AN ANALYSIS OF THE TRANSLATION OF CULTURAL TERMS IN THE SUBTITLING OF “MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA” MOVIE
A THESIS BY
AYU WAHYUNI IDRUS REG. NO. 080705050
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
Approved by the Department of English, Faculty of Cultural Studies University of Sumatera Utara (USU) Medan as thesis for The Sarjana Sastra Examination.
Head, Secretary,
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Alhamdulillah, in the name of ALLAH SWT, the writer would like to thank
God, the Almighty for His blessing on me. For His guidance and the grace, the
power and chance He had given the writer to accomplish this thesis.
The writer’s sincere gratitude also goes to the Dean of Faculty of Cultural
Studies, University of Sumatera Utara, Dr. H. Syahron Lubis, M.A, the Head and
Secretary of English Department, Dr. H. Muhizar Muchtar, M.S, Dr. Hj. Nurlela,
M.Hum, and all of the lecturers and the staff of English Department, for all the
facilities and opportunities given to the writer during the study.
First and foremore, I would like to thank the writer’s supervisor and co –
supervisor, Dr. H. Syahron Lubis, M.A and Drs. Yulianus Harefa, MEd TESOL for
their guidance support, advice and constructive comments during the writing of this
thesis.
The writer’s special thanks are expressed to the writer’s beloved parents,
Idrus Siregar, S.H. and Hj. Norma, beloved sister Indri Yanti Idrus, Juliana Sham and
also for my beloved little sister Ela Erdiyanti Idrus and Putri Ramadani Idrus for
giving me support and attention.
Many thanks are addressed to the writer’s best friends Asfani Djayanti, Lia
Agustina, Ira Annisa Rachman, Sitti Fatimah and also all the student’s of 2008.
Last but not least, the writer would like to express special thanks to someone
that the writer cannot tell his name in this thesis who has given me a generous
support, attention and a lot of care during the writing of the thesis, may Allah bless
them all.
Amin.
The writer
AYU WAHYUNI IDRUS
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TITLE OF THESIS : AN ANALYSIS OF THE TRANSLATION OF CULTURAL TERMS IN THE SUBTITLING OF “MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA” MOVIE
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ABSTRAK
“Memoirs of a Geisha” merupakan salah satu novel yang ditulis oleh Arthur
Golden pada tahun 1997. Novel ini juga merupakan salah satu novel terlaris dan
telah diterjemahkan ke dalam 32 bahasa. Selain itu, novel ini juga telah diangkat ke
dalam sebuah film yang disutradarai oleh Rob Marshall dengan judul yang sama
pada tahun 2005. “Memoirs of a Geisha” merupakan objek dari tesis ini. Tesis ini
menganalisis strategi – strategi yang dilakukan oleh penerjemah dalam
menerjemahkan istilah – istilah kebudayaan yang terdapat didalam teks (subtitling)
dari film ini dan menganalisis berbagai kategori dari berbagai istilah kebudayaan
yang terdapat di dalam teks yang berbahasa Inggris dari film “Memoirs of a Geisha”
tersebut. Fokus analisis ini adalah terjemahan yang terdapat di dalam teks (subtitling)
dari film “Memoirs of a Geisha” tersebut, dimana di dalam teks (subtitling) film ini
terdapat beberapa istilah kebudayaan yang tidak dapat diterjemahkan oleh
penerjemah karena berbagai istilah kebudayaan tersebut merupakan istilah – istilah
kebudayaan yang berasal dari Jepang. Selain itu, penerjemah juga mengkategorikan
berbagai istilah kebudayaan tersebut kedalam teori penerjemahan. Dan di dalam teori
terjemahan, kategori dari berbagai istilah kebudayaan tersebut dapat berupa ekologi,
kebudayaan material, kebudayaan sosial, organisasi, dan kebiasaan.
TABLE OF CONTENT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...i
AUTHOR’S DECLARATION...ii
COPYRIGHT DECLARATION...iii
ABSTRACT...iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS...vi
CHAPTER I : INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the Study...1
1.2 Problems of the Study...4
1.3 Objectives of the Study...5
1.4 Scope of the Study...5
1.5 Significance of the Study...6
CHAPTER II : REVIEW OF LITERATURE 2.1 Definition of Translation...7
2.2 Process of Translation...8
2.3 Function of Translation...9
2.4 Strategies of Translation...10
2.5 Translation and Culture...12
2.6 Categories of Cultural Terms...13
CHAPTER III : METHOD OF RESEARCH
3.1 Method of Research...18
3.2 Source of Data...18
3.2 Method of Collecting Data...19
CHAPTER IV : DESCRIPTION AND FINDING
4.1 Data Description...20
4.2 Finding...21
CHAPTER V : CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
5.1 Conclusions...29
5.2 Suggestions...30
REFERENCES
APPENDIX I : Biography of Arthur Golden APPENDIX II : Texts of “Memoirs of A Geisha”
ABSTRAK
“Memoirs of a Geisha” merupakan salah satu novel yang ditulis oleh Arthur
Golden pada tahun 1997. Novel ini juga merupakan salah satu novel terlaris dan
telah diterjemahkan ke dalam 32 bahasa. Selain itu, novel ini juga telah diangkat ke
dalam sebuah film yang disutradarai oleh Rob Marshall dengan judul yang sama
pada tahun 2005. “Memoirs of a Geisha” merupakan objek dari tesis ini. Tesis ini
menganalisis strategi – strategi yang dilakukan oleh penerjemah dalam
menerjemahkan istilah – istilah kebudayaan yang terdapat didalam teks (subtitling)
dari film ini dan menganalisis berbagai kategori dari berbagai istilah kebudayaan
yang terdapat di dalam teks yang berbahasa Inggris dari film “Memoirs of a Geisha”
tersebut. Fokus analisis ini adalah terjemahan yang terdapat di dalam teks (subtitling)
dari film “Memoirs of a Geisha” tersebut, dimana di dalam teks (subtitling) film ini
terdapat beberapa istilah kebudayaan yang tidak dapat diterjemahkan oleh
penerjemah karena berbagai istilah kebudayaan tersebut merupakan istilah – istilah
kebudayaan yang berasal dari Jepang. Selain itu, penerjemah juga mengkategorikan
berbagai istilah kebudayaan tersebut kedalam teori penerjemahan. Dan di dalam teori
terjemahan, kategori dari berbagai istilah kebudayaan tersebut dapat berupa ekologi,
kebudayaan material, kebudayaan sosial, organisasi, dan kebiasaan.
