AN ANALYSIS OF IDIOM TRANSLATION
IN
THE INTERN
MOVIE SUBTITLES
A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By
Rosa Avia Widiasti Student Number: 131214093
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
i
AN ANALYSIS OF IDIOM TRANSLATION
IN
THE INTERN
MOVIE SUBTITLES
A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By
Rosa Avia Widiasti Student Number: 131214093
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
vi ABSTRACT
Widiasti, Rosa Avia. 2017. An Analysis of Idiom Translation in The Intern Movie Subtitles. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Sanata Dharma University.
Translating subtitles becomes one of the fundamental issues in the movie industry. Besides, it is a hard task for translators to translate the idioms which appear in the movie subtitles. Idioms can be problematic because they carry metaphorical meaning which is not easy to be translated into the target language.
This research aimed to analyze the categories of idioms and the strategies for translating idioms in The Intern movie. This movie was chosen because there are many conversations that contain idioms. There were two formulated questions in this research. They were: 1) What are the categories of idioms used in The Intern movie? and 2) What are the strategies for translating idioms used in The Intern movie?
The first research question was analyzed using Fernando‟s (1996) theory. The English idioms which were found in the movie were classified into pure idioms, semi-idioms, and literal idioms. Furthermore, the researcher classified the types of semi-idioms based on figures of speech. The researcher employed Baker‟s (2011) theory to answer the second research question.
In order to answer the two research questions, the researcher conducted qualitative research by using document or content analysis. The researcher analyzed the English idioms which were used by the characters in The Intern movie and their Indonesian translation. The data were obtained from the English and Indonesian subtitles of The Intern movie.
The researcher discovered 130 idioms in the English subtitles. They were categorized into 57 pure idioms (43.8%), 34 semi-idioms (26.2%), and 39 literal idioms (30%). The semi-idioms were comprised of 1 simile (0.8%), 26 metaphors (20%), 4 metonymies (3.1%), and 3 hyperboles (2.3%). One hundred and twenty one idioms (93.1%) were translated using Baker‟s (2011) theory: similar meaning and form (5.4%), similar meaning but dissimilar form (3.1%), borrowing (1.5%), paraphrase (80.8%), and omission (2.3%). Another strategy, namely literal translation (Larson, 1984), was identified for translating 6.9% of the total idioms. Paraphrase was the most frequently used strategy to translate all the categories of idioms due to the lack of equivalent idioms in the target language and the lexical and stylistic differences between the source language and target language.
vii ABSTRAK
Widiasti, Rosa Avia. 2017. An Analysis of Idiom Translation in The Intern Movie Subtitles. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Sanata Dharma University.
Menerjemahkan subtitles menjadi salah satu bagian penting dalam industri perfilman. Lebih lanjut, menerjemahkan idiom yang muncul dalam subtitle film merupakan pekerjaan sulit bagi translator. Idiom menjadi tantangan tersendiri karena mengandung makna idiomatik yang tidak mudah diterjemahkan ke dalam bahasa target.
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis kategori idiom dan strategi penerjemahan idiom yang terdapat di film The Intern. Film ini dipilih karena terdapat banyak dialog yang mengandung idiom. Terdapat dua rumusan masalah dalam penelitian ini, yaitu 1) Apa kategori idiom yang digunakan di film The Intern? dan 2) Apa strategi penerjemahan idiom yang digunakan di film The Intern?
Rumusan masalah pertama dianalisis menggunakan teori Fernando (1996). Idiom Bahasa Inggris yang ditemukan di film diklasifikasikan ke dalam pure idiom, semi-idiom, dan literal idiom. Lebih lanjut, peneliti mengklasifikasikan tipe semi-idiom berdasarkan bahasa figuratif. Peneliti menggunakan teori Baker (2011) untuk menganalisis rumusan masalah kedua.
Untuk menjawab dua rumusan masalah tersebut, peneliti melakukan penelitian kualitatif dengan menggunakan dokumen analisis. Peneliti menganalisis idiom Bahasa Inggris yang digunakan oleh karakter di film The Intern dan terjemahannya dalam Bahasa Indonesia. Data diperoleh dari teks subtitle Bahasa Inggris dan Bahasa Indonesia film The Intern.
Peneliti mengidentifikasi 130 idiom dalam teks subtitle Bahasa Inggris. Idiom tersebut terdiri dari 57 pure idiom (43.8%), 34 semi-idiom (26.2%), dan 39 literal idiom (30%). Semi-idiom terdiri dari 1 simile (0.8%), 26 metafora (20%), 4 metonimi (3.1%), dan 3 hiperbola (2.3%). Seratus dua puluh satu idiom (93.1%) diterjemahkan menggunakan teori Baker (2011): similar meaning and form (5.4%), similar meaning but dissimilar form (3.1%), borrowing (1.5%), paraphrase (80.8%), dan omission (2.3%). Selain itu, terdapat strategi penerjemahan literal translation (Larson, 1984) yang digunakan untuk menerjemahkan 6.9% dari total idiom. Paraphrase merupakan strategi yang paling sering digunakan untuk menerjemahkan semua kategori idiom karena idiom jarang memiliki kesetaraan di bahasa target serta adanya perbedaan kata dan gaya bahasa antara bahasa sumber dan bahasa target.
viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to express my greatest gratitude to The Almighty God, for the endless grace and blessing. He always gives me strength during my study. Nothing compares His kindness.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my thesis advisor, Truly Almendo Pasaribu, S.S., M.A., for her precious time, patience, guidance, and encouragements. I would also thank all lecturers in ELESP for the knowledge and experience that I have learned during my four-year-study. They have helped me to be a better student and teacher.
I am grateful to have my parents, Yohanes Wiyana and YM. Rini Dwi Astuti and my sister, Agnes Widananti, who always give me love and support in good and bad times. Last but not least, I thank my beloved friends for the time and support in the completion of my thesis.
ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
TITLE PAGE ... i
APPROVAL PAGES ... ii
STATEMENT OF WORK‟S ORIGINALITY ... iv
PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI ... v
ABSTRACT ... vi
ABSTRAK ... vii
ACKNOWLEDEMENTS ... viii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ... ix
LIST OF TABLES ... xi
LIST OF FIGURES ... xii
LIST OF APPENDICES ... xiii
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ... 1
A.Research Background ... 1
B.Research Questions... 4
C.Research Significance ... 5
D.Definition of Terms ... 6
CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ... 8
A.Theoretical Description ... 8
1. Idioms ... 9
2. The Definition and Process of Translation ... 15
3. Idiomatic Translation ... 16
4. Strategies for Translating Idioms ... 18
B.Theoretical Framework ... 20
CHAPTER III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ... 22
x
B.Instruments and Data Gathering Technique ... 23
C.Data Analysis Technique ... 24
CHAPTER IV. RESEARCH RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ... 31
A.Categories of Idioms ... 31
1. Pure Idioms ... 32
2. Semi-idioms ... 33
3. Literal Idioms ... 38
B.Strategies for Translating Idioms ... 40
1. Using an Idiom of Similar Meaning and Form ... 41
2. Using an Idiom of Similar Meaning but Dissimilar Form ... 43
3. Borrowing the Source Language of Idiom ... 45
4. Paraphrase ... 46
5. Omission ... 48
C.Another Finding ... 49
CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS ... 53
A.Conclusions ... 53
B.Implications ... 54
C.Recommendations ... 55
REFERENCES ... 57
xi
LIST OF TABLES
Table Page
3.1 Coding of the Data ... 27
3.2 Categories of Idioms and Strategies for Translating Idioms ... 28
3.3 Types of Semi-idioms ... 28
4.1 Percentage of Categories of Idioms ... 31
4.2 Percentage of Types of Semi-Idioms ... 33
4.3 Percentage of Each Strategy for Translating Idioms ... 41
4.4 Form and Meaning: Similar Meaning and Form... 42
4.5 Form and Meaning: Similar Meaning Dissimilar Form ... 44
4.6 Form and Meaning: Borrowing ... 46
4.7 Form and Meaning: Paraphrase ... 47
4.8 Form and Meaning: Omission ... 49
4.9 Form and Meaning: Literal Translation ... 50
xii
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page
xiii
LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix Page
A. Categories of Idioms and Strategies for Translating Idioms ... 60
B. Types of Semi-Idioms ... 76
C. The English Subtitles of The Intern Movie ... 80
1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
This chapter consists of four sections. The first section is research background which elaborates the general information of the topic and the reasons for conducting the research. The second section formulates the research questions based on the background. The third section is research significance which explains about the benefits of the research. The fourth section clarifies keywords or phrases used in the research.
A. Research Background
People do not only communicate through non-linguistic ways but also linguistic ways. The examples of non-linguistic communication are smiling, laughing, and raising eyebrows. In this research, communication by means of language is referred to linguistic communication. Eifring and Theil (2005) define linguistic communication is expressing opinions and feelings by uttering words and combining them into sentences. English is one of languages in the world which is spoken by 1.75 billion people worldwide (British Council, 2013, p. 2). People speak English as the first, second, or foreign language.
leg!” the hearer should not be angry because what the speaker means is not asking him to hurt his legs. Instead, the speaker wishes the hearer luck. The idiom break a leg cannot be interpreted literally because the idiom has idiomatic meaning. This case may cause misunderstanding particularly for non-native English speakers because they tend to interpret idioms based on their literal meaning and their native language (Rozati & Ketabi, 2013).
English idioms are used vastly everywhere. Idioms can be found in written and spoken form. Gaines (1986) states that idioms are parts of the language which are used in newspapers, books, television, and movies. These media can be the sources of learning idiom. People can learn English idioms by watching movies. Movies are inseparable from human life since they are entertaining. Besides, movies can be enjoyed in the cinema, DVDs, or Internet.
Each year, many movies are released and distributed to many countries. According to Cintas and Remael (2014), the success of a movie is fundamentally affected by translation. Movies can be enjoyed and understood by people from other regions because of the work of translators in translating the subtitles. Pym (2010) suggests translation is “general activity of communication between cultural
groups” (p. 143). Thus, translators need to transfer the meaning of the source
language into the target language.
which become one of the problems in translation (Newmark, 1988). Baker (2011) declares four main difficulties in translating idioms. First, an idiom may have no equivalent in the target language because of culture-specific words. Second, an idiom may have a similar counterpart in the target language, but the context of use may be different. Third, an idiom used in the source language can be both literal and idiomatic at the same time. For example, hit the wall literally means to attack or cause damage on the wall. Idiomatically, the idiom means somebody cannot make any progress. Fourth, the frequency and use of idioms in the written form may be different with the target language.
The researcher chooses to conduct research on idiom translation in The Intern movie because there are many conversations which contain idioms. As Crystal and Davy (1969) claim that the majority of idioms are informal, so they are frequently part of the conversational language (as cited in Padalik, 2008, p. 9).
O‟Dell and McCarthy (2010) add that the use of idioms in everyday conversation
will make the speakers sound more natural and fluent. It means people speak with idioms in their daily life conversations. Besides, for non-native English speakers, it is necessary to learn idioms. As Dixson (2003) explains that without working on knowledge of idioms, the speakers will remain awkward and sound unnatural.
Her main conflicts are whether she agrees to have a CEO to help her and whether she will keep her marriage when she knows that her husband has a love affair. The more Jules knows Ben, she feels like having a best friend. Jules shares her stories to Ben and she is more aware of her staff in her company. As a part of daily communication, idioms can be found in the conversations among the characters in this movie.
Having considered that idioms cause difficulties for non-native speakers of that language, the researcher takes it as a worthy research. English is used broadly so that people want to learn it. People can learn English idioms in movies which are present and translated in the form of subtitles to make the audience understand the movie. There have been some research related to idiom translation in the movies (Sulistyaningrum (2013), Adicahya (2015), Pratama (2016)). However, none of those research analyzed the figures of speech of the semi-idioms. Therefore, this research aims to analyze the categories of idioms with the more detailed category for semi-idioms and the strategies for translating idioms.
B. Research Questions
Based on the research background, these following research questions are formulated for further discussion on the topic:
1. What are the categories of idioms used in The Intern movie?
C. Research Significance
The researcher hopes that this research is beneficial. This research is for all people who want to learn idioms and the translation strategies. This research, particularly, is expected to be beneficial for these groups of people:
1. English Learners
The researcher hopes this research can give insights of categories of idioms and strategies to translate idioms for English learners. Therefore, English learners can translate the idioms accurately. Besides, they can practice using English idioms to be more fluent and more natural.
2. English Teachers
Through this research, English teachers can be more inspired to use movies to teach idioms in the class. Movies are not only for entertainment but also educational purposes. In addition, this research can be used as the materials to teach idioms and strategies for translating idioms.
3. Future Researchers
D. Definition of Terms
This section provides the definition of terms which are used in this research. The terms are idioms, subtitling, idiom translation, and The Intern movie. These terms are explained in order to give similar understanding between the researcher and the readers. There are three definitions of terms in this research as follows:
1. Idioms
Jackson (1988) points out that the essential feature of idiom is its metaphorical meaning. In addition, the meaning of idioms is not predictable from their components. O‟Dell and McCarthy (2010) emphasize the use of idioms is quite informal.
