Of all the many definitions on translating, it can safely be defined as substituting a text in a source language (SL) with that in a target one (TL),

 Of all the many definitions on translating, it

can safely be defined as substituting a text in a source language (SL) with that in a target

one (TL), the result showing similar semantic and pragmatic aspects.

 This causes the readers of the TL text to

understand the text the same way the readers of the SL text do. And in order for the

translator to be able to do this, he has to

master the TL into which the SL text is to be translated, in addition to mastering the SL, the content to be translated, and the

techniques for translating (Directorate

General of Higher Education as quoted by Adjat Sakri 1984 cited in Musthafa 1990; adapted).

 in reality, the process of substituting the

text—that is, translating it—is faced with problems. This comes from the fact that

languages are used differently by their own speakers to express themselves in oral and written form.

 There is something “cultural” about the

speakers using their own language

differently. Not only does this mean that

speakers express proverbs, idioms, nominal or adjectival phrases, and the onomatopoeia of animal sounds differently in their language (Leonardi 2000).

 A good and professional translator will take

all those aspects above into consideration when translating a SL text into a TL one. He will make sure that his translation conforms to the rules of the target language

understanding that his translation will now be read by the TL readers, while at the same

time trying to be faithful to the original text not changing anything but the wording and form of the text.

 From my experience (both in teaching and

translating), it is obvious that Indonesian is used loosely /freely by its users. This means that the use of the language in practice

deviates from what is formulated by the Tatabahasa Indonesia Baku. This violation also occurs in written form, where the

language used must actually be formal. This deviation applies in word choice, word

collocation, sentence patterns, and discoursal patterns.

 Even if the use follows the rules, there are

still other problems, one of which is

ambiguity as asserted by Gunarwan (2001). A good example given by him is when they say “anak perempuan presiden yang kaya itu.”

When English-translated, it can be either “the rich daughter of the president” or “the

 At this level, problems are usually concerned with

free sentence construction, meaning that it does not follow the rules prescribed by Tatabahasa Indonesia Baku with regards to use of predicate, conjunctions, etc.

 e.g.

 - Negara yang telah meratifikasi KHA, maka Negara

tersebut terikat, baik secara Yuridis maupun politis (p. 1). (unclear predicate, inappropriate use of

conjunction)

 - Dampak lain masa depan anak tidak menentu serta

menjadi “Unskill Worker” sehingga mereka akan menjadi beban negara di masa mendatang (p. 2). (ineffective sentence)

 - Hal itu mengakibatkan kurangnya fasilitas

sekolah yang memadai, rendahnya kualitas guru, sehingga pelatihan teknis administrasi dan

profesionalisme di bidang pendidikan kurang terjamin (p. 3). (run-on sentence, ineffective sentence, no logic)

 - Perhatian yang kurang dari orangtua dan

ketidakharmonisan komunikasi yang terjadi dalam keluarga telah mengakibatkan anak merasa dikucilkan dalam interaksi sosial

keluarga, sebagai akibat anak menjadi terlempar ke jalan (p. 7). (run-on sentence, ineffective

 At this level, problems are associated with the way sentences are loosely

connected in the text, this producing no apparent coherence and

cohesion. There is little attempt on the part of the writer to make use of transitional markers and other cohesive devices to connect ideas

together. It may also happen that some ideas stand irrelevantly among other ideas in the text.

 e.g.

