Narrative Perspective & Ideology in Literary Translation:
A Study on Stud
ents’ Translation of Amy Tan’s
Two Kinds Short Story
(area of interest: Teaching Translation of Literary Text/Translation in Practice)By
Esriaty S. Kendenan, M.Hum (esriaty.kendenan@staff.uksw.edu)
UKSW Salatiga
Abstract
In reading as well as translating a text, it is very important to give more special attention on the narrative perspective of the text in order to comprehend the text well. The narrative perspective of a short story would express from whose point of view the story is told, from the first point of view or third point of view. In other words, it would show whether the narrator tells about his ideology or other characters‟s ideology in the story. How a translator translates the narrative perspective of a story may arise different effect on the readership, the message, and the story itself. This research aims at
describing how students of Literary Translation class translate Amy Tan‟s “Two Kinds” short story into Indonesian by focusing on the Narrative Perspective or the focalization of the story that more or less may portray the ideology of the narrator or focalizer. Hopefully, this research would give worth contribution to student translators especially in literary translation and to the development of translation studies in general.
Key Words: literary translation, narrative perspective, point of view, ideology, focalization, focalizer, focalized object.
Introduction
Literary work is not merely about an art but also about the message that want to be conveyed through the art. To understand the message, it is interesting to analyze the work through its intrinsic elements of literary works, i.e character and characterization, plot, conflict, point of view, and setting. The focus of this study is the point of view or narrative perspective in order to understand the ideology or voice of the author from the way the narrator-character as the focalizer focalizes the focalized object of the narration.
As a means of expressing feeling and ideology of author and/or narrator, literary works could be analyzed from its point of view or focalization of the focalizer. Due to the complexity of the problem, this study would be merely focused on the translation of ideology of the focalizer that hopefully would also lead to an overview of the author‟s ideology. In order to simplify this preliminary study, this paper is going to limit the problem by discussing how students translated the ideology of the narrator/focalizer through her attitude and perception toward the focalized object(s), especially her mother.
Amy Tan‟s Two Kinds short story is narrated from first-person perspective, that can be seen from the use of first person pronoun i.e., I, me, my, myself, we, us, our, and ourselves. This study would highlight the translation of how the focalizer see the events and person in the narration, especially the focalized object. Focalizer is defined here as the person (the narrator or a character) through whose eyes the events and person of a narrative are seen (Jong, 2004). Focalizer in the Amy Tan‟s Two Kinds is both the narrator and the main character that is known as narrator-character because the first-person narrates events in which she takes part (Prince, 1982). Henceforth, this paper would use focalizer to refer to the narrator-character and the focalized object to refer to the person seen by the focalizer.
Methodology
The subject of this research is the students‟ Indonesian Translation of Amy Tan‟s Two Kinds short story. The data of this study are the focalization of the focalizer about the focalized object(s) around her, how is her attitude toward them. Because of the complexity of the problem, this study would be focus on the focalization of the focalizer. It is hoped that the analysis would more or less reveal the ideology of the focalizer as the narrator-character of this short story and whether its translations is equivalent with the source text or not.
The data were collected from 11 students‟s translations in Literary Translation class on Amy Tan‟s Two Kinds. The data were selected from the focalization of the focalizer based on some important events in the life of the focalizer from the beginning until the end of the story to identify how the narrator-character or the focalizer perceives event or every one or thing around her.
The data were analyzed on the equivalence of the focalization of the focalizer in source text and target text. The shifting in meaning of the focalization would be analyzed in terms of how the source text and target text are different one with another.
Finding and Discussion
Luc Herman (2013) mentioned that ideology could be analyzed from three different approaches either from a sociological angle, a psychological perspective, or language and discourse. Although this study would set its focus on the language and discourse aspect, it could not be separated from the perspective of psycological matters encountered by the focalizer.
In language aspect, the translation of pronominal system is worth discussed anyway. It is because the use pronominal system in language would more or less illuminate the relation in a speech act between the addressor and addressee, or the speaker and hearer. For that reason, how student translators translated the first-person pronouns as the indicator of the first person point of view in the story would make clear to what extent the translators have shifted the ideology of the focalizer in terms of the choice of certain pronoun in the target text in comparison with its source text. According to Mildred L. Larson (1984), pronominal systems of each language do not only have a unique system but also have secondary and figurative senses.
As forementioned, the narrative perspective of the story is the first person point of view. It could be found in the narration of the story from the first sentence until the end. Even the first word in this short story is the first person possessive pronoun „my‟.