2. Subtitling
Subtitling is one of the ways of translating audiovisual programs. Cintas and Remael (2014) point out that subtitling is a translation practice which presents a written text which is usually placed in the lower screen. According to Orero (2005), the subtitles are constrained and limited by maximum number of characters per line.
3. Idiom Translation
the target language. There are five strategies for translating idioms proposed by Baker (2011). They are using an idiom of similar meaning and form, using an idiom of similar meaning but dissimilar form, borrowing the source language idiom, translation by paraphrase, and translation by omission.
4. The Intern Movie
8 CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter consists of two parts which are theoretical description and theoretical framework. Theoretical description presents some previous studies which are related to the researcher‟s topic and the explanation of idioms and translation. Theoretical framework deals with the summary of the theories which helps the researcher answers the research questions.
A. Theoretical Description
There are some studies of idiom translation in the movies that have been conducted. This part shows how this research is similar and different to other research. Pratama (2016), in his final paper, conducted research on idiomatic expression translation in School of Rock movie. He analyzed whether the idiomatic expressions fulfilled Larson‟s (1984) theory of ideal translation.
According to Larson (1984), ideal translation should be accurate, clear, and natural. Pratama (2016) classified the idiom translation into ideal-acceptable, acceptable, unacceptable, and failed.
The similarity between Pratama‟s research and this research is the kind of
data. Pratama and the researcher used idioms. There are two differences between
Pratama‟s research and this research. Pratama only focused on the ideal
The other research was done by Sulistyaningrum (2013). In her thesis, she categorized the idioms in Yes Man movie into English phrasal compounds, figures of speech, and slang based on Hockett‟s (1958) theory. She also analyzed the
translation strategy and the acceptability of the translation.
Unlike Sulistyaningrum, the researcher categorizes the idioms based on
Fernando‟s (1996) theory. The categories are pure idioms, semi-idioms, and literal
idioms. The researcher uses figures of speech to classify the types of semi-idioms. The third research was from Adicahya (2015). He conducted research on categories of idioms and strategies for translating idioms in Ice Age 3: Continental Drift movie. He categorized the idioms based on Fernando‟s (1996) theory and
analyzed the strategies for translating idioms based on Baker‟s (1992) theory. The
researcher works on the similar research. However, the researcher provides a more detailed classification for semi-idioms and employed Baker‟s (2011) theory.
The researcher discusses two main theories namely idioms and translation. The idioms part is explained in detail by providing two terms. They are types of idioms and categories of idioms. In the translation part, there are four terms, namely the definition and process of translation, idiomatic translation, criteria of good translation, and strategies for translating idioms.
1. Idioms
According to Jackson (1988), the essential feature of an idiom is its metaphorical or non-literal meaning. It is agreed by Wales (2011), who states that
meaning. For example, the literal meaning of red-handed in the idiom catch somebody red-handed is somebody whose hands are red. However, in its non-literal meaning or figurative meaning, catch somebody red-handed means to catch somebody in the act of doing something or committing a crime. Fernando (1996) states that some idioms show invariance or only restricted variation, for example the idiom kick the bucket cannot be changed into hit the bucket. Some other idioms allow lexical variations. For example blue, which means connected with sex, can form idioms with the words film or joke or comedian.
According to Newmark (1988), idioms are naturally used by native speakers of languages. Therefore, speakers from different languages use different ways to express opinions and feelings with their idioms. The use of idioms can be in the formal and informal situations, spoken and written form (Leaney, 2005).
O‟Dell and McCarthy (2010) emphasize that the use of many idioms is quite
informal.
From those experts, it can be concluded that idioms are words or phrases which carry metaphorical or non-literal meaning. Some idioms may show invariance or only restricted variation and others allow lexical variations.
a. Types of Idioms
this research, the researcher employs four kinds of figures of speech. They are simile, metaphor, metonymy, and hyperbole.
1) Simile
Wales (2011) notes “simile is a figure of speech whereby two concepts are imaginatively and descriptively compared” (p. 383). Simile compares two different objects with at least one thing in common (Wren & Martin, 2000). Wales (2011) argues that the most common connectives in simile are as and like. In other words, the comparison is explicit because of the use of connectives. An example of simile is the kid is as innocent as a dove. It does not mean that the kid is a dove, but that they share the same characteristic. A dove has white fur which can represent innocence.
2) Metaphor
Wren and Martin (2000) state that metaphor compares two things without an explicit marker as if they are the same. O‟Dell and McCarthy (2010) add that metaphor compares two things that have similar characteristics. For example, to compare a person with the moon, the metaphor that can be used is you are my moon. The similar characteristic between that person and the moon could be the beauty or the one and only thing.
meaning. The metaphors are in the prepositional particles away, out, and off. In their literal meaning, those particles relate to physical movement in a direction farther away from the speaker. However, in their non-literal meaning, they imply the idea of something disappearing or ending.
3) Metonymy
Wren and Martin (2000) point out that metonymy changes the name of an object (a referent) with another thing (attribute) that associates with it. Knowles and Moon (2006) suggest that metonymy is more based on the closeness rather than the similarity or correspondence. It is agreed by Yule (2010) who states that the object is replaced based on the closesness of connection between the referent and the attribute. The connection can be a container–contents relation, a whole– part relation, and or a representative–symbol relationship.
4) Hyperbole
Wales (2011) suggests hyperbole means exagerration or overstatement. It is used to show great emphasis on something by making it sound more than what it actually is. For example, I have millions of reasons why I am late. It is impossible someone has a million reasons for doing something. The speaker wants to emphasize that he has a reason why he comes late so the person he talks to would believe him. Carter (2004) states that hyperbole functions to introduce humor and informality and to gain attention.
b. Categories of Idioms
In this research, idioms are categorized based on Fernando‟s (1996) theory. Fernando (1996) proposes three categories of idioms. They are pure idioms, semi-idioms, and literal idioms.
The first category is pure idioms. Fernando (1996) argues that the words that construct a pure idiom are non-literal. Thus, the meaning cannot be deduced from the literal meaning of the elements. For example, the idiom kick the bucket does not have any relation with the literal meaning of kick or bucket. It does not mean to hit an open container with feet. Both of the words kick and bucket lose their literal meaning. The idiom means to die. Pure idioms are also invariant. Kick is synonymous with strike. However, strike the bucket is not an idiom and does not mean to die.
