Domestication and Foreignization and Their Impacts to Translation
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DOMESTICATION AND FOREIGNIZATION AND THEIR IMPACTS TO TRANSLATION Johnny Prasetyo Andy Bayu Nugroho Indonesian Institute of the Arts, Surakarta ABSTRACT There are four problems in translating a text. The first and main problem is the language factor. The second problem is a social one, the third is the problem that has something to do with religion or belief, and the fourth one is the cultural problem. In short, the problems have a close relation to the language and culture. So, a translator should have a good mastery of the two languages, namely, the source language and the target one. This article discusses the problems of translation having to do with culture and its impacts to translation. The strategy of a translator to overcome the problems is determined by his/her ideology: domestication or foreignization. Key words: domestication, foreignization, translation impact INTRODUCTION Translating is an activity involving at A language is the cultural and personal least two languages. To translate, expression of the speaker so that the however, is not an easy task to do language influences how the speaker because we do not simply transform the perceives the world. The fact has a great meaning of a word into another meaning in influence on translating activities. the same order. Translating in such a way According to Hariyanto, “If language cannot be done because “languages are influences thought and culture, it means not nomenclatures and the concepts of that ultimate translation is impossible”. one language my differ radically from those However, Chomsky’s opinion concerning of another” (Culler in Ordudary, 2007). The “deep structure” and “surface structure” greater a gap between the source expresses the reverse. It is possible for us language and the target one, the more to do translation although there are many difficult it is for us to translate. obstacles we have to overcome. Nida and Another factor that makes translating a Taber (1982:4) encourage translators to brain racking activity is the cultural factor. continue translating by saying: “anything Regardless of the dispute that language is that can be said in one language can be a part of culture or the reverse, translation said in another, unless the form is an has something to do with two aspects. essential element of the message”. Both aspects relate to and influence one another. “Bahasa maupun kebudayaan LANGUAGE CIRCLE Journal of Language and Literature Vol. VIII/1 October 2013 1 merupakan hasil dari pikiran manusia Southeast Asia by emphasizing that it sehingga ada hubungan korelasi di antara “whitens your teeth.” They found out that keduanya” (Sutrisno, 2005:13-4). Parallel the local natives chew betel nuts to to the statement, Lotman (1978:211-32 in blacken their teeth which they find James) said that “no language can exist attractive. unless it is steeped in the context of Cronin (2006) adds that, according to culture; and no culture can exist which Agleton, the foundation of the world is does not have at its centre, the structure of culture, not god or Nature. He goes on natural language”. saying that: Based on the discussion above, one “The promotion of culture as a primary translating one language into another will concept is indeed implied in translation have many obstacles if the translator does studies itself in the ‘cultural turn’ the not have enough knowledge of the culture discipline took in the late 1970s and of the language. Translators are 1980s. where the use of ‘culture’ permanently faced with the problem of how becomes problematic is not so much in to treat the cultural aspects implicit in a whether we intend the term in an source text (ST), and of finding the most anthropological (what humans do in appropriate technique of successfully their daily lives) or an aesthetic sense conveying these aspects in the target (what humans do in the realm of language (TL). To illustrate this we have creative expression) but in how provided a few examples. cultures have come to understand The first example is that “Malinowski culture.” gagal menerjemahkan bahasa Kiriwian ke dalam bahasa Inggris karena ia hanya This paper will deal with the relation membawa data-data kebahasaan tanpa between culture and translation, their data-data cultural dan sosialnya” (Santoso, problem and impacts. 2003:14). Two other occurrences that can be CULTURE AND TRANSLATION used as an example are dealing with There are many translation experts but advertisements. A company advertised their definitions of translation are different eyeglasses in Thailand by featuring a from one another. Despite the variety of cute animals wearing glasses. completeness or incompleteness of the The ad was a poor choice since animals definitions they have made, they did not are considered to be a form of low life and take culture into consideration in making no self respecting Thai would wear the definitions. Take a look at the following anything worn by animals (Payne). definitions: Pepsodent tried to sell its toothpaste in 2 LANGUAGE CIRCLE Journal of Language and Literature Vol. VIII/1 October 2013 Catford (1965:20) stated that language message, fist in term of meaning “translation is the replacement of textual and secondly in terms of style”. material in one language by equivalent It is true that the definition does not textual material in another language”. In allude to culture explicitly but based on the this definition, “equivalent textual material” explanation on the phrase “closest natural is thought as something important although equivalent” we can conclude that culture what is meant by “equivalent” has not been has been taken into consideration clear yet. Something clear and real in the (Hariyanto). The concept of “closest definition is that it does not allude to natural equivalent” comes from Nida’s culture at all. concept of dynamic equivalent. The Another expert of translation making a example he gave was the phrase “Lamb of definition of translation is Newmark God” taken from Bible, which was (1988:5). According to him: “it is rendering translated into Eskimo language. The word the meaning of a text into another “Lamb” here symbolizes innocence, language in the way that the author especially in the context of sacrifice. As we intended the text”. There is a slight all know the Eskimo are not familiar with difference in this definition compared to an animal called “lamb”. Consequently, the Catford’s. Newmark mentioned explicitly word symbolizes nothing if it is translated that what is conveyed from one language in accordance with the real meaning of it. into another is meaning. The meaning And the appropriate choice is the phrase should be suitable with the meaning “Seal of God”. Here, the cultural aspect is intended by the writer in the source taken into consideration. language. This definition, however, has nothing to do with culture. CULTURE AND LANGUAGE Other experts, Hatim and Munday Talking about culture, there are three items (2004:6), stated that translation is “the to which we should pay attention, namely, process of transferring a written text from sociofacts, mentifacts, and artifacts source language( SL) to target language (Poland). The three items are often called (TL)”. This definition is not different from the pillars of culture. Each society has their those expressed by Catford and Newmark. own pillars of culture which is different from Culture is not mentioned at all. other society has. The definition of translation expressed Sociofacts are closely related to the by Nida and Taber is a slight different from relationship of a man and other people, those of the above experts. Nida and behavior and attitude. The relation pattern Taber (1969) wrote: Translating consists in of members of a community to each other reproducing in the receptor language the in Indonesia is different from that in closest natural equivalent of the source America. In Indonesia, a person coming LANGUAGE CIRCLE Journal of Language and Literature Vol. VIII/1 October 2013 3 home from a far distance place for a long influenced by beliefs, social relations, and time will be asked by his/her friends by this artifacts of a society. expression: “Do you have a gift for Raymond Williams (1994:56) states me?”(Mana oleh-olehnya?). this is a that there are three common categories in natural and common question. The person the definition of culture. The three asked the question will not get angry categories are based on ideal, although the answer to the question is “I’m documentary, and social categories. It is tired.” In America, the question will be stated clearly that language has a close “How’s the trip?” and the answer is “It’s relation to culture. tiring”. “Then, second, there is the Another example on the different ‘documentary’, in which culture is the body relationship of people in one country to the of intellectual and imaginative work, in other is given by Payne. An oil rig which in a detailed way, human thought supervisor in Indonesia shouted at an and experience, the detail of language, employee to take a boat to shore. Since it form and convention in which these are is no-one berates an Indonesia in public, a active, are described and valued.” mob of outraged workers chased the Newmark (1988:94) has a different supervisor with axes. definition of culture. According to him, Mantifacts are related to belief and culture is “the way of life and its tradition. A society has a belief and manifestation that are peculiar to a tradition different from another society. community that uses a particular language Religion, for instance, plays an important as its means of expression.” So, the role in Indonesia and becomes the first language used by a society is influenced principle in Pancasila.