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the Study
Indonesia, the rich country, has many varieties of cultures, customs and
languages. That is why many tourists come to Indonesia. Many tourists are interested
in studying cultures in Indonesia like the customs and languages. The tourists know
that every area or region in Indonesia has its own customs, cultures and languages
which is different from others. However, from the all of the varieties, the most
important thing of the varieties is the language.
Language as a means of communications has been used by human beings for
thousands of years. Language is used by humans to communicate to each other, to
express their thought, feeling, or ideas either in spoken or written language. It
conveys one message in human mind into utterances. Saussure (1915:16) states that
language is a system of sign that express ideas.
As human being, people always feel curious about everything that happen in
this world like news, gossip, and entertainment. People can do it by reading
magazines, newspapers, and by browsing internet. And nowadays, many scientific
and non – scientific books are translated into Bahasa Indonesia, such as text – book,
novels, articles, etc. So without the ability to master foreign language, the people still
difficult get the information. Finnally, it can be a problem for the people to read and
to understand it. Therefore, the way to solve this problem is to translate foreign
language into local language that called translation.
Translation work is a complex task. It requres competency in both languages;
the source language (SL) that is the language to be translated and the target language
(TL), the language into which it is to be changed and also the cultural background of
both languages.
Translation means transferring the meaning of SL into TL (Larson 1984:3)
whereas Catfortd (1965:1) defines translation as the replacement of textual material
in SL by equivalent textual material in TL. And the last, according to Larson
(1984:2) cites “Translation, then consists of studying the lexicon, grammatical
in order to determine its meaning, and then reconstructing this same meaning using
the lexicon and gramatical structure which are appropiate in the TL and its cultural
context.”
Every language has different style or ways in conveying ideas or messages.
Adapting Sapir, Blount (1974:120) cites, “No two languages are ever sufficiently
similar to be considered as representing the samesocial reality. The worlds in which
different societies live are distinct world”. In Indonesia language, the word beras,
padi, nasi, gabah, only have one equivalent word in English, that is rice. How about
the word sarung in Indonesia language should be translated in English? The society
in Britain or the other countries might be do not recognize the object. In this case, the
translator should know the appropriate words for the cultural adjustment to the
cultural words.
The most important thing to take into account by a good translator, the
meaning which is being transferred must be held constant. And it will not be
succesfully transfered if the translator neglets the cultural adjustment from the SL
into the TL.
As Hartley (1982:191) says, “Communication between members of different
cultures is possible because of an underlying sameness of human experience the
world over and human’s ability to adjust to new modes of behaviour.”
From the statement above, it is obvious that language is a large and
significant role in the totality of culture. The differences between cultures bring
about difficulties in the process of translating from one language into another that is
divergent and unrelated.
In translating, there is the terms “context of culture” must fully clear to the
hearer or reader to understand a language (Bronislaw 1999:72) and Bassnet
(1999:126) believes that translation must take place within a framework of culture.
There is a tight relationship between translation and culture. If the translation is
related to culture, the translation is not simply matter of seeking other words with
similar meaning. Simply, when the translator wants to translate a text, the translator
can not translate it directly. The translator has to analyze it first before reconstructing
The word ‘culture’ has some meanings. For some people, it refers to an
appreciation of good art, song, food, and literature. Tylor (1871) says that culture is
“that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, moral, custom, and
any other capabilities and habit acquired by man as member of society”.
Newmark (2000:1) defines culture as “the way of life and its manifestations
that are peculiar to a community that uses a particular language as its means of
expression”. Whereas Gohring (1995) says that culture is one need to know to judge
where's people behavior conform or deviates and in order to make one's own
behavior conform to the society.
Based on those definiton of culture above, it can be conclude that every
society has own culture, which is different from each other. The scope of the culture
is very complex. The culture covers all the human need. The speech, behavior,
thought are influenced by culture and it is clear that understanding of culture enable
individuals relate to other people from different place. The expression of culture can
be seen from the behavior, norms, values, and belief of people. Therefore, the people
can learn the culture of certain society.
In understanding culture, the cultural terms should be understand. According
to Kotter (1992), which formally defines culture as a whole pattern of behavior that
is reflected in social life, religion, art, and institutional as well as all the result of the
human mind and work on an entity certain people. Meanwhile, Koentjaningrat
(2000) provides systemic understanding of a whole culture of ideas, actions, and
works of the context of a society that is used as a human being by means of learning.
Culture has three categories or forms, namely: Firstly, culture as a complexity
of ideas, values, norms, and rules. Culture form in this context is a form of cultural
ideal rights are abstract. Example of this culture form is a system of cultural values,
norms, laws, and regulations such manner. Secondly, culture as a complex activity
pattern of human behavior in society. Culture form in this context is reffered to as a
social system consisting of human activities that interact, hang out, and the basis of
certain behavioral pattern of governance. The second form of this culture more
concrete because it can be observed and documented. Thirdly, culture as objects of
human handiwork. The third manifestation of this culture is a culture of physical and
This thesis works on cultural terms in the subtitling of “Memoirs of a Geisha”
movie. The writer chooses this movie because in the subtitling of “Memoirs of a
Geisha” movie is found some words that is not translated by the translator. Subtitling
is a secondary or explanatory title, as of a book or play, a book title repeated at the
top of the first page of text and one or more lines of text, as a translation of dialogue
in a foreign language, appearing usually at the bottom of a film or video image.
The problems that is found in the subtitling of “Memoirs of a Geisha” movie
is when the writer sees the subtitling of the movie, the writer sees there are some
words that is not translated by the translator. The translator does not get the
equivalence of those words. Finally, the translator uses the strategies of translation
and the cultural categories in the translation studies. The strategies of translation and
cultural categories of cultural terms are the main discussion of this thesis.
“Memoirs of a Geisha” is a Japanese movie. “Memoirs of Geisha” is a movie
that uses some words from Japanese culture. Japan is a rich country with various of
the diversities in forefathers cultures. Eventhought the developing of technology in
Japan has up date in every minute, the cultural sides in Japan are still conserved until
now. Samurai, Tempura, Matcha, Sukiyaki, Nigiri-zushi, Norimaki, Sashimi, Shabu–
shabu are some words based on Japanese culture.
In this thesis, the writer wants to analyze the strategies of translation and the
cultural categories based on the words that are found in the subtitling of “Memoirs of
a Geisha” movie. And in the analysis of this thesis , the writer uses the strategies of
translation based on Baker’s Theory and the cultural categories based on Newmark’s
Theory. This study is important to explore the strategies in translating the cultural
terms due to one of the most challenging task in translating texts is found in the
differences between cultures (Firoozkoohi 2010).