The second category is semi-idioms. The difference between pure and semi-idioms is the literal meaning. In pure idioms, all of the elements that construct them are non-literal. Meanwhile, in semi-idioms, there is one or more literal elements and at least one non-literal element. For example, the idiom kill time has one word which maintains its literal meaning which is time. One word has non-literal meaning which is kill. Kill does not mean to make somebody die. Kill time means to do something unimportant at the moment while waiting for something else to happen. Besides, semi-idoms allow lexical variations.
easy to understand and considered to be transparent, for example happy birthday, merry chirstmas, on the contrary.
2. The Definition and Process of Translation
Munday (2016) mentions three things that have connection with translation.
Translation today has several meanings: (1) the general subject field or
phenomenon („I studied translation at university‟); (2) the product – that is,
the text that has been translated („they published the Arabic translation of the report‟); (3) the process of producing the translation, otherwise known
as translating („translation service‟) (p. 8)
Based on the definition, translation is a subject field of study which produces a product through a process. The product is the translated text. Larson (1984) defines the process of translation is transferring meaning of the source language (SL) into the target language (TL). He adds that in translation, the form can be changed but the meaning is constant.
According to Nida (1964), what is important in translation is to reproduce the closest natural equivalent of the message or meaning. She adds that to reproduce the message in the TL, there should be many adjustments made in the grammar and words. Bassnett (2008) agrees that a word in the SL can be replaced by a word or a phrase in the TL carrying the same meaning.
Figure 2.1 Translation process by Larson (1984, p. 4)
The process of translation begins with reading the text that is going to be translated. This is done to get the sense of the text, such as the grammar, the words, the context, and the culture. After that, the meaning is analyzed. Once the meaning is understood well, it is transferred or re-expressed into the TL. The transfer includes the adjustments in the grammar and words without changing the meaning.
From the explanation, the goal of translation is the meaning. In order to express the meaning to the TL, the adjustments in grammar and words are needed.
3. Idiomatic Translation
Larson (1984) proposes two types of translation which are form-based translation and meaning-based translation. Form-based translation is also called literal translation. Literal translation uses the same grammatical and lexical form of the SL. Newmark (1988) adds that the text is translated word for word and sometimes out of context.
Text to be translated
Discover the meaning
Meaning
Re-express the meaning
Translation
The second type of translation is meaning-based translation or idiomatic translation. The latter type of translation conveys the meaning using natural forms in the target language. Not only the grammar is changed, but also the lexical items.
SL : What is your name?
Literal Translation : Apa namamu? Idiomatic translation : Siapa namamu?
What is your name undergoes changes in form in Indonesian and becomes siapa namamu. Although there is an equivalent word for what in Indonesian which is apa, it is not employed. The meaningful and natural equivalent is siapa. Thus, the translation of what is your name becomes siapa namamu. The meaning remains the same which is to ask the name of the person. Meanwhile, the lexical items are different.
Translators need to produce a translation which communicates the message of the source language. According to Pym (2010), “a translation is successful when you do not know it is a translation” (p. 32). It is agreed by Nida
(1964) that “the best translation does not sound like translation” (p. 12). Newmark
meaning. Adjustments such as deleting or adding some words may occur as long as it does not change the meaning.
Second, the translation is clear when it communicates the meaning to the receptor of the TL. The form can be changed based on the natural form of the TL. Accordingly, it makes the translation understandable by the receptor of the TL.
The third criterion is the translation should use the natural forms of the receptor of the TL. The naturalness can be achieved by using the grammatical forms that are normally used in the target language. Translating word for word is not necessarily done because it makes the sentence less natural.
4. Strategies for Translating Idioms
Recognizing idiom and giving an appropriate interpretation are necessary. As Larson (1984) states that it could be a danger if idioms are not translated appropriately because it will not make sense in the TL. Thus, to achieve an accurate, clear, and natural translation, there are several strategies for translating idioms that can be applied. Baker (2011) declares five strategies for translating idioms.
The second strategy is using an idiom of similar meaning but dissimilar form. In this strategy, the TL idiom has different lexical components, but carries the same meaning as in the SL idiom. For example, the idiom kill two birds with one stone means to achieve two things at the same time with one action. It has similar meaning with the idiom sekali merengkuh dayung, dua tiga pulau terlampau in Bahasa Indonesia. The SL and TL idioms are totally different in form and words. However, the idioms share similarity in the words kill two birds and dua tiga pulau terlampaui to describe that the achievements are more than one.
The third strategy is borrowing the SL idiom. In other words, the SL idiom does not undergo any change in the TL. This strategy is used for culture-specific items, such as in an art gallery. An example of idiom given by Baker (2011) is out of this world which means fantastic. The idiom is present in the leaflet of the art exhibition and is transferred directly. Besides, Vinay and Darbelnet note “of course, in some technical fields there is much borrowing of terms” (as cited in Munday, 2016, p. 89). This means borrowing strategy is also used to translate technical terms.
pertahankan dagu ke atas, it will be meaningless. It could be paraphrased tetap semangat which is the meaning of the idiom keep your chin up itself.
The fifth strategy is omission. This strategy is employed when the SL idiom has no close match in the TL, its meaning cannot be easily paraphrased, or for stylistic reasons. It may also be used because of the culture. For example, the
idiom son of a bitch is omitted because it is considered impolite and harsh if it is
translated into Indonesian.
B. Theoretical Framework
This part provides the theories used in this study. The focus of the study is idiom translation in The Intern movie. The researcher formulates two research questions. The first research question is about the categories of idioms and the second research question is about the strategies for translating idioms.
To answer the first research question which is about the categories of idioms, the researcher uses some theories. To categorize the idioms, the researcher uses Fernando‟s (1996) theory. The idioms are categorized into pure idioms, idioms, and literal idioms. Besides, the researcher classifies the type of semi-idioms using figures of speech. The theories of figures of speech are (Hockett (1950), Carter (2004), Knowles and Moon (2006), Wren and Martin (2010), Yule (2010), and Wales (2011)).
22 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
This chapter presents the methodology used in the research to answer the research questions. The researcher describes the procedure in gathering and analyzing the data. There are three parts of this chapter, namely research method, instruments and data gathering technique, and data analysis technique.