Extract 1
The subject of the first sentence „my mother‟ clarifies that the focalized object is mostly about the mother of the focalizer of this story. „You‟ as the implied reader of the source text is
translated by seven out of 11 students using „kamu‟ in Indonesian. Three of the students chose
to translate it become “kau‟, the more informal form of „kamu‟and one with both „seseorang‟ and „kamu‟. There was only one student who translated „my mother‟ into Indonesian become
„Ibu‟ while other 10 students used „ibuku‟ that shows the more intimacy between the focalizer and the focalized object. The focalizer sees her mother as a very optimistic woman who relies her hope on America, not in her own country, China.
Extract 2
"Of course, you can be a prodigy, too," my mother told me when I was nine. "You can be best anything. What does Auntie Lindo know? Her daughter, she is only best tricky."
Similar with extract 1, „you‟ in extract 2 was also translated into Indonesian become
„kamu‟ by seven students and „kau‟ by four students. However, different with the use of „you‟
in extract 1 that is addressed to unspecified addressee, „you‟ in extract 2 is addressed exclusively to the focalizer by the focalized object „my mother‟.
The focalizer shows how confident and optimistic her mother that she could be like other children with a prodigy. She has been indoctrinated from the very young age by her mother who wants to show that her daughter is the best of all. The additional expression
„masih‟ by one student in the Indonesian translation was used to emphasize how early the focalized object has encouraged her daughter to be a special person.
Extract 3
America was where all my mother's hopes lay. She had come to San Francisco in 1949 after losing everything in China: her mother and father, her home, her first husband, and two daughters, twin baby girls. But she never looked back with regret. Things could get better in so many ways.
The tenses of „had come‟ in „She had come to San Francisco‟ was mistranslated into
Indonesian by two students become „dia pernah‟ that could be meant the focalized object visited San Francisco to reach her dreams for a while, but then she went back to China. There are three students who translated the verb phrase become „telah datang‟, that is more equivalent in meaning with the source text. Besides, there were also three students who translated it become „datang‟ and „tinggal‟ by one student that are less expressive than
„pindah‟ that was used by two students.
Extract 4
We didn't immediately pick the right kind of prodigy. At first my mother thought I could be a Chinese Shirley Temple. We'd watch Shirley's old movies on TV as though they were training films. My mother would poke my arm and say, "Ni kan.You watch." And I would see Shirley tapping her feet, or singing a sailor song, or pursing her lips into a very round O while saying "Oh, my goodness."
Subject „we‟ appears twice in extract 4 referring to the similar noun. There were five students who translated them „kami‟, four with „kita‟, and two used both „kami‟ and „kita‟.
The use of „kami‟ as the translation of „we‟ shows the cooperative attitude of the focalizer toward the focalized object‟s plan on her life. The idea is reinforced by the use of „I‟ and its
translation „aku‟ or „saya‟ which refers to the focalizer who then perform what her mother
wants her to do by practicing the way Shirley pronounce „O‟ on television.
The inconsistency in students‟ translation by using both „kami‟ and „kita‟ as the
the point of view of the story because readers have been involved as the part of multi-narrator in this context.
Extract 5
Soon after my mother got this idea about Shirley Temple, she took me to the beauty training school in the Mission District and put me in the hands of a student who could barely hold the scissors without shaking. Instead of getting big fat curls, I emerged with an uneven mass of crinkly black fuzz. My mother dragged me off to the bathroom and tried to wet down my hair.
„My mother‟ appears twice in extract 5. Both were translated become „ibuku‟ by six
students, „ibu saya‟ and „ibuku‟ by three students, and „ibu‟ and „ibuku‟ by two students. The choice of Indonesian translation of possesive pronoun „my‟ into „saya‟, „-ku‟, or „-„ (omitted) has different effect on the speaker and hearer (focalizer or focalized object). „Ibu saya‟ sounds more formal then „ibuku‟ that shows a closer relationship between the focalizer and focalized object.
The focalizer receives and follows what the focalized object wants her to do. She knows that the student who is cutting her hair is nervous and unskillful but she still keep silent and just take it all for granted. Her mother, on the other hand, has arranged all plan for her without asking her opinion.
Extract 6
The instructor of the beauty training school had to lop off these soggy clumps to make my hair even again. "Peter Pan is very popular these days" the instructor assured my mother. I now had bad hair the length of a boy's, with curly bangs that hung at a slant two inches above my eyebrows. I liked the haircut, and it made me actually look forward to my future fame.