1.2 Problems of the Study
The problems are formulated as follows:
1. What strategies does the translator use in translating the cultural terms in the
subtitling of “Memoirs of a Geisha” movie?
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The purposes of the study can be summarized as follows :
1. To find out the strategies of translating the cultural terms used in the subtitling
of “Memoirs of a Geisha” movie.
2. To find out the categories of cultural terms found in the translation and makes
the meaning of them into Indonesian.
1.4 Scope of the Study
In this thesis, the writer discussed about the cultural terms in the subtitling of
“Memoirs of a Geisha” movie is directed by Rob Marshall, and analyzes the
strategies are used by the translator based on Baker’s Theory and the categories of
the cultural terms based on Newmark’s Theory.
If the people take culture to be set of belief and practices which govern the
life of society, then language is the vehicle for the expression of those beliefs and an
instrument for finding out about the world. The first step that the people should do is
the people should have more knowledge about language and culture firstly. It is
caused language can not be saparated from culture; they are linked. So, without the
more knowledge about culture, the people can not analyze everything that is related
to language and culture.
A certain community with a certain language lives in the world of its own.
The people have their own lifestyle, attitudes, behaviour and perceptions and the
people express them through their language. A common language is the symbol of a
common culture. Although communication between members of different cultures is
possible because of human’s ability to adjust to new modes of behaviour, it becomes
serious difficulties to translator to find the equivalence of the cultural terms from one
society to another.
In this thesis, the writer devide the culture terms in categorization: ecology;
material culture, social culture, organisations, and gestures and habits. A scope need
1.4 Significance of the Study
This thesis is intended to be helpful theoretically and practically.
Theoretically, this thesis analyses the strategies and the categories of the cultural
terms in the subtitling of “Memoirs of a Geisha” movie. Therefore, the English’s
students can understand the strategies and the categories in translation according to
translation’s experts, so they can analyze that for their assigment, especially for
students that want to analyze the cultural terms. Practically, this thesis can be used as
references to study about the strategies and the categories of the cultural terms in the
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE 2.1 Definition of Translation
There are some definitons of translation and the following definitions have
been selected. Bell (1991:6) also says "Translation is the replacement of a
representation of a text in one language by a representation of an equivalent text in a
second language".
Nida and Taber (1982:12) state ‘translating consists in reproducing in the
receptor language the closest natural equivalent of the source language message, first
in the term of meaning secondly in the term of style’.
Kridalaksana (1999:19), “Penerjemahan sebagai pemindahan suatu amanat
dari bahasa sumber ke dalam bahasa sasaran dengan pertama-tama mengungkapkan
maknanya dan kemudian gaya bahasanya”. (Translation as transferring a message
from SL to the TL by firstly expresses the meaning and then the style of language).
Newmark (1988) states translation is an instrument of education and
instrument in transmitting culture. Foreign communities have their own language
structures and their own cultures, their own way of thinking and of expressing
themselves, but all these can be explained by translation. He also gives the
procedures to translate the cultural terms. He suggests that the translators should
discuss the author’s life or general background to help them to understand the next.
Newmark (1982) says translation theory attempt to give some insignt into the
relation between thought, meaning, and language; included the understanding of
cultures. He tries to emphasize that a translator has to bear in the intention of the
original in mind through out his work; the same emotional and persuasive intentions
as the original and the cultural flavour of the SL text.
Dubois (1991: 5) says, “Translation is the expression in another language (or
target language) of what has been expressed in another, source language, preserving
semantic and stylistic equivalences".
Bell (1991:6) also says "Translation is the replacement of a representation of
a text in one language by a representation of an equivalent text in a second
Based on those definitions above, it can be concluded that translation is an
expression of transferring the original message of the original author into another
language by using the exact meaning of words or the equivalent one and in terms of
style.
2.2 Process of Translations
Nida and Taber (1969) divides the process of translating into three stages
system: 1) Analysis the SL message into its simplest and structurally clearest form;
2) Transfer the message; and 3) Restructures the message in the TL to the level
which is most appropriate for the audience addressed.
Diagram:
SOURCE LANGUAGE TARGET LANGUAGE
The analysis begins with discovering basic element in SL, the process in
which grammatical relationship and the meaning of words or its combination are
analyzed. Then move to transfer the analyzed material into the mind of translator
from SL to TL. Then, the last phase is the phase where the translator rewrites or
re-expresses the material, which is readable and acceptable in terms of rule and style in
TL.
Furthermore, Nababan (1999:25) divides the process of translation in three
major steps. 1) Analyzing the ST; the first step is analyzing the text. Analyze the
linguistics and extra-linguistics elements in the text. Linguistics elements is the
elements deals with language, while extra-linguistics is the elements beyond the
language, such as the culture and the social context of the text. 2) Transfer the
meaning ; the second step is transferring the meaning. In this step the translator has Translation
Text
Restucturing Analysis
to find the equivalentof the ST. This process happens in mind (proses batin). It
means that this process is in the abstract form. 3) Reconstruction ; the last step is
reconstruction. After finding the equivalent of ST, we reconstruct it in the form of
TL becoming TT. In this step, we must decide what style that suits best to the text
and the readers.
2.3 Function of Translation
According to Hartley (1982:186), “ Translating is a particular kind of
communication and in all communication information is lost somewhere in the
channel between sender and receiver. There are cultural and linguistic obstacles
which may make the original messages or effects become difficult to achieve.”
There are three essential elements to form a process of communication. The three
elements are source, message and target. These three elements must be found in all
communication activities. In this case, translation is an interlingual communication
activity, that is the communication by using two different languages. Translation here
is a written communication.
Furthermore, (Allan Duff, 1989:5) states that, “Translation as the process of
conveying message across linguistic and cultural barriers, is an eminently
communicative activity”. Larson also says that the best translation is the one which
communicates, as much as possible, the TL speakers understood the same meaning
with the meaning that understood by the speakers of SL.
As the process of communication, translation functions as the medium in
conveying the message across linguistics and cultural barriers. It functions as a
bridge to carry the messages or meanings from the SL to the TL. Translation has
function as the medium between the SL and the TL.
Newmark (1988:10) states “ Translation is now used as much to transmit
knowledge and to create understanding between groups and nations, as to transmit
culture”. From his statement, it is obvious that translation is also fulfills the demand
for demand for many kinds of reading in the fields of education and science, the need
of good translation can not be denied. The people need the scientific information
Now, many countries complete to know up – to – date science, news, and
technology from the progressive countries. By translation, foreign language barrier is
no longer a problem to grasp the knowledge from other countries.