A. Research Method
The researcher analyzed the categories of idioms and the strategies to translate the idioms in The Intern movie. The analysis was based on the English and Indonesian subtitles of The Intern movie. In order to analyze the idioms in the subtitles of the movie, the researcher employed qualitative research. Bogdan and Biklen (2007) argue that in qualitative research, the data collected takes the form of words or pictures. In this research, the collected data were the English idioms of The Intern movie and their Indonesian translation. The presented numbers and percentage were meant to make the discussion more compelling (Latief, 1999).
other documents. Fraenkel, Wallen, and Hyun (2011) suggest that the contents of virtually any type of communication can be analyzed. In this case, the researcher used the English and Indonesian subtitles of The Intern movie which were retrieved from http://subscene.com as the source data. Fraenkel, et al. (2011) also imply that content analysis enables the researcher to understand human behavior in an indirect way. The researcher identified the idioms used by the characters in the movie as a part of everyday life.
B. Instruments and Data Gathering Technique
There were two instruments used in the research. They were human instrument and the English and Indonesian subtitles of The Intern movie.
1. Human Instrument
According to Creswell (2007), researcher is the key instrument in qualitative research. The researcher chooses the topic, decides the instrument, collects the data, analyzes the data, and draws conclusion. In addition, the researcher makes the interpretation of the data as qualitative research is fundamentally interpretive.
2. The English and Indonesian Subtitles of The Intern Movie
http://subscene.com. The translator of the subtitles is Robbinsan. In this research, English was the source language and Indonesian was the target language.
In gathering the data, the researcher employed some steps. First, the researcher watched the movie with the English subtitles. At the same time, the researcher collected the idioms which appeared in the movie. Second, the researcher consulted the dictionary and the theory of idioms to make sure that what the researcher collected were all idioms. Third, to encounter the translation strategy, the researcher compared the English (source language) idioms and the Indonesian (target language) translation by reading the Indonesian subtitles. Fourth, the researcher made tables which consisted of idioms, the translation of the idioms, categories, and strategies. Fifth, the researcher put the idioms into the appropriate categories and analyzed the translation strategies. Particularly for semi-idioms, the researcher provided another table which consisted of idioms and types of idioms.
C. Data Analysis Technique
1. Organizing and Preparing the Data
The researcher organized the data which would be analyzed. The data were the English idioms of The Intern movie and their Indonesian translation. The source data were the English and Indonesian subtitles of The Intern movie. The researcher retrieved the subtitles from http://subscene.com and printed out the subtitles in order to help the researcher to learn the data.
2. Coding all of the Data
According to Creswell (2014), coding is a process which involves taking the text data or pictures, segmenting sentences or paragraphs or images into categories and giving labels. The coding process began by watching the The Intern movie along with the English subtitles to know the context of the idioms. While watching the movie, the researcher collected the idioms. The researcher repeated this process four times to make sure all of the idioms were collected. There were 135 idioms as the data.
After obtaining and validating the list of the English idioms, the researcher categorized them into pure idioms, semi-idioms, and literal idioms. Then, the researcher classified the semi-idioms according to the figures of speech. This process was done to answer the first research question.
To answer the second research question related to the strategies for translating the idioms, the researcher compared the collected English idioms with the Indonesian translation. Next, the researcher identified the strategies based on
Baker‟s (2011) theory. The strategies were using an idiom of similar meaning and
form, using an idiom of similar meaning but dissimilar form, borrowing the source language idiom, paraphrase, and omission. During the analysis, there was an emerging strategy which was identified in the data, namely literal translation by Larson (1984).
advisor did not suggest changes for the classification. Finally, the researcher obtained the final data (See Appendix A).
Table 3.1 Coding of the Data
No English Subtitles Indonesian Subtitles
Categories Strategies ...
80. 01:04:35,540 --> 01:04:36,808 Because I'm gonna save your ass, (A80) ...
Table 3.1 shows the coding of the data which is presented in the brackets. The label A80 indicated that the data can be seen in Appendix A number 80. This label enabled the researcher and the readers to refer to the data easily.
3. Presenting the Data
The data found were presented in tables and narration. The components of the table were adopted from Fernando‟s (1996) theory of idiom category and
Baker‟s (2011) theory of idiom translation strategy. For the semi-idioms, the
Table 3.2 Categories of Idioms and Strategies for Translating Idioms
No English Subtitles Indonesian Subtitles
Categories Strategies ...
80. 01:04:35,540 --> 01:04:36,808 Because I'm gonna save your ass,
(A80)
Karena aku akan membantumu
Semi-Idiom Paraphrase
...
Table 3.2 shows the English idioms which appeared in The Intern movie, the Indonesian translation of the idioms, the categories, and the translation strategies. The researcher discussed the findings in the form of narrative. The researcher selected several listed idioms to be explained in detail. For example, the researcher described how an idiom was categorized into a pure idiom and what strategy used in translating an idiom.
Table 3.3 Types of Semi-idioms
No English Subtitles Indonesian Subtitles
Types ...
21. 01:04:35,540 --> 01:04:36,808
Because I'm gonna save your ass,
(B21)
Karena aku akan membantumu
Metonymy
...
4. Making an Interpretation of the Findings
The researcher drew conclusions based on the analysis. In this final step, the researcher answered the research questions. In addition, the researcher gave the implications and recommendations after concluding the study.
The flow of the research is seen in Figure 3.1.
Fig 3.1 Flowchart in Conducting the Research
Overall, the researcher started the analysis by watching The Intern movie. After that, the researcher collected the idioms in the English subtitles and
RQ 1 RQ 2
Categorizing the idioms
Identifying the strategies for translating the
idioms
Fernando‟s theory (1996) - Pure idioms - Semi-idioms - Literal idioms
Watching The Intern
movie
Collecting the idioms
Conclusion
Baker‟s theory (2011) - Similar meaning and form
identified their translation in the Indonesian subtitles. The next steps were categorizing the idioms and identifying the strategies for translating the idioms. The theory to categorize the idioms is Fernando‟s (1996) theory. Meanwhile, the theory to identify the strategy is Baker‟s (2011) theory. Finally, the researcher
31 CHAPTER IV
RESEARCH RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
This chapter consists of three parts, namely categories of idioms, strategies for translating idioms, and another finding. The first part answers the first research question which is about the categories of idioms used in The Intern movie. The second part answers the second research question which is about the strategies to translate the idioms used in The Intern movie. In the third part, the researcher discusses the other findings in this study.
A. Categories of Idioms
This part presents the categorization of the idioms based on Fernando‟s
(1996) theory. The idioms are categorized into pure idioms, semi-idioms, and literal idioms. Table 4.1 shows the percentage of each category of idioms in The Intern movie.
Table 4.1 Percentage of Categories of Idioms
No Categories Frequency Percentage
1 Pure idioms 57 43.8%
2 Semi-idioms 34 26.2%
3 Literal idioms 39 30%
Total 130 100%
1. Pure Idioms
Fernando (1996) states that the words that construct a pure idiom are non-literal. In other words, the elements that constitute a pure idiom have lost their literal meaning. Thus, a pure idiom cannot be translated literally. There are fifty seven pure idioms which become a majority in these findings.