All student translators translated „my mother‟ in extract 6 as „ibuku‟. In the focalizer‟s
point of view, the new style of her hair is bad but she likes it. “I now had bad hair the length
of a boy‟s” was translated by most students as “aku sekarang memiliki rambut yang buruk sepanjang rambut laki-laki”, “sekarang rambutku sangatlah buruk dengan potongan anak laki
-laki”, sekarang aku memiliki rambut jelek seukuran rambut anak laki-laki”, “aku sekarang memiliki rambut panjang anak laki-laki yang buruk”, “sekarang aku memiliki potongan rambut sepanjang rambut anak laki-laki”, ....
Most of the translations still imply that the new hair style is bad. However, one translation has different meaning that as though it is not the style which is bad, but the boy.
Another translation doesn‟t show at all that the new style, which is boy-like, is bad in the
focalizer‟s perspective.
Extract 7
In fact, in the beginning I was just as excited as my mother, maybe even more so. I pictured this prodigy part of me as many different images, and I tried each one on for size. I was a dainty ballerina girl standing by the curtain, waiting to hear the music that would send me floating on my tiptoes. I was like the Christ child lifted out of the straw manger, crying with holy indignity. I was Cinderella stepping from her pumpkin carriage with sparkly cartoon music filling the air.
The pronoun „I‟, „my mother‟, and „me‟ in extract 7 had been translated into Indonesian
This happens because of the use of „pernah‟ in Indonesian translation which can become the sign of perfect tense in English.
Extract 8
In all of my imaginings I was filled with a sense that I would soon become perfect: My mother and father would adore me. I would be beyond reproach. I would never feel the need to sulk, or to clamor for anything. But sometimes the prodigy in me became impatient. "If you don't hurry up and get me out of here, I'm disappearing for good," it warned. “And then you'll always be nothing."
Some pronouns that focus on the focalizer as the first-person in extract 8, such as „my
imaginings‟, „I‟, „my mother and father‟, and „me‟ were translated into Indonesian become
„imajinasiku‟ or „khayalanku‟ or „anganku‟, „aku‟, „ayah dan ibuku‟ or „ibu dan ayahku‟, „
-ku‟.
Three students do not succeed to translate the first sentence of extract 8 well. As a result, who or what is filled with the sense to be perfect soon is not clear, whether it is the focalizer herself or the imagination of the focalizer.
“... it warned” was translated into „hal itu memperingatkan‟, by four students, „diperingatkan‟ by two students, „memperingatkan‟ by one student. The focalizer quotes what his prodigy tells her to do but the translations do not explicitly show who/what warns whom. The focalizer is aware that something in her mind wants her to show her uniqueness or prodigy soon.
Extract 9
Every night after dinner my mother and I would sit at the Formica topped kitchen table. She would present new tests, taking her examples from stories of amazing children that she read in Ripley's Believe It or Not or Good Housekeeping, Reader's digest, or any of a dozen other magazines she kept in a pile in our bathroom. My mother got these magazines from people whose houses she cleaned. And since she cleaned many houses each week, we had a great assortment. She would look through them all, searching for stories about remarkable children. ... The tests got harder - multiplying numbers in my head, finding the queen of hearts in a deck of cards, trying to stand on my head without using my hands, predicting the daily temperatures in Los Angeles, New York, and London. One night I had to look at a page from the Bible for three minutes and then report everything I could remember. "Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance and...that's all I remember, Ma," I said.
The focalizer sees her mother as a hard-working woman who will do anything to reach her dreams and will grab any chance to ger her ambitions. She tries to lead her daughter practicing everything she thinks would help her daughter finds her prodigy just like others.
„Got‟ in „my mother got these magazines‟ is best translated into „mendapat‟ or „mendapatkan‟ which means that the focalized object obtained old magazines from the people she cleans their home. However, there were three students who employed „punya‟ which has shifted the meaning that the focalized object has the magazines might be by buying them herself.
The mistranslation of “A teacher was quoted as saying that the little boy could also
pronounce the names of foreign cities correctly” become “seorang guru seperti dikutip bahwa
anak kecil juga bisa mengucapkan nama-nama kota-kota asing dengan benar” by two students causes the shifting to indefinite focalized object of the story. It is due to the change from definite focalized object „anak kecil‟ become indefinite ones.
Extract 10
And after seeing, once again, my mother's disappointed face, something inside me began to die. I hated the tests, the raised hopes and failed expectations. Before going to bed that night I looked in the mirror above the bathroom sink, and I saw only my face staring back - and understood that it would always be this ordinary face - I began to cry. Such a sad, ugly girl! I made high - pitched noises like a crazed animal, trying to scratch out the face in the mirror.
The focalizer understands her mother‟s feeling of disappointment. It makes the focalizer begins to discourage and gives up finding her prodigy. As a matter of fact, she is upset of making her mother disappointed about her.
