CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
1.1. Introduction
This study is concerned with investigating an Indonesian university librarians’ ability of translating journal article from English into Indonesian. These librarians assume the responsibility of translating as one of their daily activities. This qualitative case study research involves 10 selected librarians working at Indonesia University of Education. Since translating is problematic and involves intercultural spirit (Whitfield, 2007: 27)), translations produced by these librarians are worth discussing. Part of the reason is that the librarians are responsible for catering library users to various kinds of newest information including acceptable translations. Library users including faculty members and students should find the translations readable and useful. Readability here would refer to translations easy to understand on the target readers’ part. This study attempts to answer questions related to translating as the process, and translation as the product. Empirical evidence from recent research (Baorong, 2009:11; Nababan, 2003: 55; 2007:213-215; Watson, 2004; Listyo, 2007) indicates that translating is a difficult task to accomplish.
to accommodate meanings. In translating the given text, these librarians attempt to produce near flawless translations: accurate, clear and natural (hereafter ACN). They tend to be faithful to the source text (hereafter ST) and emphasize more on the source language (hereafter SL) than to the target language (hereafter TL). They seem to find it difficult to compare and transmit two different systems of language and culture simultaneously (Balasko, 2006:59; Suh, 2006:17). This phenomenon gives room for an investigation. Analysis on their work in translating is based on four types of translation errors – pragmatic translation errors, cultural translation errors, linguistic translation errors, text-specific translation errors (Nord, 1997:75-76), the criteria of translating ability (Bell, 1999:27), and the ability (Sofer, 1996) they are supposed to acquire. Two theories of translation, namely equivalence-based and skopos are applied in the discussion. The first theory deals with faithfulness while the later deals with purpose in the TL. One particular ability, adjusting, seems to play a greater role in applying the technique of coping with the wide range of purposes which translations might serve (Hatim and Munday, 2004: 43).
translations produced have to fulfill the readership community’s needs. This is also in line with the Government of Indonesia’s policy that translating is mandatory for university librarians (Perpusnas RI – Indonesia National Library, 2004). Each article translated is worth 3.5 credit points. These credit points are accumulated for the librarians’ promotion to a higher rank towards their career development. As a linguistic activity, translating actually provides the librarians with an opportunity to communicate thoughts with the writers of journal articles: replacing textual material in the SL by equivalent textual material in the TL.
1.2. Purpose of the study
The general purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of university librarians in preserving the meaning of an original English text when it is translated into Indonesian. The methods used and the difficulties encountered during the process of translating are other interesting issues to investigate. Process and product are of the main concern of the study incorporating both the theories approached namely the equivalence-based and the skopos or scopos theories.
The present study is to identify and describe the experience of comparing and transmitting two different systems of English and Indonesian languages and their cultures simultaneously, and the impact it has on the readers. This linguistic activity of translating – communicating thoughts with writers of articles – brings with it some consequences. When providing the users with the information they need, these subject librarians have to give access to various sources of information – one form of which is Indonesian translated work of articles on a specific discipline. Although these professionals have some similarity in terms of their background, the translations they produce may differ from one another (Nababan, 2007:213). The communication which may result in accuracy, clarity and naturalness (CAN) in the form of translated texts is worth discussing. This ACN is one essential element since the prospective readership should find the written translation useful and eventually benefit from it.
1.3. Research Questions
efforts the librarians made to transfer written expressions found in the ST as an independent entity; (2) describing the procedures and methods employed in coping with the untranslatability on the part of the text; (3) identifying how the methods work to achieve equivalences – cultural risk-free reproduction in the TT; (4) categorizing the difficulties when producing the translations; and (5) describing the overall performance of the librarians in translating through the informants’ profiles – communicative competence, and the impact on the target readers’ part.
To meet the research goals outlined above, the following questions have guided the inquiry:
1. How closely did the librarians preserve the meaning and quality of the ST? 2. Which translation methods were used to achieve relative equivalences? 3. What difficulties did the librarians encounter in translating the text?
1.4. Significance of the Study
This study is significant in that it can contribute to the literatures of translating and translation. The results of the study will eventually provide some evidence of phenomenon which in turn would inspire an academic community of the university librarians to intensify the activity of translating a journal article with some flawlessness. Theoretically, the study may contribute to a concept of encouraging potential librarians working at an academic library as one crucial human resource: identification of translating ability leading to a linguistic new paradigm of translating, especially, written expressions. From a practical point of view, the results of the study can provide information on the practice of translating, change the thinking patterns of the professionals under discussion, enhance a higher motivation, and broaden their horizons by involving themselves in a more meaningful effort to produce near-flawless translations. The audience to cater – the library users: faculty members, students, researchers – will perceive some potential value of this study to at least lessen the possibility of questioning the legitimacy of the translations produced by the librarians, and be aware of translation flaws while at the same time making use of the work.
1.5. Assumptions
The researcher of the present study believes that assumptions are statements of which truth can be accepted to be the underlying concept or reference in the process of conducting research. For that reason, some assumptions are outlined below.
1. Translation is problematic. This phenomenon is conformed by the results of a study by Baorong (2009:2), Listyo (2007), and Nababan (2003:55; 2007:213) that pragmatic, cultural and text-specific translation errors are often due to the translators’ poor awareness of the purpose of the TT. Linguistic errors are generally attributable to the translators’ inadequate language competence representing deviation from standard target language paradigms and usages (Nord, 1997:75). Consequently, the meaning and the quality of the produced translation are to be investigated.
2. There is no such thing as a perfect or flawless translation (Newmark, 1988:188-190). In this regard, Reiss (2000) suggests that a TT of a pragmatic text should transmit the full conceptual content of an ST and produce the intended response in the target reader. While a perfect translation does not exist, some relative equivalence should be acceptable regardless of the methods and strategies applied. There is no absolute translation (Alwasilah, 1991: 9-25).
1.6. Clarification of Terms
To minimize possible confusion, the recurring terms are defined to refer to their specific meanings as follows.
Translation refers to a message transferred from an ST to a TL. It deals with two different cultures at the same time with equivalence as the central issue. Equivalence is a procedure which replicates the same situation as in the original, whilst using completely different wording (Vinay and Darbelnet in Leonardi, 2000). It is established at a text level (Hatim and Mason, 1994), and is achieved either through equivalence-based theory or skopos theory. It is used here with the provision that although equivalence can be obtained to some extent, it is influenced by a variety of linguistic and cultural factors and is always relative.
Translating ability refers to understandings of words, phrases, and sentences in their
complexities, by which the ability and its components are reflected through the translations produced. Demands on the translators’ part include the ability to grasp all the complexities (Schaffner, 2000:217) including, according to Nababan (2003:80), the roles the translators play (reading the ST, translating the ST, writing the ST in the TT, and reading in the TT). These roles involve skills exercised and a degree of competency as reflected by the quality of the translations. Other than ability, terms like skill and competence might be possible to be used interchangeably.
Journal refers to one kind of library collections written in English as an intellectual capital. The journal article in the field of Psychology ( Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation. Vol. 14 No.2, 2003 ) used in this study is scholarly in class and relatively recent in issues (See Appendix 2)
Text refers to the words of something written (Johns, 1997). There are distinctions between texts
the basis for the translators in producing essentially the same meanings in another language (Nida, 2001).
1.7. Organization of the Study