Excerpt [1]
One of the pure idioms in the subtitles is take a rain check. The idiom has nothing to do with rain and check. If the idiom is translated literally, the whole sentence becomes tetapi apakah baik jika kita mengambil cek hujan. However, the words that construct this idiom have already lost their literal meaning. The word take does not mean to carry and the phrase a rain check does not mean an act to make sure the water that falls from the sky is safe. Therefore, this idiom is included as a pure idiom.
Take a rain check means to refuse an offer or invitation but to say that the person may accept it later. In the movie, a woman that had a crush on Ben asked him to have dinner again. Ben used this idiom to refuse the invitation politely. In the TL subtitles, the idiom is paraphrased into apa tak apa jika kita tunda dulu. This translation conveys the same meaning with the SL idiom.
Excerpt from 00:04:16,525 00:04:19,193
Ben : Oh, yeah. No, no, we got to do that again, for sure, but okay if we take a rain check?
Excerpt [2]
The other pure idiom in the subtitles is having a ball as shown in Excerpt [2]. In its literal meaning, having means to own or possess something and ball means a round object that is usually used in the sport. The idiom does not make sense if it is translated literally into memiliki sebuah bola. The meaning of the idiom is not to possess a round object, but is to enjoy yourself a lot. The elements which construct the idiom have lost their literal meaning. The idiom in the subtitles was used by Ben to tell Molly what he felt about his life. He enjoyed his life as a senior intern in About The Fit.
2. Semi-idioms
According to Fernando (1996), semi-idioms are made up from one or more literal elements and at least one figurative element. Figurative elements cannot be translated literally. Fernando (1996) also states that semi-idioms may have lexical variations.
Table 4.2 Percentage of Types of Semi-idioms
No Figures of Speech Frequency Percentage
1 Simile 1 0.8%
2 Metaphor 26 20%
3 Metonymy 4 3.1%
4 Hyperbole 3 2.3%
Total 34 26.2%
In the findings, the researcher finds thirty four idioms. These semi-idioms are included in simile, metaphor, metonymy, and hyperbole.
Excerpt from 01:21:30,121 01:21:41,164
a) Simile
Simile compares two different objects with at least one common characteristic (Wren & Martin, 2000). Wales (2011) notes as and like are the most common connectives used in simile. There is one semi-idiom which is identified as simile in the movie.
Excerpt [3]
In Excerpt [3], Ben compared the nowhere-to-be-thing with a ton of bricks. The nowhere-to-be-thing means the feeling of emptiness and loneliness. The idiom a ton of bricks is interpreted as heavy things. In this context, Ben had a heavy thing with him which was the burden of being alone. Ben felt it was hard to be alone after his wife passed away. Besides, if someone is hit with a ton of bricks, the person can be hurt. Therefore, the idiom like a ton of bricks indicates how hard, heavy, and hurt to be alone is.
b) Metaphor
O‟Dell and McCarthy (2010) state that metaphor is a figure of speech that
describes two things which have the same qualities or characteristics. Different from simile, metaphor does not use explicit markers such as like and as. It implies as if two things are one. Metaphor can also be found in the form of phrasal verbs (Knowles & Moon, 2006).
Excerpt from 00:01:39,435 00:01:44,605
Ben : The problem was, no matter where I went, as soon as I got home, the nowhere-to-be thing hit me like a ton of
Excerpt [4]
The example of a metaphor that compares two things is I’m just a big bowl of mush. Ben compared himself to mush. Mush is a type of thick porridge made from corn. The characteristic of mush is soft. Ben described himself as mush which is soft. In this case, soft can mean sensitive and emotional. Therefore, Ben used metaphor to show Jules that he was a sensitive and emotional man.
Excerpt [5]
Excerpt [6]
The next examples of semi-idioms which are categorized as metaphor are shown in Excerpt [5] and [6]. The idioms are keep up and stay up. As seen in Excerpt [5] and [6], the words keep and stay still maintain their literal meaning. Both words mean to remain in a particular place and condition. These idioms can be traced by finding metaphor in the form of phrasal verbs.
Up is a prepositional particle which literally means towards or in a higher position. However, the idiom keep up does not mean to continue going to a high position. Based on the context of the conversation, keep up means to continue
Excerpt from 00:24:18,759 00:24:25,098 Jules : We hit our five-year goal in nine months.
Cameron: Exactly. Jules, we can't keep up with our own success. (B7)
Excerpt from 00:39:07,680 00:39:11,050 Matt : I tried to stay up.
Jules : I know. (B12)
Excerpt from 01:31:22,214 01:31:25,748 Ben : I'm just a big bowl of mush.
without stopping. Cameron was not sure that the success of About The Fit would continue.
Meanwhile, the idiom stay up means to go to bed later than usual. Matt told Jules that he wanted to continue to be in an awake condition and accompany Jules, but he could not resist not to sleep. The preposition up was used because it indicates something is happening.
In other words, the preposition up implies continuity. The idioms keep up and stay up show an idea of maintaining or continuing the current situation. Therefore, these idioms are included in metaphor.
c) Metonymy
There are four semi-idioms in the subtitles which are included as metonymy. Yule (2010) suggests metonymy replaces an object with another object which has a close connection. The connection can be a container–contents relation, a whole–part relation, and or a representative–symbol relationship.
Excerpt [7]
One of the examples of semi-idioms in the subtitles is save your ass. Save
still maintains its literal meaning which is to keep somebody‟s safe whereas ass
loses the literal meaning. Ass is a part of the human body. The meaning of the
idiom is not to keep somebody‟s ass safely. Ass is a small part which refers to the
Excerpt from 01:04:31,202 01:04:38,876
Ben : You know, I feel like everybody's uncle around here. Davis : Yeah, why is that?
Ben : Because I'm gonna save your ass, and I'm gonna put you
whole part of the body. Ass refers to a person, not only his or her ass. Therefore, the idiom save your ass means to help someone. The type of this semi-idiom is called metonymy as it uses a part to refer the whole.
In the movie, Davis, one of the workers in the About the Fit, told Ben that he had moved in to his cousin‟s house in Philadelphia. However, it took much
time from his cousin‟s house to the company. Therefore, Ben offered him a help.
Davis could live in Ben‟s house for a while.
d) Hyperbole
Wales (2011) suggests hyperbole means exagerration or overstatement. It is used to show strong emphasis on something by making it sounds more than what it actually is. There are three semi-idioms which are identified as hyperbole.