Two students do not manage to translate the adjective „raised‟ and „failed‟ in „... the
raised hopes and failed expectations‟ as „mengumpulkan harapan dan gagal‟. The translators
identified the word „raised‟ as verb. Another student also identified the word as a passive verb „diangkat‟ that might be because it used a perfect form. Hence, those translations are not able to transfer the focalization of the focalizer well.
Extract 11
And then I saw what seemed to be the prodigy side of me - a face I had never seen before. I looked at my reflection, blinking so that I could see more clearly. The girl staring back at me was angry, powerful. She and I were the same. I had new thoughts, willful thoughts - or. rather, thoughts filled with lots of won‟t. I won't let her change me, I promised myself. I won't be what I'm not.
Being depressed that she cannot fulfill her mother‟s hope for her, the other side of her appeared. Instead of being an obedient child, she decided to do her own wishes
Starting from that moment, the focalizer just does what she wants to do. Everything she does is only to make her mother gives up hope for her.
„The girl‟ which refers to the other side of the focalizer reflected on the mirror was
translated by seven student translators with „gadis ... itu‟ or „perempuan ... itu‟. The use of
„itu‟ has specified the intended subject that is equivalent with definite article „the‟ in English. Nevertheless, there were four students who merely used „gadis‟ or „perempuan‟ without adding „itu‟, that make the translation does not clearly show that the focalized object is the inner side of the focalizer herself.
The phrase „give up‟ which describes the focalizer‟s perspective toward the focalized object in “at last she was beginning to give up hope” was translated successfully by most student translators. However, four out of 11 students translated it with the opposite meaning
of the phrase become „mulai berharap‟ or „memberikan harapan‟ perhaps due to their failure to identify the preposition „up‟ as the constituent of the phrase.
Extract 12
Two or three months went by without any mention of my being a prodigy. And then one day my mother was watching the Ed Sullivan Show on TV. The TV was old and the sound kept shorting out. Every time my mother got halfway up from the sofa to adjust the set, the sound would come back on and Sullivan would be talking. As soon as she sat down, Sullivan would go silent again. She got up - the TV broke into loud piano music. She sat down - silence. Up and down, back and forth, quiet and loud. It was like a stiff, embrace less dance between her and the TV set. Finally, she stood by the set with her hand on the sound dial.
....
I could see why my mother was fascinated by the music. It was being pounded out by a little Chinese girl, about nine years old, with a Peter Pan haircut. The girl had the sauciness of a Shirley Temple. She was proudly modest, like a proper Chinese Child. And she also did a fancy sweep of a curtsy, so that the fluffy skirt of her white dress cascaded to the floor like petals of a large carnation.
The focalizer feels happy that her mother seems to forget her dreams about her
her mother‟s struggle just to get the information about some prodigy children performing on
TV.
The narrator really knows how her mother enjoys the performance, especially if it is by Chinese children. The focalizer herself is proud about the performance of a Chinese little girl. She really understands that the child is an ideal figure of a Chinese child as she has succeeded to perform well.
Most student translators had succeeded to translate that the focalizer shares the similar idea with the focalized object about how the ideal Chinese children should behave. However,
the expression „... like a proper Chinese Child‟ was translated by two students with „seperti
anak Cina yang pantas‟ and another with „seperti anak Cina yang tepat‟. The use of „yang
pantas‟ and „yang tepat‟as the translation of „proper‟ sounds inappropriate in this context as the focalization has led into more negative expression.
Extract 13
In spite of these warning signs, I wasn't worried. Our family had no piano and we couldn't afford to buy one, let alone reams of sheet music and piano lessons. So I could be generous in my comments when my mother badmouthed the little girl on TV.
"What are you picking on her for?" I said carelessly. "She's pretty good. Maybe she's not the best, but she's trying hard." I knew almost immediately that I would be sorry I had said that.
....
The little Chinese girl sat down also, to play an encore of "Anitra'sTanz," by Grieg. I remember the song, because later on I had to learn how to play it.
The focalizer fails to predict that her mother would ask her to have a piano lessons for
they cannot afford to buy one. Therefore, she does „mistakes‟ by giving response to her mother‟s comments on the little girl‟s performance. She has been brave to disagree with her mother.
„We‟ in „we couldn‟t afford to buy one‟ actually refers to the focalizer and her family. Although most students have translated it become „kami‟, to exclude the narratee, four of
them chose to use „kita‟. It has automatically shifted the perspective of narration.
„You‟ in extract 13 was best translated into Indonesian become „ibu‟ or „mama‟ as the
more natural and polite way to address mother. Nevertheless, some students translated it
become „kamu‟ that sounds impolite in an Indonesian direct speech.