Translation helps the people to understand better the influence of the one
language on the other, and because translation involves contrast, it enable the people
to explore the potential of both language; their strength and weaknesses (Duff,
1989:6).
2.4 Strategies of Translation
Based on the diagram above, the people can now look at examples of
strategies that are used by professional translators for dealing with various types of
non – equivalence. In each example, SL word which represents a translation problem
is underlined. The strategy used by the translator is highlighted bold in both the
original translation and the back translated version. Only the strategies used for
dealing with non – equivalence at word level will be commented on.
According to Baker (1992), there are eight strategies that are used by
professional translators. The eight strategies are :
1. Translation using loan words in the source text.
2. Translation by cultural substitution.
3. Translation using a loan word or loan words plus explanation.
4. Translation by paraphrase using related words.
5. Translation by paraphrase using unrelated words.
6. Translation by omission.
7. Translation by illustration.
8. Translation by a more general word (superordinate).
In the “Memoirs of a Geisha” movie, the translator only uses the three
strategies based on Baker’s Theory. The three strategies are (1). Translation using
loan words in the source text, (2) Translation by cultural substitution and (3).
(1). Translation using loan words in the source text.
The using of loan words in the source text poses a special problem in
translaion. Quite apart from the respective propositional meaning, loan words such as
“au fait, chic, and alfresto” in English are often used for the prestige value, because it
can add an air of sophistication to the text or its subject matter. This is often lost in
translation because it is not always possible to find a loan word with the same
meaning in TL.
Example : ST : I certainly wasn’t born to the life of a Geisha.
TT : Aku tidak dilahirkan dalam kehidupan seorang Geisha. (2). Translation by cultural substitution.
This strategy involves a culture – specific items or expression with a target
language item which does not have the same propositional meaning, but it is likely to
have a similar impact on the target reader. The main advantage of using this strategy
is that it gives the reader a concept with which the reader can identify, something
fimiliar and appealing.
On individual level, the translator’s decision to use this strategy will largerly
depend on (a) how much licence is given to him / her by those who commission the
translation and (b) the purpose of the translation. On more general level, the decision
will also reflect, to some extent, the norms of translation prevailing in a given
community. Linguistic communities vary in the extent to which they tolerate the
strategies that involve significant departure from the propositional meaning of the
text.
In the “ Memoirs of a Geisha” , there are some words that used the cultural
substitution. The translator uses this strategy because the word is Japanese cultural in
communication that has the close relationship with others.
Example : ST : He looked at me, that’s all oneisan. TT : Dia melihatku. Itu saja, kakak.
(3). Translation using a loan word or loan words plus explanation.
This strategy is particularly common in dealing with culture – specific items
when the words in question are repeated several times in the text. Once explained,
the loan word can be used on its own ; the reader can understand it and is not
distracted by further lengthy explanations.
In the “ Memoirs of a Geisha”, the translator uses this strategy in order to the
reader can uderstand the meaning of the Japanese culture. The translator also uses
this strategies for the words that have some meaning for a Geisha, so that the
translation take the close meaning or right meaning, especially for a Geisha.
Example : ST : The Baron is a very special man to me, my ‘ danna’. TT : Baron orang yang spesial bagiku, Danna–ku( pelindung). 2.5 Translation and Culture
Bronislaw Malinowski was one of the first anthropologists to realize that
language could only be understood with reference to culture: a context of culture.
Moreover, Franz Boas (in Katan 73) added, "The form of language will be moulded
by the state of that culture." Sapir on the other hand was convinced that not only
importance of the social background but that future language studies would turn to a
concept of culture.
In different societies, people not only speak in different language and dialect,
but they are also using the language in a different way. The difference reflects the
different cultural values. This statement is in accordance with the definition given by
Newmark (1988:94) "The way of life and its manifestation that are peculiar to a
community that uses a particular language as its means of expression" which implies
that each language group have a culturally specific features.
Nababan (1984: 50) states “… Bahasa, sebagai system komunikasi,
mempunyai makna hanya dalam kebudayaan yang menjadi wadahnya… mengerti
sesuatu bahasa tertentu memerlukan sedikit banyak pengertian tentang kebudayaan”
(Language, as communication system, has meaning only in a culture in its
place...understanding something specific language requires a little more cultural
understanding). Therefore, any translator who wants to translate SL to TL must
understand the culture of both SL and TL.
If the translators take culture tobe a set of beliefs and practices which govern
the life of society, language is a vehicle for the expression of those beliefs, for their
world. Language is a key component of culture. It is the primary medium for
transmitting culture.
In the process of translating a text, a translator should translate the
expressions from culture context. Translation from one language to another language
cannot be done adequately without the knowledge of the two cultures a well as the
two language cultures. Larson (1988:431) says, “ The translator must know the
subject matter which he / she is translating. He / she must know the culture from
which the message originally came as well as the culture for which it is being
translated”.
Translation and culture has a close relationship. If the translator wants to
translate the text, the translator must know the concept of culture firstly. Larson
(1988:431) says, “the translators must know the subject matter which he / she is
translating. He / she must know the culture from which the message originally comes
as well as the culture for which it is being translated”.
Simply, culture is an important role in translation. The translation will be
easier if the translator is support by an adequate knowledge about the culture from
SL and TL. Finally, the translator must be aware in translating problems due to the
differences of culture between SL and TL.
2.6 Categories of Cultural Terms
Actually, there are many definitions of culture. The classic definition of
culture was given by Taylor (In “The Translation of Agatha Christie’s The Mirror
Crack’d to Dan Cermin pun Retak translated by Suwarni A.S:1997:25), an
anthropologist. He stated that “ Culture is that complex whole which includes
knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and other capabilities and habits
acquired by man as a member of society”. Culture issues from society in interaction.
The product of group interaction is its culture. The concept of culture pattern
provides a basic insight into the reason why group behavior is ordered and regular.
Culture patterns are intangible and exist only in the minds and habits of human
being.
The differences between cultures become problems in the process of
example, how the translator translates ‘ Selamat Tujuh Bulan’ into English. Cultural
disparities present the greates obstacle to translation. Translation fail occurs when it
is impossible to build functionally relevant features of the situation into the
contextual meaning of the target language text.
The translator must be aware of the translation problems due to the cultural
‘gap’ or ‘distance’ between the SL and TL. In finding out the meaning of word, he /
she cannot see simply by the word itself, but he / she has too see the cultural context
of the language also.