Excerpt [8]
One of semi-idioms in the subtitles is my blood pressure was through the roof. The phrase my blood pressure still maintains its literal meaning whereas the roof has lost its literal meaning. The roof does not mean the structure that covers the top of a building or vehicle. It shows that something is high. In this context, the roof implies to be beyond the normal state or condition. Therefore, the meaning of my blood pressure was through the roof is not to show that my blood pressure goes to the top of a building or vehicle, but to show that someone is under pressure because of doing something that pumps adrenaline. Ben said this
Excerpt from 01:14:50,722 01:14:52,555
idiom because he had just committed a crime which was stealing his boss‟s
mother‟s computer. This idiom also exaggerates Ben‟s feeling by using the words
through the roof. Thus, the type of this semi-idiom is hyperbole.
Excerpt [9]
Another semi-idiom which is considered as hyperbole is a billion times. This idiom contains one word with literal meaning and one word with non-literal meaning. The literal word is times, whereas the non-literal word is billion. Billion is included as numerical quantifiers which can be used to form a hyperbole. Saying a billion times does not mean that Jason really did text his crush a billion times. Jason used this idiom to give emphasis that he had done a huge effort to approach his crush by texting her so many times.
3. Literal Idioms
Referring to Fernando (1996), a literal idiom is less complex than pure and semi-idioms. The variation of a literal idiom is also little or none at all. This makes literal idioms different with literal phrases. Based on the findings, there are thirty nine idioms which are considered as literal idioms.
Excerpt from 00:22:27,081 00:22:32,419 Ben : What did you do, send her a tweet?
Excerpt [10]
One of the examples of literal idioms in the subtitles is first of all. It is included as a literal idiom because it has no variation and the meaning is easier to comprehend from its elements. If it is translated word for word, the idiom becomes pertama dari semuanya. Actually, the idiom yields two meanings. First, it means at the beginning. Second, it means the most important thing. The idiom matches with the second meaning. The translator chose the more natural translation which is terutama. Jules told her reason why she minded about having an old intern.
Excerpt [11]
Referring to Excerpt [11], the idiom all right is considered to be a literal idiom because the meaning of the elements is transparent. First, all right can be interpreted as an adjective which means acceptable, safe, and good. Second, all right can be an exclamation which means to show agreement, attention, and greeting. In this context, the idiom all right means to show agreement. Ben agreed with what the woman said that he was not young anymore. This idiom is translated into baiklah. Therefore, baiklah is appropriate as the translation of the SL idiom.
Excerpt from 00:04:30,906 00:04:32,940 Ben‟s girlfriend: You're not getting any younger. Ben : I know, I know, I know. All right. Excerpt from 00:11:58,520 00:12:00,721
Jules : First of all, I'm not great with older people. You know how I am with my parents. This could be... Why do I have to have one?
To sum up, idioms can be classified into three categories, namely pure idioms, semi-idioms, and literal idioms. Based on the findings, pure idioms are constructed from two or more words which have lost their literal meaning. Semi-idioms consist of one or more literal elements and at least one non-literal element. The non-literal meaning of the words can be traced by figuring the figures of speech of those words. This makes the figures of speech in semi-idioms tracable. In this research, semi-idioms are classified into simile, metaphor, metonymy, and hyperbole. Literal idioms have very little variation or none at all. Even though literal idioms are invariant, the components are easy to comprehend.
B. Strategies for Translating Idioms
Table 4.3 Percentage of Each Strategy for Translating Idioms
No Strategies Frequency Percentage
1. Similar meaning and form 7 5.4%
2. Similar meaning but dissimilar form
4 3.1%
3. Borrowing 2 1.5%
4. Paraphrase 105 80.8%
5. Omission 3 2.3%
6. Literal translation 9 6.9%
Total 130 100%
The researcher discovers 130 idioms in The Intern movie subtitles. Based on the findings, paraphrase is the most frequent strategy used to translate the idioms. There are 105 idioms (80.8%) which are translated using this strategy. The second most adopted strategy is literal translation. This strategy is not proposed by Baker. However, it is used to translate 9 idioms (6.9%) of the total idioms in the movie. The next strategy is using an idiom of similar meaning and form. There are 7 idioms (5.4%) translated using this strategy. The third most applied strategy is using an idiom of similar meaning but dissimilar form which is employed to translate 4 idioms (3.1%). The next strategy is omission which is applied to translate 3 idioms (2.3%). The least used strategy is borrowing which accounts for 1.5% of the total idioms in the movie.
1. Using an Idiom of Similar Meaning and Form
idioms because using an idiom of similar meaning and form can only occasionally be achieved (Baker, 2011).
Excerpt [12]
There are seven idioms which are translated using idioms of similar meaning and form. One example of idioms which is translated using this strategy is forever in your debt as shown in Excerpt [12]. This idiom is translated into selamanya dalam hutang budi kalian.
Table 4.4 Form and Meaning: Similar Meaning and Form
SL Idiom TL Idiom
Idiom forever in your debt selamanya dalam hutang budi kalian
Form idiomatic expression idiomatic expression
similar lexical items Meaning to express gratitude to express gratitude
Referring to Table 4.4, the SL idiom yields the same meaning with the translation in TL. The translation of the SL idiom is an idiom in the TL. Both SL and TL idioms mean to feel grateful to somebody for their help and kindness. The lexical items of both idioms are similar. Forever means selamanya, in means dalam, your debt means hutang budi kalian. This similarity in lexical items does not make the translation less accurate or less natural. The translation still maintains the meaning of its SL idiom and is easily understood. This idiom appeared when Jules and her interns were in a pub. Jules told her interns that she was so grateful because of what they had done. Jules asked her interns to steal her
English Subtitles Indonesian Subtitles
01:17:27,945 01:17:37,320
I am gonna go. But I am forever in your debt, gentlemen. Another word which is never used anymore.
01:17:28,023 01:17:34,829
mother‟s computer because she accidentally sent a wrong message to her. Luckily, Jules‟s interns were willing to do it and successful in accomplishing that
mission.
Excerpt [13]
Another example of an idiom which is translated using an idiom of similar meaning and form is shown in Excerpt [13]. The idiom a billion times is translated into milyaran kali. Both source language and target language idioms represent the same meaning which is to do something many times. The words billion and milyaran indicate the exaggeration of something or hyperbole. This idiom was used by Jason when he had a conversation with Ben. Jason told Ben that he had texted his crush for so many times but got no response. Jason
emphasized how hard his effort to get his crush‟s attention by using this idiom. A
billion times and milyaran kali also have similar form of lexical items. Even though the translation uses similar form of lexical items, it does not change any information of the idiom. Therefore, the meaning is accurately transferred. Besides, it is naturally used in the target language.
