Analysis of The Non-Equivalence of Lexical Meaning Found in The Indonesian Translation of Amy Tan's 'The Kitchen God's Wife'.

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ABSTRACT

Skripsi ini berjudul Analysis of the Non-Equivalence of Lexical Meaning

Found in the Indonesian Translation of Amy Tan’s The Kitchen God’s Wife.

Dalam skripsi ini, saya menganalisis novel yang berjudul The Kitchen God’s

Wife karya Amy Tan yang diterjemahkan ke dalam bahasa Indonesia oleh Joyce

K. Isa dengan judul Istri Dewa Dapur.

Saya memilih topik ini karena saya melihat beberapa terjemahan yang

menurut saya hasilnya kurang sesuai dengan bahasa aslinya. Saya ingin

mempelajari, memperdalam, dan meningkatkan kemampuan saya dalam

menerjemahkan. Tujuan dari analisis ini adalah untuk mengetahui apakah

terjemahan dalam bahasa Indonesia sudah sesuai dengan karya aslinya.

Dalam skripsi ini saya mengunakan tiga teori translation, yaitu

componential analysis, hierarchical structure analysis, dan contextual meaning,

untuk menganalisis apakah makna kata/frasa/kalimat yang digunakan dalam novel

terjemahan sudah sesuai dengan makna kata/frasa/kalimat dalam novel aslinya.

Setelah menganalisis sejumlah kata, frasa dan kalimat, saya

menyimpulkan bahwa ada beberapa kata/frasa/kalimat dalam novel terjemahan ini

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penerjemah disarankan untuk berhati-hati dalam pemilihan kata/frasa/kalimat

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APPENDIX

Table 1 Data of Non-Equivalence of Referential Meaning

No Words Componential Meaning

Hierarchical Relationship

English Indonesian

1. wallet saku 9

2. sink merasuk 9

3. to shake off merontokkan 9

4. claims mengatakan 9

5. despair kekecewaan 9

6. nudge menyodok 9

7. struck mengenai 9

8. hens ayam 9

9. trembling bergetar 9

10. look after menengok 9

11. man seseorang 9

12. germs penyakit 9

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14. crib tempat tidur 9

15. bowel perut 9

9

16. mouth bibir

17. bobby pin jepit 9

18. wheelbarrow gerobak 9

19. blades gunting 9

20. daughter anak 9

21. back tulang punggung 9

22. twig dahan 9

23. house gedung-gedung 9

Table 2 Data of Non-Equivalence of Contextual Meaning

No Words

English Indonesian 24. used to send suka bolak-balik mengirimi

25. If I had thought about this more carefully, I would have

realized

Seandainya hal ini kupikirkan lebih

teliti, aku akan sadar.

26. She should have done this or that to prevent it

Seharusnya ia berbuat ini atau itu untuk

mencegahnya

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Table 3 the translation of definitions based on the Indonesian dictionary

No Word Indonesia English

1. saku kantong (pada baju, celana, rok,

dsb)

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 982)

a pocket (on our

garment, trousers,

skirt, etc)

2. dompet tempat uang yang terbuat dari

kulit, plastic, dsb

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 273)

a place for putting

money which is

made of leather,

plastic, etc

3. merasuk memasuki tubuh manusia

(tentang roh jahat, dsb) (Kamus

Besar Bahasa Indonesia 933)

to enter human body

(especially for evil

spirit, etc)

4. meresap masuk ke dalam pelan-pelan ke

dalam lubang-lubang kecil atau

lembut terutama tentang barang

cair.

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 951)

to infiltrate slowly

through small or

smooth holes

especially for liquid

5. merontokkan menggugurkan

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 962)

to cause to drop or

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6. menyingkirkan menjauhkan (sesuatu dari)

menghindarkan,memindahkan

supaya tidak menghalangi,

membahayakan

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 1071)

to get rid of, to

avoid, to move

something away so

that it will not

hamper or endanger.