Newmark (1988) offers the cultural termscategories which may appear in
translation, i.e, ecology; material culture; social culture; organisation; gesture and
habits. He also tries to discuss the translation of cultural terms in the narrow senseas
follows:
1. Ecology – Animals, plants, local winds, mountains, plains, ice, etc.
According to L. J Henderson (1950:138) (In “The Tranlation of Agatha
Christie’s The Mirror Crack’d to Dan Cermin pun Retak translated by Suwarni
A.S:1997:29) “ The environments of an organism consists of those characteristics of
the external world which have an appreciable effect upon it. The environment varies
from one locality to another for the same species and from one species to another in
the same locality.”
Environments are different from one area to another. Every language has its
own words to call or naming things or natural features in their surrondings. Cultural
terms that are included in this category are words related with living organism and all
the various aspects of the environtments in which they inside.
Geographical features can be normally distinguished from other cultural
terms in that are usually value – free, politically and commercially. Nevertheless, the
diffusion depends on the importance of the country of origin as well as the degree of
specificity.
2. Material Culture (artefacts) – Food, clothes, housing, transport and
communications.
Material culture is clearly the product of man. Material culture is the
externalization or physical manifestation of the interaction of human beings. Its
about the relation with the environment and with one another. The idea that artifacts
are parts of a cultural system and are thus reflections of a society’s world view is the
basis for the work of the anthropologist who tries to reconstruct past cultures from
material remains.
Perhaps, the most important relationship between a species and its
environment is the process of food acquisition. How a society gets its food has
important ramifications for all other aspects of its culture.
Food is for many the most sensitive and important expression of national
culture; food terms are subject to the widest variety of translation procedures.
Clothes as cultural terms may be sufficiently explained to TL general readers if the
generic noun or classifier is added : e.g. ‘shintigin trousers’ or ‘basque skirt’, if the
particular is of no interest, the generic word can simply replace it. However, it has to
borne in mind that the function of the generic clothes terms is approximately
constant, indicating the part of the body that is covered, but the description varies
depending on climate and material used.
Clothes as cultural terms may be sufficiently explained for TL general readers
if the generic noun or classifier is added. For national customers, they are kept as the
original words e.g., sari, kimono, yulaka, kebaya, kaftan, and jubbah. However, it
has to be borne in mind that the function of the generic clothes terms is
approximately constant, indicating the part of the body that is covered, but the
description varies depending on climate and material used. Transport is dominated
by American. And the car, a sacred symbol in many countries of sacred private
property.
3. Social culture – work and leisure.
Man cannot exist in isolation. We live in society and make interaction.
Society exists in and through social interaction, a human beings react to others and in
turn are influenced by them. Social interaction is thus reciprocal and each member
governs his behavior in terms of the expectations of others. Each society has its own
way to establish social interaction, for example in greeting someone, a person from
the different society (specially with different language) has different expressions
Social culture is the product of social interaction. The groups of people
produce customs, ideas, belief, knowledge, attitudes, values, and behavior patterns
(acts) that are handed down from generation to generation. Certain society has
certain forms of daily activity, from eating and drinking to propitiating the
supranatural powers. In considering social culture one has to distinguish between
denotative and connotative problems to translation.
4. Social Organisations, customs, ideas – Political, social, legal, religious, artistic.
The political and social life of a country is reflected in its institutional terms.
Where the title of a lead of state or the name of a parliament are transparent, they are
easily translated, i.e, President, Prime Minister, and King, Senate. Where the name
of a parliament is not readily translatable, i.e, Bundenstag (German Federal
Parliament) is often transferred for an educated readership and glossed to a general
readership.
When a public body has a transparent name, the translation depends on the
setting. In official document and in serious publication such as textbooks, the title is
transferred and where appropiate, literally translated. Informally, it could be
translated by a cultural equivalent, e.g. The French Electricity Board or The Postal
Service.
5. Gestures and Habit (often desribed in ‘ non – cultural’ language).
Social interaction is a continuous and reciprocal series of contacts between
two or more socialized human beings. These contacts may be physical in the sense
that each person does something physically to the other; more often they are
simbolic, in the sense that each person exchanges symbolic meanings with the other,
in the form of language or other significant gestures. When two person interact, they
exchanges meaningful gestures – whether smile, signs, frowns, or yawns, and
sometimes a gesture can become a habit.
For ‘ gesture and habits’ there is a distinction between description and fuction
which can be made where necessary in ambiguous cases ; thus, if people smile a little
when someone dies, do a slow hand – clap to express a warning appreciation, give a
Many societies in different countries have their own way to express their
feelings and ideas through gestures. For example in India, people shake their head
oftenly while they are speaking, but Indonesian people won’t do that because it will
bring negative result to hearer. In certain society, kissing the finger tips could be
mean to greet ot to praise, and a slow hand clap to express warm appreciation, etc.
All of these occur in some cultures and not in others.
Finally, from the explanations above, the writer could comprehend that there
are five cultural categories in the translation. The cultural categories can help the
writer to identify the cultural terms in the subtitling of “Memoirs of a Geisha” movie.
Beside that, the cultural categories also help the students who want to study about
translation and the student can get the explanation about the cultural categories based
CHAPTER III METHOD OF RESEARCH 3.1 Method of Research
There are some methods applied in this research. Nawawi (1995:61) states
that method is conducted in order to reach a goal. In this analysis, a descriptive –
qualitative method is used. As quoted from Bungin (2001:124-125), “Data kualitatif
diungkapkan dalam kalimat serta uraian – uraian, bahkan dapat berupa cerita
pendek”. (Qualitative data is applied in sentence and description, even in short story).
Descriptive – qualitative method is used in order to explain and describe the
data. Descriptive method is a way in solving a problem by describing the facts of
subject / object of research as the way they are.
In this analysis, the library research method is applied also. Nawawi
(1993:30) “penelitian kepustakaan dilakukan dengan cara menghimpun data dari
berbagai literature baik di perpustakaan maupun tempat – tempat lain ”. Library
research is done by collecting the data from any kinds of source in the library or any
other places. All the information about cultural terms from linguistic books, internet,
dictionary and any other source are also used.
3.2 Source of Data
Azwar (2004) states 'the data is group of objects that are going to be
generalized by the result of research' (data adalah kelompok subjek yang hendak
dikenai generalisasi hasil penelitian).
Sample is part of population. The non-probability sampling approaches used
in this study is purposive sampling because only cultural terms which are trying to be
found in the SL and TL. This sampling approach is practical and economical to use.
