How Does A Translator Deal with the Word ‘Sh*T’?
Nurul Aida1*, Bayu Kristianto2
1,2Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia
*Corresponding Author: Nurul Aida, [email protected]
Abstract
This paper is a small part of my thesis aiming to investigate the translation strategies applied by a translator in translating the taboo word “sh*t”. Taboo words are one of the language features requiring a careful analysis as their message is generally different from their literal meaning. This is a descriptive translation study (DTS) using a book entitled “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck”
(2016) as ST and its Indonesia translation as TT. The data selected were the taboo word “sh*t” and its derivation (shit/shitty/bullshit/bullshitty/shithead/shitheap/ batshit/shit-ton). The data were analyzed qualitatively by grouping them based on their functions. Then, ST and TT were compared to examine the translation strategies applied by the translator. The theory used was McEnery (2006) to explore the taboo word functions and that of Newmark (1988), Baker (2011) and Davoodi (2009) to examine the translation strategies. The results show that the word “sh*t” functions as a predicative negative adjective, emphatic intensifier, idioms, literal, imagery, and pronominal form. The strategies mostly applied in a predicative negative adjective, emphatic intensifier, idioms, imagery, and pronominal functions is the paraphrase strategy. Meanwhile, the strategies applied in the literal function are omission and taboo to taboo. This research reveals that the translator attempted to avoid the occurrence of the taboo word “sh*t” and its derivation in his translation by mostly applying the paraphrase strategy. Future research is suggested to explore the translator’s motives behind the strategy selection.
Keywords: taboo word sh*t, taboo word function, translation strategies.
1. Introduction
Translation acts as a bridge between two different languages and cultures. Newmark (1988) defined translation as “Rendering the meaning of a text into another language in the way that the author intended the text” (p. 5). This definition indicates that a good translator must be able to render the message from the source text (ST) to the target text (TT) as intended by the author rather than just focusing on delivering the meaning of the word literally so that the intended perception of TT will be the same as that of ST. Haru and Wijaya (2020) differentiated “meaning” and “message”, in which “meaning” refers to the literal meaning of a word while “message” refers to the contextual meaning of a word. Thus, some changes in the translation are inevitable, especially when a concept or a word is perceived differently in the culture of the source language and that of the target language. In an attempt to provide the same image to TT readers as that in SL, certain translation strategies are often applied by a translator.
One language feature that requires careful attention is taboo words because they are closely linked to culture and may cause problems if not translated carefully (Pishkar and Nasery, 2015, p. 33). Taboo words are a group of words prohibited to be used in a language society because they can lead to conflicts, anxiety, embarrassment, or lack of courtesy of the speaker (Wardhaugh, 2010). He further elaborated that the constraint of using taboo words is
‘not because they cannot be, but because people don’t talk about those things’ (2010, p. 249).
Different cultures have different taboo concepts, both in the objects and levels of acceptance (Baker, 2011, p. 245; Robati & Zand, 2018, p. 35). Some taboo words are universal, such as those related to sexual organs and excrement, whereas some other taboo words are context-
specific in a certain language society, such as food. In addition, the level of taboo word acceptance may vary in different language societies. For example, in English-speaking society, the taboo word “fuck” and “shit” used as an intensifier is a normal phenomenon, as in the following sentence: “He got paid shit money” and the phrase “shitty values”. In Indonesian, the same sentences will be translated as: ‘Dia digaji sangat rendah’ and ‘nilai sampah’ because the literal translation of the word “shit” does not function as an intensifier in Indonesian.
As language evolves, the meaning, function, and norms of taboo expression usage also change. Wardhaugh (2010, p. 250) pointed out that recently, the restriction of taboo words usage has been loose, at least in the English speaking countries. Taboo words previously used in very limited contexts have started to become common in everyday conversation. This happens because of the changes in people’s norms. Nowadays, many books contain taboo words. Ironically, some authors even write down the taboo words on their book covers, including that related to self-help or motivation, such as “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life” (Mark Manson, 2016).