7. mengatakan menyebutkan, menuturkan

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 514)

to mention, to tell

8. mengklaim menyatakan suatu fakta atau

kebenaran sesuatu

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 574)

to state a fact or the

truth about

something

9. kekecewaan perasaan kecewa

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 522)

a feeling of

disappointment

10. keputusaasaan habis (hilang) harapan, tidak

mempunyai harapan lagi

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 914)

to loss hope, there is

no hope anymore

11. menyodok mendorong

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 1081)

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12. menyikut menyinggung (mendesak)

dengan sikut

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 1064)

to push with an

elbow

13. mengenai kena pada sasarannya (tujuan

dan sebagainya)

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 541)

to hit exactly to its

target ( goal, etc)

14. menimpa menjatuhi atau mengenai

(terutama tentang sesuatu yang

tidak menyenangkan, seperti

penyakit, bencana, dsb) (Kamus

to fall or to strike

(especially about

something which is

unpleasant /

unggas yang pada umumnya

tidak dapat terbang, dapat

dijinakkan dan dipelihara,

berjengger, yang jantan

berkokok dan bertaji,

sedangkan yang bertina

berkotek

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

a kind of poultry

which can not fly

and can be tamed

and can be kept,

with cock’s comb

and has spur, the

cock crows while

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Indonesia 80

16. betina perempuan (biasanya dipakai

untuk binatang atau benda)

contoh: ayam betina

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 144)

female (usually

used for an animal

or an object). Eg:

female chicken

19. bergetar Bergerak berulang-ulang

dengan cepat

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 362)

to move repeatedly

and rapidly

20. gemetar bergetar anggota badan karena

ketakutan (kedinginan, dsb)

menggigil karena ketakutan

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 351)

the shaking or

shivering of part of

the body because of

fright (coldness, etc)

or tremble because

of fear

21. menengok menjenguk, mengunjungi

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 1175)

to visit

22. mengurusi mengatur baik-baik, menjaga,

dan merawat

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

to arrange well, to

watch over, and to

(10)

Indonesia 1253)

23. seseorang seorang yang tidak dikenal

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 802)

someone who is

unknown

24. pria laki-laki dewasa

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 895)

an adult male

25. penyakit gangguan kesehatan yang

disebabkan oleh bakteri, virus,

atau kelainan sistem faal atau

jaringan pada organ tubuh

(pada makhluk hidup)

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 981)

health problems

which are caused by

germs, virus or an

abnormality on the

function body

system and the

tissues of human’s

organ or on creature

26. bakteri makhluk hidup terkecil bersel

tunggal, terdapat dimana-mana,

dapat berkembang biak dengan

kecepatan luar biasa dengan

jalan membelah diri, ada yang

berbahaya dan ada yang tidak,

dapat menyebabkan peragian,

pembusukan, dan penyakit

the smallest one-cell

organism found

everywhere, which

can reproduce at a

rapid rate by

splitting itself, some

are harmful and

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(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 94)

cause a process of

leavening,

putrefaction, and

disease

27. betis bagian kaki antara lutut dan

pergelangan kaki, di belakang

tulang kering

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 144)

the part of the leg

between the knee

and ankle, behind

the shin

28. tungkai kaki kaki (seluruh kakinya dari

pangkal paha ke bawah)

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 1226)

legs (the whole part

of legs starting from

the loins to

downwards)

29. tempat tidur tempat tidur biasanya terbuat

dari besi

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 929)

a place for sleeping

which is usually

made of iron

30. boks tempat tidur bayi atau tempat

menaruh anak-anak (sebelum

dapat berjalan), berbentuk

persegi empat, berpagar pada

sisi-sisinya

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

a place to sleep for a

baby or a place to

keep a baby who is

not able to walk yet,

the shape is square

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Indonesia 160) each side

31. perut bagian tubuh dari rongga dada

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 864)

the part of the body

which is located

under thoracic

cavity.

