary of the English language. London: W. & R. Chambers, 1882.
Sekilas tentang penulis : Mayasari Lecturer at Faculty of Languages and Communication, Universitas Harapan Medan, Indonesia
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