“... because later on I had to learn how to play it” was mistranslated only by one
student become “... karena dulu aku harus belajar memainkan lagu itu.” Although the translation has implied that the event happened in the past, the translator did not take account of the aspect that has resulted on the focalization shift.
Extract 14
Three days after watching the Ed Sullivan Show my mother told me what my schedule would be for piano lessons and piano practice. She had talked to Mr. Chong, who lived on the first floor of our apartment building. Mr.Chong was a retired piano teacher, and my mother had traded housecleaning services for weekly lessons and a piano for me to practice on every day, two hours a day, from four until six.
The focalized object directly finds the tutor for the focalizer in a very short time, not more than three days. She is willing to do housecleaning services in all for her daughter‟s weekly piano lessons and practice.
Two students translated „... my mother had traded housecleaning services ...” into Indonesian become „ibuku bekerja sebagai pembantu rumah tangga‟ that more and less has different meaning with the source text message in terms of status and the jobs the focalized object have to do.
Extract 15
When my mother told me this, I felt as though I had been sent to hell. I whined, and then kicked my foot a little when I couldn't stand it anymore.
....
"So ungrateful," I heard her mutter in Chinese, "If she had as much talent as she has temper, she'd be famous now."
Knowing that her mother has made a plan for her, the focalizer tries to complaint, but her mother insists about her plan, even gets angry with her.
„I felt as though I had been sent to hell‟ was translated by several students with „aku merasa aku seperti akan dikirim ke neraka‟, „aku berpikir seolah-olah sedang dikirim menuju
neraka‟, „aku merasa seperti akan dikirim ke neraka‟, „aku rasa aku dikirimkan ke neraka‟.
Those translations are mainly different with the source text because of the inaccurate translation of the source text‟s tense into the target text.
Extract 16
Mr. Chong, whom I secretly nicknamed Old Chong, was very strange, always tapping his fingers to the silent music of an invisible orchestra. He looked ancient in my eyes. He had lost most of the hair on the top of his head, and he wore thick glasses and had eyes that always looked tired. But he must have been younger than I thought, since he lived with his mother and was not yet married.
....
I soon found out why Old Chong had retired from teaching piano. He was deaf. "Like Beethoven!" he shouted to me: “We're both listening only in our head!" And he would start to conduct his frantic silent sonatas.
In focalizer‟s eyes, Mr. Chong, her tutor, is a very strange man who is not a good-looking man. For the focalizer, her tutor looks older at his age. She also thinks that her tutor‟s mother is as strange as her son.
One student mistranslated the extract 16 by saying “Tapi dia harus tampak lebih muda
dariku.” Actually, the focalizer doesn‟t aim to compare her age with Mr. Chong‟s. Another
student translated it become “tetapi dia sebenarnya lebih mudah daripada yang aku kira...”.
The translation is different with the source text for the use of „sebenarnya‟ that implies the certainty. The use of „mudah‟ instead of „muda‟ might be only because of the misspelling but the mistake has shifted the meaning in the target language.
Extract 17
Our lessons went like this. He would open the book and point to different things, explaining, their purpose: "Key! Treble! Bass! No sharps or flats! So this is C major! Listen now and play after me!"
....
I would play after him, the simple scale, the simple chord, and then just play some nonsense that sounded like a rat running up and down on top of giraffe cans. Old Chong would smile and applaud and say, “Very good! But now you must learn to keep time!"
The focalizer feels that the material and the way her tutor teaches her is too easy for her. She knows that her play doesn‟t sound good but she doesn‟t care about that because she means to do that.
Pronoun „you‟ in „But now you must learn to keep time!‟ was translated into Indonesian by students become „kamu‟, „kau‟, and „anda‟. The use of „kamu‟ and „kau‟ are still acceptable in this context. However, it is not natural for an adult to address a little girl
with „anda‟ in the target language and culture.
Extract 18
chords. He marched stiffly to show me how to make each finger dance up and down, staccato, like an obedient little soldier.
....
So maybe I never really gave myself a fair chance. I did pick up the basics pretty quickly, and I might have become a good pianist at the young age. But I was so determined not to try, not to be anybody different, and I learned to play only the most ear-splitting preludes, the most discordant hymns.
Mr. Chong has taught the focalizer many things. However, his lost of hearing makes
him doesn‟t know every time the focalizer hits the wrong notes. Actually the focalizer feels
that she could play better but she doesn‟t want to do her best in practice. It‟s all because she doesn‟t want to obey her mother, to be a different person.