32. usus alat pencernaan di dalam perut

(manusia atau hewan) yang

bentuknya seperti pembuluh

panjang berlingkar-lingkar dari

ujung akhir lambung sampai

dubur

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 1256)

digestive organ in

the stomach (of

humans or animals)

in the form of long

twisted corporal

passages from the

ends of our stomach

until the anus

33. bibir tepi (pinggir) mulut (sebelah

bawah dan atas)

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 147)

the (edge) of the

mouth especially

(the upper and

lower parts)

34. mulut rongga di muka, tempat gigi

dan lidah, untuk memasukkan

makanan (pada manusia atau

binatang)

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 762)

the hollow on the

face where teeth and

tongue are, and as a

part of body which

has function to

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human or animal )

35. jepit alat untuk menjepit

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 470)

a tool which is used

to pin

36. tusuk konde alat penguat sanggul agar dapat

melekat dikepala dan juga

sebagai penghias kepala

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 1230)

a tool to tighten or

to hold knots of hair

so it can stick on

our head as well as

an accessory on our

head

37. gerobak alat yang berupa kotak besar

beroda dua, tiga, empat, untuk

mengangkut sesuatu

(barang, sayur, dsb) yang

ditarik atau didorong manusia

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 359)

an equipment in the

form of a big box

which has two,

three, or four

wheels, used to

carry things (goods,

vegetables, etc)

which is drawn or

pulled by people

38. gerobak sorong gerobak yang beroda satu dan

ditolak dari belakang

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 1085)

a cart which has

only one wheel and

it is drawn from

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39. gunting perkakas untuk memotong, kain

(rambut dsb)

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 376)

a tool which is used

to cut cloth, (hair,

etc).

40. mata gunting bagian yang tajam pada gunting

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 722)

the sharp part of the

scissors

41. anak keturunan kedua

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 41)

second descendant

42. putri anak perempuan

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 941)

female child

43. tulang belakang tulang belakang

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 1218)

backbone

44. punggung bagian belakang tubuh

(manusia atau hewan) dari leher

sampai ketulang ekor (Kamus

the back part (of

human being or

animal body)

starting from their

neck to coccyx

45. dahan cabang batang pohon, bagian

batang pohon yang tumbuh

the branches, part of

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mencuat ke samping (beranting

dan berdaun) (Kamus Besar

Bahasa Indonesia 230)

to the sides (with

leaves and twigs)

46. ranting bagian cabang yang kecil-kecil;

cabang dari cabang (Kamus

the smaller parts of

the branch; branch

of the branch

47. gedung bangunan tembok dan

sebagainya yang berukuran

besar, sebagai tempat kegiatan

seperti perkantoran, pertemuan,

perniagaan, pertunjukan, olah

raga, dsb (Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 342)

a great huge

building which is

used as a place for

activities such as

offices, meetings,

commerce and

trades,

performances, and

sports.

48. rumah bangunan untuk tempat tinggal

(Kamus Besar Bahasa

Indonesia 966)

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of Study

The topic of my thesis is analysis of the non-equivalence of lexical

meaning found in the Indonesian translation of Amy Tan’s The Kitchen God’s

Wife. I choose this topic because I am interested in studying translation. It also

helps me to enrich my vocabulary and deepen my understanding on translation as

well as increasing my translation skill. Another reason is that I am personally

concerned with translation and I see it essential that the source text is being

translated into the target text equivalently.

I notice that there are quite a lot of translated novels which, in my opinion,

have not been translated equivalently. This is inappropriate as it might produce a

different perception and it might also cause the readers to have a different sense of

meaning of the words/phrases/sentences. Moreover, there is a possibility that the

readers might not get the ideas which are depicted in the original text because of

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On the surface, the translated words/phrases/sentences may seem correct

and equivalent; yet, in fact, when we analyse them further, we can find some

non-equivalence of meaning in the translation. What makes the analysis of translation

more interesting is that when we find the non-equivalent words, through further

analysis we can actually find the equivalent words/phrases/sentences.

I agree with Leech that a translator should achieve the goal of gaining a

systematic account of the nature of meaning when they translate the source text

into the target text (Hatim and Munday 34). Besides, I think a work of translation

should reflect the whole idea and content of the original text so that the text is

coherent, comprehensible, and understandable to the readers. This is supported by

Locke and Booth, who say, “it is generally agreed that meaning is important in

translation ― particularly in total translation and it is also said that translation has

often been defined with reference to meaning; a translation is said to “have the

same meaning” as the original.” (Catford 35) I also agree with Dostert‘s definition

of translation that defines it as “a branch of the applied science of language which

is specifically concerned with the problem — or the fact — of the transference of

meaning from one set of symbols into another set of patterned symbols.” (Catford

35).

