TRANSLATION ERRORS OF FLIGHT ATTENDANT
STUDENTS OF PSPP YOGYAKARTA
A Thesis
Submitted to the English Applied Linguistics Study Program in Partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the
Degree of Magister Humaniora
By:
HERI WIRA ANDESTA Registration Number: 8146112013
ENGLISH APPLIED LINGUISTICS STUDY PROGRAM
POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL
STATE UNIVERSITY OF MEDAN
MEDAN
ACKOWLEDGEMENTS
I return all the glory to Allah Almighty for His faithfulness to all His promise in my life.
He is faithful even I am not faithful. His faithfulness has brought me so far. I cannot but express
my in- depth appreciation to Him, he has done so much for me. Apart from that, many people for
sure, have assisted me in some ways or other, though not all names can be mentioned here but
some deserve me very special attention. The following people should be given the credits.
First, my special thanks to my first thesis adviser, Dr. I Wy Dirgeyasa, M.Hum. and my
second thesis advisor, Dr. Eddy Setia, M.Ed., TESP. Thanks immensely for your supervision,
encouragement, patience and the pain take in the course of my writing this research work, in
making sure that this work is a success. Thank you very much.
Second, Dr.Rahmad Husein, M.Ed. and Dr. Anni Holila pulungan, M. Hum., the Head
and Secretary of English Applied Linguistic Study Program and farid, the administration staff for
completing the administration procedures.
Third, Prof.Amrin Saragih, M.A, Ph.D., Dr.Rahmad Husein, M.Ed. and Dr. Anni Holila
pulungan, the reviewers and examiners for the valuable suggestions to be included in this thesis.
My whole hearted gratitude goes to my ever caring, loving and understanding parents
Syamsul Bahri and Nur’aini, the sponsors of my education to this level. Allah has used you
greatly in taking care of me . I also acknowledge my youger brother, Paisal Wijaya Andesta,
Muqotil Suja’i Andesta, my youger sister, Sulaini Maspin Andistia, and dr. Dita Paramita,
Finally I want to thank all my friends B2 LTBI and Fery Zogoustu, Tia Lintang Timur,
Juwita Agustina, Aidil Afriza, Vera Marisa, Arief Hidayat, Agus Salim. when their assistance
was needed and those that took to their heels when the going was getting harder. I say thank you
to all of you and may Allah, the Almighty be with us always.
Medan, Mei 2017.
The writer
Heri Wira Andesta
iii
CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERARTURE ... 8
2.1 Theoretical Framework ... 8
2.1.1 Error ... 8
2.1.2 The Nature of Translation ... 21
2.1.2.1 Kinds of Translation ... 23
a. Intralingual Translation . ... 23
b. Interlingual Translation . ... 23
c. Intersemiotic Translation ... 24
2.1.2.2 Equivalency in Translation . ... 24
2.1.2.3 Accuracy in Translation ... 25
2.1.2.4 Naturalness in Translation ... 26
2.1.3 Aviation English ... 27
2.1.3.1Aviation English Discourse ... 30
2.1.3.2Flight Attendant ... 32
2.2 The Previous Studies ... 33
iv
CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHOD ... 41
3.1 Research Method ... 41
3.2 The Location of the Research ... 41
3.3 Data and Data Source ... 42
3.4 The Technique of Data Collection ... 42
3.5 Trustworthiness of the Study ... 42
3.6 The Technique of Data Analysis ... 4
CHAPTER IV RESEARCH FINDING AND DISCUSSION ... 48
4.1 Data Analysis ... 48
4.1.1 The Kinds of Error in Translating Flight Attendant Announcement Made by Flight Attendant Students ... 48
4.1.1.1 Lexical Errors ... 48
4.1.1.2 Grammatical Errors ... 51
4.1.2 The Causes of Error in Translating Flight Attendant Announcement Made by Flight Attendant Students ... 55
4.2 Findings ... 57
4.3 Discussion ... 58
CHAPTER V CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION ... 61
5.1 Conclusion ... 61
5.2 Suggestion ... 61
REFERENCES ... 62
vi
LIST OF FIGURES
vii
LIST OF TABLES
Pages Table 4.1 The Kinds of Error in Translating Flight Attendant
Announcement Made by Flight Attendant Student of
PSPP Yogyakarta ... 48
Table 4.2 The Causes of Error in Translating Flight Attendant
Announcement Made by Flight Attendant Student of
viii
LIST OF APPENDIXES
Pages Appendix 1 The Kinds of Error In Translating Flight Attendant
Announcement Made by Flight Attendant Students
of PSPP Yogyakarta ... 76
Appendix 2 The Causes Of Error In Translating Flight Attendant
Announcement Made by Flight Attendant Student
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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
1.1 The Background of the Study
English plays important roles in education, politics, trade, technology, and
industry such as agriculture, automotive, mining, aviation, etc. In aviation
industry, English is a language used by personnel associated with the aviation
industry such pilot, air traffic controllers, airline mechanics and flight attendants.