„... not to be anybody different‟ was actually naturally translated into Indonesian
become „tidak (perlu) menjadi orang lain‟. However, most students translated it more or less
become „tidak menjadi orang berbeda‟. Usually „orang berbeda‟ in the target language is usually employed to compare or contrast one person with another, rather than a person with him/herself.
Extract 19
So that's how I discovered that Old Chong's eyes were too slow to keep up with the wrong notes I was playing. He went through the motions in half time. To help me keep rhythm, he stood behind me and pushed down on my right shoulder for every beat. He balanced pennies on top of my wrists so that I would keep them still as I slowly played scales and arpeggios. He had me curve my hand around an apple and keep that shape when playing chords. He marched stiffly to show me how to make each finger dance up and down, staccato, like an obedient little soldier.
....
And my mother squared her shoulders and bragged: "our problem worser than yours. If we ask Jing-mei wash dish, she hear nothing but music. It's like you can't stop this natural talent." And right then I was determined to put a stop to her foolish pride.
For about one year of piano lesson, the focalizer still doesn‟t want to change herself
practicing more seriously. She doesn‟t like to be compared with other, her friend Waverly. She doesn‟t want to make her mother boasts about her. Instead, she likes to do the opposite with her mother wishes her to do.
„Our‟ in „... our problem worser than yours‟ is focalized by the focalizer‟s mother to refer to her and her husband that excludes her hearer, Auntie Lindo. Thus, the use of „kita‟
will automatically shift the focalization.
„You‟ in „It‟s like you can‟t stop this natural talent‟ actually does not address
especially to the hearer of speaking, i.e Auntie Lindo, but to everyone who tries to stop her natural talent. Therefore, by translating it become „Itu seperti kamu tidak bisa menghentikan
bakat alamimu‟ or „Ini seperti kamu tidak bisa menghentikan bakat alam‟ some students have
shifted the focalization of the story.
Extract 20
A few weeks later Old Chong and my mother conspired to have me play in a talent show that was to be held in the church hall. By then my parents had saved up enough to buy me a secondhand piano, a black Wurlitzer spinet with a scarred bench. It was the showpiece of our living room.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (LDOCE) defines conspire as to pan something harmful or illegal together secretly. From her point of view, the focalizer almost
always feels that her mother‟s plan of her life and future is harmful for her. Even her family
would not be reluctant to buy her a second piano, though they have to save to afford it.
„... to have me play...‟ in this context will sound more neutral if it translates into
Indonesian become „mengikutsertakanku‟ or „agar aku tampil‟ as the way two student
clearly shows that the focalizer is the object or victim of this conspiration. Nevertheless, the latter version is more equivalent in meaning than the previous one in terms of the focalization the focalizer wants to convey.
Extract 21
For the talent show I was to play a piece called "Pleading Child," from Schumann's Scenes From Childhood. It was a simple, moody piece that sounded more difficult than it was. I was supposed to memorize the whole thing. But I dawdled over it, playing a few bars and then cheating, looking up to see what notes followed. I never really listen to what I was playing. I daydreamed about being somewhere else, about being someone else.
....
The focalizer feels that the piece she is going to play for the performance is simple although it sounds difficult. For that reason she doesn‟t prepare herself well. She just thinks about how to be someone else. She prefers to practise the fancy curtsy than play the piece she would perform.
Some student translators did not succeed to get the meaning of „that sounded more difficult than it was‟ in extract 21. Some of them translated it become „yang lebih sulit
daripada itu‟, „yang terdengar lebih sulit daripada apa yang aku kira‟, and „dan terdengar lebih
susah dari sebelumnya.‟ Those translations have shifted the meaning of the story and the
focalization of the focalizer.
Extract 22
When my turn came, I was very confident. I remember my childish excitement. It was as if I knew, without a doubt, that the prodigy side of me really did exist. I had no fear whatsoever, no nervousness. I remember thinking, this is it! This is it! I looked out over the audience, at my mother's blank face, my father's yawn, Auntie Lindo's stiff-lipped smile, Waverly's sulky expression. I had on a white dress, layered with sheets of lace, and a pink bow in my Peter Pan haircut. As I sat down, I envisioned people jumping to their feet and Ed Sullivan rushing up to introduce me to everyone on TV.
...
A chill started at the top of my head and began to trickle down...
Being confident with her appearance, the focalizer doesn‟t feel nervous at all. She observes the expression of her parents and all acquaintances in the room. The atmosphere changes at the time she starts hitting the first wrong notes. Instead of stopping and restarting the play, she just continues to play the wrong notes, just as she did with her tutor in piano lesson. Eventually, she turns to be nervous and feel embrassed.