The sample in this thesis is cultural terms in the subtitling of “Memoirs of a Geisha”
3.2 Method of Collecting Data
Data collection method used in this study, are as follows:
1. The writer watches the whole movie.
2. The writer takes the samples of data. Tabulate the data into tables and decides the
categories with its the meaning into Indonesian.
CHAPTER IV
DESCRIPTION AND FINDING 4.1 Data Description
“Memoirs of a Geisha” is a
love stories and has been translated into thirty – two languages around the world. It
started by the Chinese actresses
a
Filming was primarily done in California, and in some locations in Kyoto,
including
numerous awards, including nominations for six
Marshall was criticised in Japan for choosing a Chinese actress rather than a
Japanese one for a role having so much to do with traditional Japanese culture.
The film, set in Japan during the
Sakamoto (portrayed b
poor, young Japanese girl who has been sold along with her older sister Satsu into a
life of servitude by her parents when she is nine years old. Chiyo is taken in by the
proprietress of a geisha house, Mother
sold to another house in the
At the
okiya by attempting to run away. Instead of training to become a geisha she is given
manual labor to do to pay off the debt of her purchase. Hatsumomo
into ruining a kimono belonging to the well-known geisha Mameha
Under Mameha’s mentorship, Chiyo becomes the geisha named Sayuri, trained in all
the artistic and social skills, a geisha must master in order to survive in her society.
As a renowned geisha, she enters a society of wealth, privilege, and political intrigue.
As world war II looms in Japan, the Geisha’s world are changed by the onslaught of
history.
4.1Finding
In this thesis, the writer wants to analyze the two problems that are in the
subtitling of “Memoirs of a Geisha” movie . The first problem is the strategies of
translating the cultural terms in the subtitling of “Memoirs of a Geisha” movie. And
the second problem is the categories of cultural terms found in the translation and
makes the meaning of the terms into Indonesian. Finally, the writer tabulates the data
into tables and decides the categories with the meaning into Indonesian.
Based on the analysis of this thesis, there are three strategies that translator
done in translating the cultural terms in the subtitling of “Memoirs of a Geisha”
movie, they are translation using loan words in the source text, translation by cultural
substitution, and translation using a loan word or loan words plus explanation.
Beside that, there are five categories of cultural terms in translation that the writer
found in the subtitling of “ Memoirs of a Geisha”, they are Ecology, Material
Culture, Social Culture, Social Organisations, and Gestures and Habit.
1. Translation using loan words in the source text.
No SL (Source Language) TL (Target Language)
1 I certainly wasn’t born to the life of a Geisha.
Aku tidak dilahirkan dalam
kehidupan seorang Geisha.
2 It goes to this Okiya. All fifteen thousand yen. To this estate.
Uangnya masuk ke Okiya ini.
15.000 Yen ditujukan pada rumah
ini.
3 Who paid for that Kimono on your back, the rice in your bowl.
4 I am a Maiko now, an apprentice Geisha.
Aku seorang Maiko. Sekarang, Geisha yang sedang dilatih.
5 If Pumpkin drinks any more Sake, she will pass out.
Jika Pumkin minum lebih banyak
Sake, dia akan pingsan.
6 Your first Sumo match what? Pertandingan Sumo pertamamu. Apa?
7 Hataki-comi is a movement a smaller opponent uses to throw a
larger opponent off balance.
Hataki-comi adalah gerakan dari pesumo yang lebih kecil untuk
melempar lawannya yang lebih besar
hingga jatuh.
8 Ekubo. At the right moment, slip it to Nobu discreetly.
Ekubo. Disaat yang tepat, berikan diam-diam pada Nobu.
9 Has rooted to the earth as Sakura tree.
Berakar kuat ke dalam bumi seperti
pohon Sakura. 10 Kimono likes this made of
Tatsumura silk.
Kimono seperti ini terbuat dari sutra Tatsumura.
11 Well your cave is untouched. Men like that, we call this Mizuage.
Guamu belum tersentuh. Pria suka
itu, kami menyebutnya Mizuage.
12 The most famous Geisha in the Hanamachi.
Geisha paling terkenal di Hanamachi.
From the table above, the translator does the first strategy that is translation
using loan words in the source text. In the subtitling of “Memoirs of a Geisha”movie,
translator cannot get the equivalence of the words, especially the cultural equivalent.
The cultural equivalent is an approximate translation where a source language
Beside that, using loan words in the source text can also be called as
Borrowing that is in Direct or literal translation procedures. It is used when structural
and conceptual elements of the source language can be transposed into the target
language.
Borrowing is usually used in terms of new technical or unknown concepts, to
overcome a gap. Borrowing is the simplest of all translation method. According to
Haugen in Siregar (2009:37) there are some possibilities that may occur in this
procedure; first, borrowing with no change in form and meaning (pure loan words),
the second, borrowing with changes in form but without changes the meaning (mix
loan words) and the third, borrowing when part of the term is native and other part is
borrowed, but the meaning is fully borrowed (loan blends).
Based the table above, there are fiften cultural terms in the subtitling of
“Memoirs of a Geisha” movie.
Example :
ST : I certainly wasn’t born to the life of a Geisha.
TT : Aku tidak dilahirkan dalam kehidupan seorang Geisha.
ST : It goes to this Okiya. All fifteen thousand yen. To this estate.
TT : Uangnya masuk ke Okiya ini. 15.000 Yen ditujukan pada rumah ini.
From the example above based on the table, the writer sees that the translator
can not translate the words of Geisha and Okiya in the subtitling of “Memoirs of a
Geisha” movie. It caused there’s no the equivalent of the cultural terms, so the
translator can not make the exactly meaning of the all of the cultural terms in the
subtitling of “Memoirs of a Geisha” movie and the translator uses the strategies in
2. Translation by cultural substitution.
No SL (Source Language) TL (Target Language)
1. The Baron gave it to me when he became my danna.
Baron memberikannya
padaku ketika menjadi
pelindungku.
2 He looked at me, that s all one-san. Dia melihatku. Itu saja, kakak.
3 My dear oka-san. Ibuku sayang
Based on the table above, translator uses the strategy of translation by cultural
substitution. In Japan, danna is a cultural subtitution. Danna is used for someone that
has close relationship with the others one. The words onesan and okasan are also
cultural subtitution that has close relationship.
ST : The Baron gave it to me when he became my danna.
TT : Baron memberikannya padaku ketika menjadi pelindungku.
ST : He looked at me, that is all one-san. TT : Dia melihatku. Itu saja, kakak.