 - Indonesia telah meratifikasi KHA melalui Keppres No. 36/1990. Negara

yang telah meratifikasi KHA, maka Negara tersebut terikat, baik secara Yuridis maupun politis (p. 1). (missing transitional marker, ideas loosely connected)

 - Anak yang putus sekolah adalah anak-anak yang kehilangan hak

pendidikannya dan tidak memiliki kesempatan untuk mengembangkan dirinya secara maksimal. Kondisi seperti ini adalah kondisi yang sangat menyedihkan. Dampak lain masa depan anak tidak menentu serta

menjadi “Unskill Worker” sehingga mereka akan menjadi beban negara di masa datang (p. 2). (missing transitional marker, inappropriate use of „lain‟)

- - Munculnya anak yang hidup di jalanan adalah salah satu akses ketidakberdayaan Masyarakat dalam memenuhi kebutuhan

dalam keluarga khususnya kebutuhan yang diperlukan oleh anak. Perhatian yang kurang dari orangtua dan

ketidakharmonisan komunikasi yang terjadi dalam keluarga telah mengakibatkan anak merasa dikucilkan dalam interaksi sosial keluarga, sebagai akibat anak menjadi terlempar ke jalan (p. 7). (lack of focus, ideas loosely connected)

 - Kondisi kehidupan yang sedemikian keras tidak menutup kemungkinan munculnya tindak kekerasan yang ditimbulkan oleh orang-orang dewasa yang notabene sebagai orang yang harusnya melindungi. Perlakuan salah yang dialami anak-anak di jalan dapat berupa kekerasan fisik, mental, eksploitasi ekonomi, kekerasan seksual (pemerkosaan, sodomi dan pornografi).

Masalah lain yang Dihadapi anak-anak di jalanan adalah beresiko tinggi terhadap berbagai masalah kesehatan dan korban

penyalahgunaan obat-obatan terlarang (p. 7). (ideas loosely connected, missing cohesive device)

 First-Person Pronoun

 Notice that Indonesian distinguishes

between inclusive and exclusive.English has simply one subject pronoun for FIRST PERSON

PLURAL, we.We may at times be talking only about the speaker and someone else other than the hearer, and at other times about the speaker and

thehearer. In Indonesian, there are two first-person plural pronouns. Kitameans we and you; that is, it is inclusive of the hearer. Kami meanswe, but not

you; that is, the HEARER is not included and this form is, therefore, called exclusive. Inclusive means that the hearer is included in the FIRST PERSON PLURAL form and exclusive means that the hearer is not included.

 Thus, before an English sentence

liike

'Webelieve we can do this'

is translated into Indonesian, a translator has to find out if

we

means

kita

(inclusive: both

writer/speaker and reader/hearer) or it

means

kami

(exclusive: only writer/speaker). In order to discover the correct meaning the translator must study the paragraph or the whole text and the communication situation in which this sentence exists.

 By so doing he can come up with only one of

the following translations:

 Kami yakin kami bisa melakukan ini.  Kami yakin kita bisa melakukan ini.  Kita yakin kita bisa melakukan ini.  Kita yakin kami bisa melakukan ini.

 In contrast, translating Indonesian

pronouns

kita

or

kami

in a particular context into English the translator simply uses

we

. The meaning component of

either

inclusive

or

exclusive

would be lost

 Translating

you

into Indonesian from a formal

letter, an announcement, a formal speech script and some other written messages needs to be carefully studied. An English

clause like

Herewith I advise you ...

. may be translated into Indonesian in several ways:

 Bersama ini kami memberitahukan kamu

(anda) ....Bersama ini kami memberitahukan bapak...

 Bersama ini kami memberitahukan ibu

 If the addressee is either an adult male or an

adult female with a higher social status

you

is translated using the second

person

familiar

form

bapak

or

ibu

(see Table 2) the primary meanings of which are

father

and

mother,

respectively,

while

saudara

means either

brother

or

sister

in its primary sense and is used if the

addressee has a similar social status with the writer and/or if the writer is in a higher

 Although

kamu (anda)

is a

formal

form of the

second-person pronoun in the Indonesian pronominal system, it is considered impolite to use these pronouns to address adult

readers except younger ones. So,

bapak, ibu,

saudara

in a second person

familiar

form are

preferably used to replace

kamu (anda)

to show politeness in addressing adults

 In contrast, when a translator translates an

Indonesian sentence like'Kami

mengundang Bapak/Ibu/Saudara untuk

menghadiri pernikahan anak kami' into English

an inaccurate and unnatural translation will result if the translator does not know the use of bapak,

ibu, and saudara in this context. He will then

produce a translation like this 'We invite Father / Mother / Brother / Sister to attend our son's

wedding' The accurate, clear and natural

translation should be We invite you to attend our son's wedding.

