CHAPTER 1
1.1. Background of the study
Language has main role, not only for linguists, students, and lecturers or in
education, but also for business persons, politician, and other subject that need
language as a medium to communicate. In another word, language actively manages
life of people to get on with. Kramsch (in Rahyono 2011:21) states that language is
the principal means whereby we conduct our social lives. When it is used in contexts
of communication, it is bound up with culture in multiple and complex ways. As an
example of the application of Kramsch’s definition about language; for instances,
some international events are broadcasted on television, internet or newspaper needs
language as the medium to communicate the message or information as well as
possible. Therefore, we cannot deny the existence of the language which occurs in
our social lives.
Language always becomes a fundamental part in our life, because it refers to the
way we manage our social life. Pertaining to it, language works in another different
way, namely, technology. Due to the rapid development of technology in 21st
century, technology becomes a major part of the language itself to be a medium to
communicate. It is spreading so fast in the world. We cannot stop the speed of
technology development in human life. Furthermore, it gives us an opportunity to
internet station anymore or waiting for their turn to access internet; however, they
have a lot of option to use internet whether using by phone, PC (Personal Computer)
or laptop without limiting space and time. Consequently, the advancement of
technology leads mankind to depend on technology which is applied in our
computer, television, and GPS (global positioning system), even on our phone. Also
technology cannot be spread into our life without language. The relationship
between technology and language is very tight, because technology is one medium to
communicate with someone. When communicating with someone, we need language
as the medium to convey messages.
Unfortunately, we are not living in the world which unites humanity in one
language. Stephen Juan, PhD, an anthropologist of University of Sydney, states (via
theregister.co.uk) that more than 6,800 living languages spoken in the world. With
that huge number of languages, humanity needs a solution to prevent the
misunderstood meaning while communicating; therefore, translation is the only way
to solve the language problem.
Newmark (1981:7) says, “Translation is a craft consisting in the attempt to
replace a written message and/or statement in one language by the same message
and/or statement in another language.” Translation is not merely changing words, but
also transferring of culture equivalence with the culture of the original language and
the recipient of that language as well as possible and implement it according to the
people in logic and based on fact; thus, the message contained in the source language
can satisfy the target-language reader with the information within.
Prochazka in Garvin’s A Prague School Reader on Esthetics, Literary Structure
and Style (in Venutti 2000:131) defines a good translation in terms of certain
requirements which must be made by the translator, namely (1) “He must understand
the original word thematically and stylistically”; (2) “he must overcome the
differences between the two linguistic structures”; and (3) “he must reconstruct the
stylistic structures of the original work in his translation.”
The beneficial effect of translation is absolutely we may look at in many ways;
for instances, in various written text, such as books, magazines, newspaper, poem,
etc. Translation truly helps people to know about information which at the
beginning, we do not know at all because of the language problem, and then we
know everything because the text is translated or transferred into our native tongue.
Translation is not translation literally, if people forget the role of translator.
Translation and translator are like two pieces of coin which cannot be separated.
Translator truly makes source language text become known for native people who do
not know about the text before. Translator also helps to introduce the culture of both
source language and target language to the reader.
One of the real examples which we can look about the result of translation is user
guide book or text. Commonly, user guide is made for the reader, so they know how
technology works applied in the device and to help the readers by giving some
information which guides the readers to know how useful the device is.
It is important to know that most of the user guide is a written text. Generally,
this written text is written in two languages or more. Because it facilitates the readers
for getting know the information through their language. Here, translation plays a
role. The role of translation, in this case is expressed in the form of user guide
(written text) is as the bridge to connect one language to another language or more.
Better to know that bearing in mind user guide is very sensitive text for the translator
to translate and for the reader to read, because it will mislead the reader if the
translator does not take into account the transferring meaning process of the user
guide. Therefore, most of the user guide is done by professional translator to cut
down on the percentage of wrong translation, even to rule out the mistaken
translation.
As a real prove of product or result of translation, in this case, the user guide.
iPhone 3Gs user guide become the object of the research. In addition, iPhone is one
of the well-known mobile phone in the world produced and created by Apple and it
has been sold more than 1 million units over the world (based on
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone_3GS). Due to its popularity in common phone user
and it is used by everyone over the world. Apple realizes to help the user by giving
User Guide as guidance for the user and the reader to understand and comprehend
how to use this phone easily. Most of the user guides is written in English, due to
only in English text, but also in Indonesian and of course the translation is done by
highly professional translator.
This research analyses about the technique of translation of iPhone 3GS User
Guide into Indonesian. This research is very interesting topic; for the reason that the
user guide which consists of two languages, English as source language (SL) and
Indonesian as target language (TL) is able to indicates a form of translation and
demonstrates the use of technique of translation within technical terminology.
Technical terminology actually consists of two words, technical and terminology.
Technical in Oxford Learner’s Pocket Dictionary (2008:455) is of a particular
subject or concerned with the practical use in machinery, methods, etc in science or
industry. Terminology in Oxford Learner’s Pocket Dictionary (2008:458) is special
words and expressions used in a particular subject. Thus, Technical terminology can
be concluded as word or phrase of a particular subject used as the name of
something; for instance, set up, voice control, and intelligent keyboard.
Related to analysis, the technical terminology becomes main object of this
analysis, because it shows changes that occur when a term in English translated into
Indonesian. Some changes are indicated by a change in the structure and form of the
word; some words are translated more longer than SL, and some word are shortened
after translated, some word also shows meaning shift; nevertheless, the changes that
occur still refers to the technique of translation which applied by the translator.
technique the translator applied in the text; for instance, Finger Tips is translated into
Semudah menjentikkan Jari Tangan, it is an example of discursive creation
technique, because the translation is totally unpredictable out of context and some
words have no relation in meaning if the phrase is translated literally. All findings of
the analysis are shown in tabular. Furthermore, this study will open the reader's mind
about how important the translation from SL to TL in giving comprehension and
understanding about the product iPhone 3GS.
1.2. Problem of Analysis
There are three problems to be analyzed as follows:
1. How are the techniques of translation of technical terminologies in “iPhone
3GS User Guide”?
2. What techniques are applied in the translation of “iPhone 3GS User Guide”?
3. Which is the most dominant technique of translation used in “iPhone 3GS
User Guide”?
1.3. Objective of Analysis
There are three objectives of the study in this analysis as the answers to the
problems which have been mentioned before, they are:
1. To find out how the translation of the technical terminology of "iPhone 3GS
2. To find out the techniques applied in translation of “iPhone 3GS User Guide”
in Indonesian.
3. To find out the most dominant technique which the translator used in
translation of “iPhone 3GS User Guide” into Indonesian.
1.4. Scope of Analysis
The scope of the analysis is only focused on the translation of technical
terminology in “iPhone 3GS User Guide” from English to Indonesian and
technique of translation based on Molina and Albir (2002:509-511).
1.5. Significance of Study
The Significances of the study are as follows:
1. As the reference and the guidance for students and the teachers of translation
in general; and the translator in particular to enlarge the comprehension about
the translation, especially about the technique of translation and to do other
related researches about translation.
2. As a reference and the guidance for students and the teachers of translation in
general; and the translator in particular, especially about the implementation
of technique of translation applied in technical terminology or other objects