Three student translators translated literally „A chill started at the top of my head and
began to trickle down‟ become „gugup mulai keluar dari kepala dan turun ke ujung kaki.‟ The
translation is different with the source text as the nerves she feels doesn‟t get out to leave her. In contrast, the nerves starts controlling her mind and disturb her focus on her play. Consequently, the translation has shifted the focalization indeed.
Extract 23
When I stood up, I discovered my legs were shaking. Maybe I had just been nervous, and the audience, like Old Chong had seen me go through the right motions and had not heard anything wrong at all. I swept my right foot out, went down on my knee, looked up, and smiled. The room was quiet, except for Old Chong, who was beaming and shouting "Bravo! Bravo! Well done!" By then I saw my mother's face, her stricken face. The audience clapped weakly, and I walked back to my chair, with my whole face quivering as I tried not to cry, I heard a little boy whisper loudly to his mother. "That was awful," and mother whispered "Well, she certainly tried."
....
The focalizer feels disappointed with herself. She also feels guilty to her parents who have invited their friends. She really wants to escape from the audience. Unfortunately, they cannot leave the room until the performance finished.
The focalizer‟s empathy to her parents in „I felt the shame of my mother and father as they sat stiffly through the rest of the show‟ had been translated well by several students.
However, most of them didn‟t get the meaning well and mistranslated the expression
especially for the conjunction „of‟ which they translated as „atas‟, „seperti‟, „terhadap‟, and
„kepada‟ as in „aku merasamalu atas ibu dan ayahku karena mereka ...‟ The wrong translation of „of‟ has made the focalization of the target text is different with its source text.
Extract 24
After the show the Hsus, the Jongs, and the St. Clairs, from the Joy Luck Club, came up to my mother and father.
....
... a quiet, blank look that said she had lost everything ...
The focalizer has been too sensitive to hear each comment about the performance. She has been ready for her parents‟ anger. Actually she has felt very ashamed to everyone, especially to her father and mother. However, her mother still keeps silent either on the way home or at home for several days after the performance.
In translating how the focalizer describes her mother‟s facial expression as the
focalized object as „a quiet, blank look that said she had lost everything‟, two students used
„suram, kosong seperti dia telah kehilangan semua hartanya.‟ Lexically, „everything‟ is not only about „material treasure‟ but it may refer to all types of possession. Accordingly, the use
of „harta‟ has simplified and specified the meaning of „everything‟ as well as has shifted the focalization.
Another student translated the expression as „sebuah pandangan diam dan kosong seperti saat dia telah kehilangan segalanya.‟ The additional word „saat‟ that equivalent with „when‟ or „as‟ has given a significant shift on focalization because it implies that the focalized
object has ever experienced the similar problem as far as the focalizer observed.
Extract 25
I had assumed that my talent-show fiasco meant that I would never have to play the piano again. But two days later, after school, my mother came out of the kitchen and saw me watching TV.
...
I wasn't her slave. This wasn't China. I had listened to her before, and look what happened she was the stupid one.
The focalizer thinks that the incident in the talent show might not be discussed any longer by her mother. Then, as she expects, her mother finally gets angry with her. For the focalizer, it is a good chance to express her complaint to her mother. She decided not to listen to her mother anymore. Thus, the argument between the focalizer and her mother, the focalized object, couldn‟t be avoided.
The pronoun „her‟ in „I had listened her before ...‟ had been omitted by three students in their translation as in „aku telah mendengar sebelumnya ...‟. As a result, the voice of the focalizer who decided not to obey her mother from that moment is not clear. Instead, the reader of the target text may assume that it is the slavery in China, not her mother, that the focalizer has heard before.
Extract 26
"Then I wish I weren't your daughter, I wish you weren't my mother," I shouted. As I said these things I got scared.
The focalizer feels relieved for she has managed to be honest to herself and to her mother. However, she still actually got scared with her own statement.
The conjunction „as‟ in „as I said these things I got scared‟ had been translated successfully by some students. Nevertheless, three of them translated it with the other
meaning of „as‟, i.e., „seperti‟, as in „seperti yang aku katakan hal ini membuatku takut.‟ The
wrong choice of its alternative meaning in the target text has shifted the focalization of the story.
Extract 27
It was not the only disappointment my mother felt in me. In the years that followed, I failed her many times, each time asserting my will, my right to fall short of expectations. I didn't get straight As. I didn't become class president. I didn't get into Stanford. I dropped out of college.
....
After the argument, the focalizer continues to be herself that might have made her mother upset. Deep in her heart, the focalizer doesn‟t want to make her mother disappointed about her or give up about hope. However, she just wants to be herself.