Optimistically, I hope this research will be of benefit for translators in

making better translation. Besides, I hope this thesis will help those that learn

translation, who might become translators in the future, to increase their

translation skill, gain knowledge of translation, and thus become good translators.

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not a simple matter as there might be losses and gains in meaning in a translated

version when compared with the original text.

My topic belongs to Translation, which is supported by Semantics.

Translation deals with equivalent and non-equivalent transference of meaning

between the words/phrases/sentences in the source text and the translation. An

equivalence shows “the relationship of the similarity between source text and

target text segment” (Hatim and Munday 339). However, in my thesis analysis I

give a restriction to the perception of equivalence and non-equivalence. A

translation is equivalent when the words/phrases/sentences in the target text are

evidently equal to those in the source text after being analysed by using

componential analysis, hierarchical structure analysis, as well as contextual

meaning. Therefore, when the target text is proved not equivalent by one of the

three measures, the target text is not equivalent.

Semantics is “the study of meaning in language.” (Hurford and Heasley 1)

In analysing whether or not the words/phrases/sentences are equivalent, the data

are approached by means of its referential meaning and contextual meaning. The

theories of Translation and Semantics and the approaches are used in analysing to

explain the non-equivalent words/phrases/sentences and to find the equivalent

words/phrases/sentences.

The source of data of this research is a novel entitled The Kitchen God’s

Wife and its Indonesian version. I choose this source of data because I find some

inaccuracies in the Indonesian translation of the novel. Therefore, this

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1.2 Statement of the Problem

In the thesis I would like to analyse two problems; they are:

1. Which words/phrases/sentences in the target texts show the

non-equivalence of meaning?

2. What are the equivalent words/phrases/sentences?

1.3 Purpose of the Study This thesis is written:

1. to show which words/phrases/sentences are non-equivalent to the source

text.

2. to find what the equivalent words/phrases/sentences are.

1.4 Method of Research

First, I read the English novel together with the Indonesian translation

paragraph by paragraph, and second, I mark the words/phrases/sentences which I

suspect are not translated equivalently. Finally, I classify the data whether the

non-equivalence of meaning belongs to referential meaning or contextual

meaning, and analyse it using the theories, and then write a research report until I

come to the conclusion of the analysis.

1.5 Organisation of the Thesis

The first chapter is Introduction, which consists of Background of the

Study, Statement of the Problem, Purpose of the Study, Method of Research and

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Translation and Semantics which is used to analyse the data. In Chapter Three, I

present the analysis. Chapter Four is Conclusion, which concludes the analysis.

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CHAPTER FOUR

CONCLUSION

In this chapter, I would like to give some conclusions which are based on

the result of the research in Chapter Three. I would like to present the concluding

points starting from the componential analysis, hierarchical structure analysis, and

contextual analysis. I would also give my personal opinions and comments

concerning the result and some suggestions for translators.

First, in analysing the words and phrases in the translated novel which

show non-equivalence of meaning by using componential analysis, I find twelve

data, consisting of two phrases and ten words, which are proved not equivalent to

the source text. It is proved when I contrast each component of the words and

phrases in the target text with those in the source text, by observing the definition

of each word and phrase from the Indonesian and the English dictionaries.

Having found the fact of the inequivalent words and phrases through the

analysis, I think this non-equivalence of meaning is caused by the different

standard of quality between the Indonesian dictionaries and the English

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In my opinion the English dictionaries have more detailed and clearer

definitions than the Indonesian dictionaries. This may lead to the fact that the

Indonesian dictionaries are not so reliable, as they may give a chance to have

more inaccurate translation.

Moreover, through this analysis I also find that out of twelve data, eight

words and two phrases are translated totally out of context, while the other two

data are still related to the context of the story but their meanings are not

equivalent to the source text. It is proved through the comparison of the

components of the words and phrases in the componential analysis. As a result,

when I read the sentences in the target text, it leads me to a different

understanding compared with the source text. This fact is of course what a

translator should avoid, for transference of the same message is the basic essence

of translation.