In Japan, especially for Geisha, the word “Danna” is used for someone or the
girl as Maiko that has close relationship with the other men that women meet through
thier work, such relationships are carefully chosen and unlikely to be casual. The
translator does the strategies for giving the explanation to the reader that Danna,
Okasan and Onasan are the cultural substitution from Japanese culture that tight
relationship.
3. Translation using a loan word or loan words plus explanation. No SL (Source Language) TL (Target Language) 1 The Baron is a very special man
to me, my danna.
Baron orang yang spesial bagiku,
Danna-ku (Pelindung).
In this last table, the translator uses the strategy of translation using a loan
word or loan words plus explanation. It is used in the subtitling of “ Memoirs of a
Geisha” movie, in order to the readers or the audiences can understand the meaning
of the words. In the subtitling of “Memoirs of a Geisha”, the translator gives the
explanation for words “Danna and Mizuage” at once. Therefore, the reader or the
audiece can know the meaning of those cultural terms. Simply, the translator gives
the meaning, in order to the reader or the audience are misunderstanding about the
words because the words are very specifics meaning for a geisha.
Beside that, in the subtitling of “Memoirs of a Geisha” movie, the writer sees
some of the cultural terms based on Japanese culture. And finally, the writer
categorizes cultural terms and made the meaning of them into Indonesian.
In the “Memoirs of a Geisha” movie is found fifteen of the cultural terms that
is categorized by Newmark (1988:94).
No Cultural Terms
Categories Meaning
1 Geisha Custom (art) Kata geisha berarti seniman. Geisha semata – mata adalah pelayan
profesional yang menghibur tamunya
dengan talenta yang memukau dan
daya tarik yang luar biasa.
2 Okiya Material Culture (house)
Rumah geisha.
3 Kimono Material Culture (clothe)
Pakaian Jepang.
4 Danna Social Culture Danna adalah klien yang memiliki hubungan yang lebih dekat secara
emosional dan seksual dengan
seorang geisha. Memiliki seorang
danna bukanlah keharusan bagi
seorang geisha.
pemula . Secara literal mai = menari,
ko = anak, tetapi dalam konteks
geisha, maiko adalah seorang calon
geisha yang masih perlu dibimbing
dan harus menjalani masa latihan
(umumnya 5 tahun).
6 Sake Material Culture Minuman beralkohol dari beras. 7 Sumo Custom (art) Gulat.
8 Hatakicomi Concept (art)
Salah satu strategi menjatuhkan
lawan dalam sumo dengan
memanfaatkan kekuatan lawan.
9 Ekubo Material Culture (food)
Jajan dari beras ketan yang dibuat
untuk merayakan wanita yang
mendapatkan haid pertama (biasanya
di daerah Kyoto).
10 Sakura Tree Ecologi (flora) Bunga sakura. 11 Tatsumura
Silk
Material Culture Nama sutra.
12 Mizuage Concept Menarik dari air dari anggapan bahwa segala sesuatu yang ditarik
dari air pasti segar sebagaimana
halnya keperawanan seorang gadis.
13 Hanamachi Material Culture Kata Hanamachi secara literal berarti kota bunga (hana = bunga, machi =
kota). Kata ini adalah sebuah nama
yang mengacu pada distrik-distrik
tempat tinggal para geisha.
Based on the table above, the translator take out the fifteen cultural terms in
the subtitling of “Memoirs of a Geisha” movie to make them in the categories based
on the Newmark”s theory. And then, the translator makes them in Indonesian. The
translator makes them in Indonesian, in order to the reader can specify meaning from
the Japanese cultural terms. In order to the misunderstanding about the meaning can
not be happened, the writer gives the meaning and history of the cultural terms
below.
Newmark categories “Geisha” as custom (art). Custom can be included
dancing and singing. The word “geisha” itself literally means 'person of the arts' -
indeed the earliest geisha were men - and it is as performers of dance, music and
poetry that they actually spend most of their working time. But while many people
assume that geisha is just a Japanese word for a prostitute, the somewhat more
romantic word 'courtesan' is probably closer in nuance. But Newmark gives the
meaning of “Geisha” in Indonesia is “Seniman”.
The word “Okiya” is included as the material culture. The material culture
can be called something like house, clothes, and etc. An okiya is the lodging house in
which a
a geisha.But according to Newmark, Okiya has meaning “Rumah Geisha”.
“Danna” is a social culture. It means that a“danna” was typically a wealthy
man, sometimes married, who had the means to support the very large expenses
related to a geisha's traditional training and other costs. This sometimes occurs today
as well, but very rarely.
“Maiko” is the custom (art). Maiko (pronounced “my-ee-ko") is a Japanese
term meaning “Dancing Girls”, (a title given to women who are striving to perfect
themselves in the fine arts). It's exciting to see Maiko drum and dance across the
stage.
“Mizuage” is a concept of culture base on the Newmark’s Theory. Mizuage is
same as virginity of women or geisha. Mizuage was not considered by geisha to be
an act of prostitution. The money acquired for a maiko’smizuage was a great sum
autobiography as being an initiation party, symbolized on the geisha-to-be by a
change in hairstyle rather than the loss of virginity. It is a celebration of the passage
of girl (maiko) to woman (geisha).
Hanamachi is material culture. Nowadays, the term “hanamachi” is
commonly used in modern Japan to refer to the areas where modern-day okiya are
still operating.
And the last for words “Onesan and Okasan”. The words are used for close
relationship. Th
CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION 5.1 Conclusion
Based on all the topics and the analysis of the data presented, now the writer
comes to the conclusion that the study on the cultural terms in the work of translation
is very important. This is concerned with the purpose of translation, that is to transfer
the meaning of the SL text into the TL. In the process of interpreting a text, a
translator should interprete the expressions from cultural context. The knowledge of
cultural background here plays an important role especially when translating cultural
terms.
In the proces of translating the cultural terms, a translator was recommended
to use translation strategies to be applied according to the context of SL text, the
intention of the original author wants to convey, and the context of the readers of the
SL.
Finally, after having analyzed the strategies and the categories of the cultural
terms in this thesis, the writer draws some conclusions that there are fifteen of
cultural terms in the subtitling of “Memoirs of a Geisha” movie that translator
cannot translate them directly because the fifteen of cultural terms in the subtitling of
“Memoirs of a Geisha” movie are the Japanese culture terms. Therefore, translator
does the strategies in translating the cultural terms in the subtitling of “Memoirs of a
Geisha” movie.