English has become the language of international flying in the years after
World War II a commercial aviation expanded worldwide. Since aviation needs as
a lingua franca, a language as rich in vocabulary and nuance as English presents
some challenges in aviation operations, where communication is supposed to be
terse and unambiguous (Sharkey: 2012).
In Indonesia context, the growth of aviation services industry especially
for scheduled commercial flights increasingly widespread, since the issuing
deregulation governing air transport in 1999, in the series of deregulation
packages, one of deregulation is the Minister of Transportation Number 81 Year
2004 on the Establishment of Airline in Indonesia. A large number of airlines
operating in Indonesia directly create tight competition. Although they get
pressure in fuel prices rising, airlines national industry grows rapidly. It enforces
airlines company to serve excellent service. The expansion of airline services
from year to year getting the attention of wider community. It can be seen from
the high competitive services, pricing and promotions offered various airline
flight. The appeal is quite large and the aviation industry promising. It can be seen
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the number of aviation industry in the business, as well as the Airlines Express
Airlines, national and domestic airline tries to maintain rates with adjusting the
maximum service quality of Express Airlines which has been acknowledged by all
users of aviation services facility.
However, the service quality of aviation does not depend only on the price
and promotion of airlines companies but also on the hospitality of aviation
personnels especially frontline aviation personnels namely flight attendents.
Flight attendants urgently need language proficiency particularly English,
the English language proficiency of flight attendants who graduate from flight
school guarantees the good output of flight attendents when they run the job.
Good flight attendents assure the smooth and safety of a flight as well as
the convinience of passengers. Becoming flight attendants, the students must have
language ability because they have to deliver correct and proper message and
information. The flight attendants require to calm all passengers about flight
troubles such us turbulance, bad weather, terror and hijacking. In such condition,
they should master English language properly and correctly.
Beside those roles, flight atendents who have good ability in
cummunication also convince and comfort the passengers in term of service. The
excellent service of a flight includes food and baverage, good service, and
hospitality in flight and those come from the excellent flight attendents. In short,
the good image or brand of airline company relies on the excellence of flight
attendents especially in communication skill. Eventually, good flight atendents
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On the other hand, flight attendant students who have bad or poor
communication skill bring problems in flight safety and security. The bad
communication of flight attendant causes misunderstanding to passenger and
among flight personnels such as pilot and co-pilot. The communication between
flight attendants and pilot needs to be explicit. The flight attendants must catch
clear instruction to be immediately continued to passengers for example in bad
weather condition. The message and information about flight troubles must be
clear delivered to passengers. When it comes, flight attendents inform passengers
to switch on and fasten the seatbelt, put the seat back in the upright position and
lower arm rest. If passengers get uclear information it will harm passengers’
safety. In addition, the flight attendants have to be able to fullfil the passengers’
need. For example when they request food or baverage, the flight attendants must
be able to provide properly. It is certainly that language proficiency of flight
attendant students impact to safety, security and comfortability.
The need for better English communication skills is clear as more
countries become major players in commercial aviation. The aviation personnels,
including flight attandents require not only good vocabulary and grammar, but
also adequate pronunciation, stress, rhythm and intonation to communicate clearly
and quickly in English. Cutting (2011) states that the language used by flight
attendants and other general aviation personnel, like many forms of English for
specific purposes uses conventional English pronunciation, structure, vocabulary,
and interactional patterns, but adapts them to the purposes of the particular
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In case of students of flight attendant school, there are some mistakes
found in translating English for the aviation world in particular, Most of them fail
in doing translations. They fail in grammatical and lexical errors; grammatical
errors includes errors in the production of verb group, errors in the use of
prepositions, miscellaneous errors in the distribution of verb groups, errors in the
use of articles. Richards (1998). Furthermore, lexical errors include formal errors,
and semantic errors. James (1998).