Next, in the hierarchical structure analysis of the data, I find that there are

eleven words, the meanings of which are proved not to be equivalent to the source

text. The non-equivalence of meaning in this analysis consists of seven words

which are translated from the specific term into the generic term and four words

which are translated from generic term into the specific term.

However, I have found the closer equivalents for those non-equivalent

words through this analysis, which is supported not only by the diagram of the

levels of the words but also by the word definitions in both languages. Moreover,

this analysis also leads me to the fact that actually in our language we have the

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having found the fact that the meanings of the translated words are not equivalent,

I think the non-equivalence found in the translated work is caused by human error.

Then, in the contextual meaning analysis of the data, I find four sentences

which are not translated equivalently into the source text. All the non-equivalent

meanings in the translation are caused by the difference of structures in both

languages. The major problem in this analysis is that the English language

structure, has a tense system, which is very crucial in determining the time when

an event happens, while the Indonesian language structure does not have such a

system so that we have to add an adverb of time to make it clear when an event

happens. Through this analysis, I see that this problem can be a factor which

confuses the reader in following the story.

Having done the analysis, I think that componential analysis, hierarchical

structure analysis and contextual meaning analysis are very useful in helping us to

translate the source text into the target text. In my opinion there are some

advantages which I can gain from this lexical meaning analysis. First, we can find

the equivalent words or phrases through the componential analysis and

hierarchical structure analysis. Second, through the contextual analysis we can

find the appropriate sentences to use in the translation so that it will make the

translation better. Moreover, I also think that these three ways of analysing can

help the translator to reduce the non-equivalence of meaning as well as to prevent

them from using inaccurate words/phrases/sentences in their translation work.

Finally in this conclusion part, I would also like to share some points

which might be of some benefit for translator. In translating a source text,

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use in the target text to replace those in the source text, for I think it will influence

the readers’ understanding when they read a translation work or make them lose

the ideas of the content of the book. Besides, in my opinion the more accurate the

translated words, phrases, and sentences are, the closer the translation is to the

source text.

Second, if the translators are unsure of the word that they are going to use

in the target text, componential analysis is profusely helpful in finding the

equivalent words or phrases, while hierarchical structure analysis is useful in

figuring out the generic term or the specific term that we may use in the target

text. On top of that the use of contextual analysis helps us to find the right

sentences to be used in the target text. A translator must also pay more attention

to certain structures that are typical in the source language, but which the target

language does not have, for I think a translator is always expected to create a work

of translation which is coherent, comprehensible and easily understood so that it

will help the readers to understand the information that the source text has.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Primary Sources:

Tan, Amy. The Kitchen God’s Wife; alihbahasa, Joyce K. Isa. Istri Dewa dapur

― Jakarta: PT. Gramedia Pustaka Utama,1994

Tan, Amy. The Kitchen God’s Wife. Great Britain: HarperCollins Publisher, 1989

References:

Azar, B.S. Understanding and Using English Grammar. 1989. Second Edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Regents

Catford, J.C. A Linguistic Theory of Translation. Fourth Impression. Great Britain: Hazell Watson and Viney LTD, 1974

Collins Cobuild Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary. Fifth Edition. Glasgow: HarperCollins Publisher, 2006

English Dictionary for Advanced Learners. Oxford: MacMillan Publishers Limited, 2002

Echols, J.M and Shadily. An Indonesian – English Dictionary. Third edition. Jakarta: PT. Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 1992

Hatim, B. and J. Munday. Translation an Advanced Resource Book. New York: Routledge, 2004

Hurford, J.R and Heasley. B Semantic a Coursebook. New York: Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge, 1983

Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia. Second Edition. Jakarta: Balai Pustaka, 2005

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Lyons, John. Linguistic Semantics. New York: Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge, 1995

Nicholls, Ruth.Teaching English as a Second Language. Armidale: The University Of New England, 1987

Analysis of The Non-Equivalence of Lexical Meaning Found in The Indonesian Translation of Amy Tan's 'The Kitchen God's Wife'.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT

APPENDIX

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER FOUR

CONCLUSION

BIBLIOGRAPHY