 In translating a third-person pronoun from

Indonesian into English a translator faces the problem of whether

ia (dia)

(-

nya

) is

translated as

he

(

him

) or as

she

(

her

) because Indonesian only has

ia (dia)

without

distinguishing gender. For example in the sentences like:



Ia

membayar utang

nya.

 Saya mengundang

nya.

 These sentences can be translated into

English as follows:



He

paid

his

debt (Sentence # 1) 

He

paid

her

debt (Sentence # 1) 

She

paid

her

debt (Sentence # 1) 

She

paid

his

debt (Sentence # 1)  I invited

her

(Sentence # 2)

 If the two Indonesian sentences are standing

alone without context, any of the above

translations is acceptable. However, if they are parts of a paragraph in a discourse, a translator must discover which version is the accurate and natural one.

 On the contrary, when translating a third-person

pronoun from English into Indonesian, the component of

meaning, masculine or feminine,would be lost when using Indonesian pronoun ia (dia). In

English it is clear that he ( him) refers to a male

person and she ( her) refers to a female

 In two Indonesian sentences like (1)

'Mananir merayakan hari ulang tahunnya and (2)

'Amazane lupa undangan yang diberikan

kepadanya„ it is difficult to tell

whether Mananir or Amazane refers to a male or a female name and -nya as a possesive or object. Possible translations for Sentence 1 are: (a)

'Mananir celebrated his birthday party'; (b)

'Mananir celebrated her birthday party' whereas

Sentence 2 are: (a) 'Amazane forgot about the invitation given to him'; (b) 'Amazane forgot about the invitation given to her'.

 If the above Indonesian sentences are parts of a

text like:

 Mananir merayakan hari ulang

tahunnya. Isterinyamenghadiahkan sebuah dasi

untuknya. Amazane lupa undangan yang diberikan kepadanya sehingga ia dan suaminya tidak

hadir (Mananir celebrated his birthday party. His wife gave him a tie as a

present. Amazane forgot about the invitation given to her so she and her husband did not show up),

 then the translator can easily and accurately

identify Mananir as a male name or a husband

because the supporting phrase isterinya (his wife) provides him a clue to do the translation as in

Sentence 1a. Also, Sentence 2b is the right one because of the phrase suaminya (herhusband). A given name to a person in some particular places in Indonesia is usually a local, culture-based

name. Such a name always forces the translator to decide whether it is a male name or a female name.

 In addition, names of domesticated animals

cause ambiguities in translation work. Notice the following sentences:



Bruno

menghabiskan makanan di atas meja

karena

ia

lapar.



Jakob

menjatuhkan pisang yang diberikan

kepada

nya

 The names of

Bruno, Jakob, Manis

are

referring to the pet names. These are only three out of hundreds of names found in

different parts of Indonesia. In English there are also pet names which are similar to

 Basically,

Bruno

is a dog's name,

Jakob

is a

bird's name, and

Manis

is a cat's name. These pet names are commonly found in Indonesia (Papua Province) and they are used to name either male or female

pets.

Bruno

and

Jakob

are basically male

human names and

Manis

commonly refers to a female human, but, these names are always used to name pets without distinguishing

 Thus, the translation for each of the

sentences above should be:



Bruno

ate up the food on the table

because

it

was hungry.



Jakob

dropped the banana given to

it.

 However, if the pets are personified by a

writer in a paticular text, the use of

he,

she,him, her

or

his

is acceptable in the

translation. If this is the case, the translator should be very careful to study a text in order to avoid ambiguities in using proper names for the pets in Indonesian texts.

 Thanks a bunch.