The followings are some examples of errors in translating flight attendant
announcement found in researcher’s preliminary study in PSPP ( Pendidikan Staff
Penerbangan dan Pramugari) Yogyakarta:
Penumpang yang terhormat,
Baru saja kami menerima informasi bahwa kita tidak dapat melanjutkan penerbangan ini dikarenakan adanya: Masalah teknik, Cuaca, Masalah operasi. Kami mohon anda untuk menunggu di dalam gedung terminal dan membawa semua barang bawaan. Petugas darat kami akan menginformasikan jadwal penerbangan selanjutnya. Kami mohon maaf atas ketidaknyamanan ini.
Some students translate:
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We just got the information that we cannot proceed due to the airlines: The technical problem, weather, operating problems. We ask you to wait inside the terminal building and carry all the luggage. Our clerk land will inform subsequent for your next flight. We apologize for this inconvenience.
The example above contains grammatical and lexical errors. Firstly, in the
phrase ‘justgot’ it should be inserted with the word “have” become ‘we have just
got’ because it is a present perfect tense. Secondly, in this phrase the ‘clerk land’
should be written ‘ground staff’ because in aviation English the proper term is
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production of verb group -Error in the production of tense form) and the second
error is classified as lexical error (semantic error).
Another example of translation error in bad weather announcement:
Penumpang yang terhormat,
Saat ini kita terbang dalam cuaca yang kurang baik, kami mohon anda kembali ketempat duduk dan mengenakan sabuk pengaman. Untuk keselamatan anda, kami mohon untuk tidak menggunakan kamar kecil sampai lampu tanda kenakan sabuk pengaman dipadamkan. Terima kasih.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This time we fly in poor weather, please back to your place sat and wearing a seat belt. For your own safety, please do not use the small room until the seat belt sign lights extinguished. Thanks.
In this phrase there are some errors such as: first,‘small room’ in aviation
English the proper term is ‘lavatory’. Second, add the word “lights”
Based on the preliminary data, it is needed to investigate the description of
the students’ translation errors in flight attendant announcement as well as to find
out why the students of flight attendant make errors. Therefore this research will
give new horizon an solution for the translation error done by students.
1.2 The Problems of the Study
In this study the research problems are common. Translation errors occur
in lexical and grammatical error. For this analysis the problems are elaborated by
the following:
1. What kinds of errors are found in translating flight attendant
announcement made by flight attendant students?
2. Why do the students make the errors in translating flight attendant
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1.3 The Objective of the Study This study attempts to:
1. Investigate the kinds of errors in translating flight attendant
announcement made by flight attendant students
2. Explain the reasons of the students make error in translating flight
attendant announcement
1.4 The Scope of the Study
Scope of the research is needed to give focus to this research. This study is
Semantic field and focused on the translation errors of flight attendant students of
PSPP Yogyakarta. The errors focused on grammatical and lexical errors. The
announcement deals with some communication in airplane cabin such as before
take-off, after take-off, bad weather, and emergency landing. And the source of
errors focused on Norrish (1995:21) and Brown (2004: 263) theory. The total of
flight attendant students as a subject in this research were nineteen students.
1.5 The Significance of the Study
Findings of this research are expected to be useful theoretically and
practically. Theoretically, the study can enrich the knowledge about the
translation error found in any flight announcement translation.
Practically, this research aims to give some new horizon of information as well as
contribution.
1. For the students and flight attendants, it encourages and motivates them to
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understandable because it concerns with flight safety, security, and
comfortabality, and become a good and professional flight attendant.
2. For the translation practicioners, by knowing the translation errors it is
expected to be reference and guidance in translating flight announcement
discourse.
3. For the lecturers and teachers of flight, it can give contribution to the
accuracy of translation subject and pedagogical input in teaching
translation particularly in English for flight attendant.
4. For PSPP school, it gives suggestion in preparing excellent graduate of
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CHAPTER V
CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
5.1 Conclusion
Having analyzed the data, the conclusion are drawn as the follow.
1. There were five kinds of error made by flight attendant students of PSPP
(Pendidikan Staff Penerbangan dan pramugari) Yogyakata in translating
flight attendant announcement namely semantic errors, formal errors,
errors in the use of preposition, miscellaneous errors, errors in the
production of verb group.
2. There were three causes of error made by flight attendant students of PSPP
(Pendidikan Staff Penerbangan dan pramugari) Yogyakarta in translating
flight attendant announcement namely intralingual transfer (false concept
hypothesis), carelessness, translation.
5.2 Suggestion
1. The flight attendant students should be mastering the terms use by flight
attendant, an mastering the grammar of english communication.
2. The flight attendant have to mastering the material of English aspecially
for English flight attendant and more carless in translating flight attendant
announcement.
.