2. Using an Idiom of Simiar Meaning but Dissimilar Form
Baker (2011) points out that this strategy uses TL idioms which have the same meaning with SL idioms but different lexical items or words. In other
English Subtitles Indonesian Subtitles
00:22:29,684 00:22:35,354
I, like, texted her a billion times. She didn't answer, so then I e-mailed her.
00:22:29,762 00:22:35,432
words, the translator picks an idiom with different form and lexis in the TL, but it has the same meaning with the SL idiom.
Excerpt [14]
Based on the findings, the researcher finds three idioms translated using idioms of similar meaning but dissimilar form. One example of the idioms is presented in Excerpt [14]. The idiom bust my ass is translated into membanting tulang.
Table 4.5 Form and Meaning: Similar Meaning Dissimilar Form
SL Idiom TL Idiom
Idiom bust my ass membanting tulang
Form idiomatic expression idiomatic expression
dissimilar lexical items Meaning make a great effort make a great effort
Reffering to Table 4.5, if bust my ass is translated literally into mematahkan pantatku, it will be less natural and have no meaning in the TL. In the Indonesian subtitles, this idiom is translated into membanting tulang. According to Chaer (1986), membanting tulang means bekerja keras. Thus, both idioms have the same meaning which is to make huge and real effort to do something. In the subtitles, Becky told Ben that she always worked hard and did everything that Jules asked to do. In the other side, Jules never paid attention to her. To convey the meaning, the idiom bust my ass is translated using different
English Subtitles Indonesian Subtitles
01:02:02,488 01:02:08,525
I mean, I bust my ass for her 14 hours a day, and she never notices.
01:02:02,566 01:02:08,603
lexical items. The translation does not add or omit the information. Therefore, the translation is accurate.
In addition, membanting tulang is natural to be used in this context. Membanting tulang in the TL is usually used to describe a person who works hard to achieve something or for someone. Examples of the use of membanting tulang are a father who works day and night, a student who works to pay his school fee, people who serve their country, etc.
3. Borrowing the Source Language of Idiom
Baker (2011) declares that borrowing SL idioms is done for culture-specific items. She also adds that it is uncommon for idioms to be borrowed in some contexts. In the findings, there are two idioms which are translated using this strategy. They are zoom in and zoom out.
Excerpt [15]
As seen in Excerpt [15], the idiom zoom in is transferred directly to the TL. The idiom does not undergo any changes. The word zoom means to move somewhere very fast and the word in means at a point within an area. Meanwhile, the meaning of the idiom is to show the object that is being photographed from closer perspective. This idiom was uttered by Jules when she checked About The
Fit‟s website. Jules asked Cameron to zoom in or look at the picture closer.
English Subtitles Indonesian Subtitles
01:07:39,024 01:07:41,592
I mean, if you can't zoom in, you probably won't buy.
01:07:39,102 01:07:41,670
Table 4.6 Form and Meaning: Borrowing
SL Idiom TL Idiom
Idiom zoom in zoom in
Form idiomatic expression idiomatic expression
the same lexical items
Meaning show the photograph
from closer perspective
show the photograph from closer perspective
Based on Table 4.6, the idioms zoom in and zoom out are borrowed because they are technical terms in computer or Internet. Vinay and Darbelnet note “of course, in some technical fields there is much borrowing of terms” (as cited in Munday, 2016, p. 89). Therefore, borrowing is suitable to be used for translating the idioms zoom in and zoom out.
4. Paraphrase
According to Baker (2011), paraphrase strategy is done by writing the meaning of the SL idiom into the TL. This strategy can be used when there is no idiom with similar meaning and form or similar meaning but dissimilar form in the TL. SL idioms which are translated using paraphrase strategy are not considered as idiomatic expressions because it directly refers to the meaning of the SL idiom.
Excerpt [16]
There are 105 idioms which are translated using paraphrase strategy. Most of the idioms in the findings are translated using this strategy. One of the idioms is
English Subtitles Indonesian Subtitles
00:21:49,543 00:21:53,513
Well, first of all, nothing on purpose. We were going out for a minute..
00:21:49,621 00:21:53,591
on purpose. This idiom means not by accident or deliberately. The translation of this idiom is disengaja which is the meaning of on purpose in the TL.
Table 4.7 Form and Meaning: Paraphrase
SL Idiom TL Idiom
Idiom on purpose Disengaja
Form idiomatic expression non-idiomatic expression
different lexical items
Meaning not by accident not by accident
According to Table 4.7, the SL idiom undergoes changes in the TL form. In the SL, the idiom is in the form of a preposition on and a noun purpose. Meanwhile, in the TL, it is changed into a passive verb and it becomes non-idiomatic expression. The form adjustment does not remove the meaning of the SL idiom. Moreover, it makes the translation clearer and more natural.
The second example of idiom which employs paraphrase strategy is counting on (A91). This idiom means to trust somebody to do something. This idiom appeared when Jules told her interns that she had sent a wrong email and needed to fix it. She wanted to ask for help of the interns. The idiom is paraphrased into memperhitungkan. Memperhitungkan is the meaning of counting, but it is less accurate in this context. Memperhitungkan yields a meaning to consider what actions should be taken and its risks. The possible translation of counting on in this context is mengandalkan which is more accurate, clear, and natural.
of the shots means to be the person who controls a situation. The person who was going to control the situation was the new CEO, not Jules anymore. The idiom is paraphrased into memanggil beberapa pimpinan. This idiom is not successfully transferred into the TL because it changes the meaning. Jules was not calling the company chiefs but looking for someone who can become the CEO. The accurate, clear, and natural translation of the idiom is memperbaiki situasi.
5. Omission
Omission is employed when SL idioms have no close match in the TL or
its meaning cannot be easily paraphrased. This strategy also can be applied due to
stylistic reasons. In the movie subtitles, there are two idioms translated using this
strategy.
Excerpt [17]
Based on Excerpt [17], Davis said you are a crazy son of a bitch to Ben
because he admired the bravery of Ben. There are some parts of the SL idiom you
are a crazy son of a bitch whichare not translated and omitted in the TL. Parts of
the SL idiom which is translated is crazy. It becomes gila. Meanwhile, son of a
bitch is omitted.
English Subtitles Indonesian Subtitles
01:14:46,684 01:14:49,252
You are a crazy son of a bitch. You know that, right?
01:14:46,762 01:14:49,330