In translation, there are eight strategies in translating the cultural terms, but in
this thesis the writer sees that the translator just uses three strategies in translating the
cultural terms, they are translation using loan words in the source text, translation by
cultural substitution and translation using a loan word or loan words plus
explanation.
From the strategies in translating the cultural terms that is in the subtitling of
“Memoirs of a Geisha” movie, the translator categorize the fifteen of cultural terms
into table and makes the meaning of the cultural terms in the subtitling of “Memoirs
categories in translation based on the cultural terms of the movie. And the last
analysis, the writer gives the more explanation about the caltural categories based on
the Newmark”s Theory, in order to avoid a misunderstanding about the Indonesian
meaning.
5.2 Suggestion
Besides the conclusions above, the writer also would like to give some suggestions to
the students and the readers and even to the translators:
- Since the translations take significant role as a process of communication: the
medium across the linguistic and cultural barriers in conveying the messages written
in the foreign languages; it is important for the people to study the Translation
Theory and make further research based on it.
- The writer would like to suggest the student or readers or translators to study the
cultural background which constitutes cultural terms in both languages in translating
a text.
- The writer would like to suggest the students or readers to study and use the
strategies of translation when translating a text in foreign language.
- Studying the strategies and categories in translation is very interesting, because the
reader can know how the translator translates the cultural terms in the subtitling of
the movie, especially in the subtitlling of “Memoirs of a Geisha” movie.
- The writer also suggests that the readers should change their perception about
geisha. Geisha is not only about prostitution, but also about arts and struggle life.
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(unpublished thesis)
APPENDIX I
Biography of Arthur Golden
Arthur Golden was born in 1956 and brought up in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
He is a 1978 graduate of Harvard College with a degree in art hitory, specializing in
Japanese art. In 1980, he earned an M. A. In Japanese history from Columbia
University, he also learned Mandarin Chinese. After a summer at Beijing University,
he went to work at a magazine in Tokyo. In 1988, he received an M. A. In English
from Boston University. He was lived and worked in Japan and since that time has
been teaching, writting, and literature in Boston area. Now, he lives in Brookline,
Massachusetts, with his wife and children.
After it released in 1997, Memoirs of a Geisha spent two year on The
Newyork Times bestseller list. It has sold more than four million copies in English
and it has been translated into thirty two languages around the world.
The movie “Memoirs of a Geisha” is a novel that was written by Arthur
Golden after interviewing a number of geisha and background information about the
world of geisha, especially in Japan.
In 2005, Memoirs of a Geisha was made into feature movie directed by Rob
APPENDIX II
Texts of “Memoirs of A Geisha” By : Rob Marshall
A story like mine should never be told for my world is as forbidden as it
fragile. Without misteries, it cannot survive. I certainly wasn’t born to the life of a
Geishalike so much in my strange life... I was carried there by the current. The first
time I knew my mother was sick...was when my mother threw the fish back into the
sea. The night we went hungry. “ To understand emptiness,” he told us. Mother
always said my sister Satsu was like wood. As rooted to the earth a Sakura Tree.
But, she told me I wa like water. Water can curve its way, eventhough stone. And
when trapped, water makes a new path.
Tanaka : Stop here!
Auntie : These are the girls from Tanaka?
Tanaka : Sister, yes, From Yoroido.
Auntie : This one, maybe. The other one no.
Satsu : No, no, Chiyo! Chiyo!
Chiyo : Satsu! Satsu!
Auntie : Show your respect for mother. You must not speak. I will answer for
you.Kneel!! And head down. Never look her in the face.
Mother : How old are you?
Auntie : She is Year of the Rooster.
Mother : Only nine.
Chiyo : Where is my sister?
Auntie : But, Okasan, a little water is good to guard against fire. You won’t
have to worry about the Okiya burning...losing all your Kimono.
Mother : These country girls, too late to send her back now.
Auntie : Go. Pumpkin, keep her quiet. Mother is downstairs.
Chiyo : Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!
Pumpkin : Stop that!
Chiyo : Let me go!
Pumpkin : Mother will hear you, she’s got a bamboo stick.
Chiyo : I want my sister! Sastu!
Pumpkin : I cried too at first. You know, it is easier if you just forget everything
that happened before you came to the Okiya, if you impress mother
and do exactly as she says...she will send you to school to be a Geisha.
Chiyo : A what?
Pumpkin : A Geisha. Like Hatsumomo. You will get to drink Sake and sleep until
noon.
Chiyo : Where is my sister?
Pumpkin : Probably in another Okiya in the Hanamachi. Your family sold you to
this house. You live here now.
Hostess : Outside, you wear these, inside, these. We won’t display our naked feet
like monkeys. It’s not fresh we’re selling here. This is a Geisha house.
Remember to always honor this Okiya. You listen, you learn. Now, get
the work.
Auntie : Be quiet, Hatsumomo is sleeping.
Chiyo : Pumpkin, when can I go outside?
Chiyo : How will I find Satsu??
Pumpkin : You can’t just walk up to every house in the Hanamachi. Do you know
how many there are? Look! Tighter!
Pumpkin : Chiyo! Chiyo! Chiyo – chan ! Come, two night ago. Hatsumomo had
to stay at the tea house until dawn. That’s what she told mother. But
she was really here with a man the whole.
Hatsumomo : Why can’t you be quiet? So this is the new arrival. A pity she still
stinks of fish. Stay out of my room. Your fingers smell. I can’t have
you touching my things.
Mother : Only reason mother tolerates Hatsumomo is because she brings in good
money. Never forget, it is Hatsumomo who pays for your upper...the
clothes on your back. By the time she was 20... she had already earred
back her purchase price. Unheard of. She has been the talk of the
Hanamachi ever since.
Chiyo : These are all hers?
Auntie : Certainly not. They belong to Okiya. A Kimono like this, made of
Tatsura Silk... it would take a lifetime to learn. A Geisha needs an
elegant wardrobe..just like an artist need ink. If she’s not properly
dressed, then she is not a true Geisha.
Chiyo : Nobody told me what a Geisha is.
Auntie : You will find out soon enough. I have news for you, child. Mother has
determined itnis off to school with you. You are become Geisha.
Hostess : Chiyo! Quick! Don’t be late! You will be late! Go! Go!
Pumpkin : This way!
Pumpkin : No, Chiyo – San, don’t! You will ruin your own chances and mine too.
Please, stay with me. Squid. Come on! Look for your sister’s name
later.
Teacher : You are late!
Auntie : Chiyo! Where is Granny’s food? Where have you been! It’ freezing
cold! Close the window! Chiyo! Chiyo! Come quickl