Some student translators ignored the pronoun „her‟ in „I failed her many times...‟, so that they translated the expression become „aku berkali-kali gagal.‟ One of several meanings
of singly „fail‟ according to LDOCE is „to be unsuccessful in something that you want to do‟. However, the pronoun „her‟ which followed „failed‟ has made a different sense that „to not do what someone has trusted you to do.‟ By choosing the former sense, students have shifted the focalization of the focalizer.
Extract 28
So she surprised me. A few years ago she offered to give me the piano, for my thirtieth birthday. I had not played in all those years. I saw the offer as a sign of forgiveness, a tremendous burden removed. "Are you sure?" I asked shyly. "I mean, won't you and Dad miss it?" "No, this your piano," she said firmly. "Always your piano. You only one can play."
....
"You just not trying," my mother said. And she was neither angry nor sad.
The focalizer feels surprised and embarrassed knowing that her mother has forgiven
her and gives her the piano at her 30‟s birthday. Her mother still convinces that the focalizer has a natural talent in playing piano. Thus, she deserves for the piano. The reconciliation with her mother makes the focalizer feels released from the long time pressure.
Article „the‟ that preceded the noun „piano‟ and „offer‟ was ignored by some students in their translation, as in „... dia menawarkan untuk memberikanku piano...‟ and „aku melihat
tawaran sebagai tanda pengampunan...‟ Consequently, it generalizes those words that was
actually referring to the certain „piano‟ and „offer‟.
The negation „neither‟ in „And she was neither angry nor sad‟ has been mistranslated by two students using „sambil terlihat‟ in „ibuku berkata sambil terlihat seperti marah tetapi
juga sedih‟ and „entah‟ in „entah kesal atau kecewa, ia mengatakannya seperti sudah tahu bahwa ...‟ Those translations are contrast in meaning with the focalization of the focalizer in the source text.
Extract 29
Chinese silk dresses, the kind with little slits up the sides. I rubbed the old silk against my skin, and then wrapped them in tissue and decided to take them home with me.
...
I played a few bars, surprised at how easily the notes came back to me....
Feeling free to express herself, the narrator is able to see the good sides of her piano. Moreover, she finally finds that she actually has natural talent at piano as her mother has told her.
Phrase „came back‟ to me in „I played a few bars, surprised at how easily the notes
came back to me‟ was translated by most student literally become „kembali‟ as in „... aku
terkejut melihat betapa mudahnya not-not ini kembali padaku.‟The translation doesn‟t make sense as it was translated without considering the existence of the phrasal verbs and its contextual meaning. The spoken phrase of „come back‟ according to LDOCE is used to say that you are finally beginning to remember something. Thus, mistranslation of the phrase has shifted the focalization of the focalizer.
Conclusions
The focalization shift that has shifted the ideology or voice of the focalizer in
translating Amy Tan‟s Two Kinds is mostly caused by the intralinguistics factors, such as the translation of pronominal system, determiner/article, tenses, some words, and phrases.
The translation of pronominal system, especially the first person pronouns, has emerged some difficulties for student translators. For example, the pronoun „we‟ or „our‟ is
sometimes mistranslated into Indonesian become „kita‟ instead of „kami‟. In direct speech, the pronoun „you‟ that the focalizer used to address her mother was translated by students with either „kamu‟, „kau‟, or „ibu‟. In the target culture, it is considered impolite to address an adult
with „kamu‟ or „kau‟. These, in turn, have changed the focalization of the focalizer especially in clarifying the relation between the focalizer and focalized object(s).
Some definite articles, „the‟, in the source text are sometimes not considered by student translators. It causes the shifting of focalization from the definite noun, subject or object, into more indefinite ones. The wrong choice of words in target text and students‟ failure to get the meaning of the source text have been resulted in the focalization shift as well. The failure to identify some phrases has been resulted in the mistranslation of some parts of the texts.
Above all, different grammatical structure of source text and target text have become the main cause of these shifts, especially in dealing with tenses. Some student translators are still failed to identify and to take into account the nuance because of tenses in the source text that is not exist in Indonesian as the target language.
References
Hatim, Basil & Mason, Ian. 1997. The Translator as Communicator. London & New York: Routledge.
Herman, Luc & Vervaeck, Bart. 2013. Ideology and Narrative Fiction. http://www.lhn.uni-hamburg.de/article/ideology-and-narrative-fiction, accessed on July 5, 2016 at 22.49
Jong, Irene de. 2004. A Narratological Commentary on the Odyssey. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Larson, Midred L. 1984. Meaning-based Translation: A Guide to Cross-language Equivalence. Lanham: University Press of America.
Prince, Gerald. 1982. Narratology: The Form and Functioning of Narrative. Berlin: Mouton Publishers.