In translating taboo expressions, a translator has to make sure that the functions of the taboo expression in ST are delivered appropriately to the TT readers (Pishkar and Nasery, 2015, p. 36). A translator is bound to a number of factors in translating taboo words, such as the religion, culture, and social norms of the target culture. In this dilemma, Hariyanto (2017) emphasized that translators are required to produce translations that are acceptable and in accordance with the culture of the TT readers. Baker (2011, p. 245) also offered a solution in dealing with taboo expressions, stating that “Whatever the norms of polite behavior in the target culture, it is important to note that, in some translation contexts, being polite can be far more important than being accurate” in order to avoid giving offense. Therefore, certain strategies are applied to make TT readers get the same message as what appeared in ST without having to offend them.
This research aimed to provide an analysis of various translation strategies used by the translator of the book “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life” in translating the taboo words, with a focus on the word “shit”. The data taken from the book were only the word “shit” and its derivation (shit/shitty/bullshit/bullshitty/shithead/shitheap/ batshit/shit-ton). Thus, the synonyms of
“sh*t” such as turd, crap, and other taboo words like f*ck were excluded. The word “shit” is one of the taboo words which falls under the category of body eufflia or bodily excretions (Allan & Burridge, 2006; Gao, 2013; Wardhaugh, 2010). It is defined as a solid waste matter from the bowels (Oxford Learners Dictionaries).
The theoretical framework applied in this research was that of McEnery (2006) to analyze the functions of taboo words. The theory of Newmark (1988), Baker (2011), and Davoodi (2009) were synthesized to analyze translation strategies.
Using the Lancaster Corpus of Abuse (LCA) scheme, McEnery (2006, p. 27) classified taboo words/bad languages into 16 functions, namely Predicative negative adjective (PredNeg), Adverbial booster (AdvB), Cursing expletive (Curse), Destinational usage (Dest), Emphatic adverb/adjective (EmphAd), Figurative extension of literal meaning (Figurtv), General expletive (Gen), Idiomatic ‘set phrase’ (Idiom), Literal usage denoting taboo referent (Literal), Imagery based on literal meaning (Imagery), Premodifying intensifying negative adjective (PremNeg), ‘Pronominal’ form with undefined referent (Pron), Personal insults referring to a defined entity (Personal), ‘Reclaimed’ usage—no negative intent (Reclaimed), Religious oath used for emphasis (Oath), and Unclassifiable due to insufficient context (Unc). In this study, the researchers modified the classification by folding AdvB, EmphAd, and PremNeg into Emphatic intensifier (EmphInt) category. Then,
Figurtv is folded into idiom because the meaning is different from its constituent words.
Curse, Dest, Reclaimed, and Oath functions are not suitable for the word “shit”, thus they are deleted in the classification (McEnery, 2006, p. 28). As a result, only 9 categories of taboo word functions were implemented in this study, namely PredNeg, EmphInt, Gen, Idiom, Literal, Image, Pron, Personal, and Unc.
Previous studies on the translation of taboo words have been conducted by some researchers (Arif, Nababan, & Santosa, 2019 in movie, Anggraini & Himmawati, 2017;
Putranti, Nababan, & Tarjana, 2018; Robati & Zand, 2018; Nasery & Pishkar, 2015 in fiction books). However, the study discussing the strategies used by a translator in dealing with taboo words based on their functions is still limited. Hence, this study is essential to fill in the gap by applying the theory of taboo word functions suggested by McEnery (2006).
2. Method
This research is a small part of my thesis. It is a descriptive translation study (DTS) using a motivational nonfiction book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck in English written by Mark Manson (2016) and published by HarperOne as the ST. Its Indonesian version Sebuah Seni untuk Bersikap Bodo Amat (2018) was translated by F. Wicakso and published by Grasindo as TT. The data taken from the book were only sentences containing the taboo word “shit” and its derivation (shit/shitty/bullshit/bullshitty/shithead/shitheap/batshit/shit- ton); thus, its synonyms such as “turd”, “crap”, and other taboo words including “f*ck” were excluded. The data were analyzed qualitatively.
The following is the research procedure. First, the data were collected from ST.
Then,they were classified in tables according to the theory of taboo word functions. Next, ST and TT were compared to examine the translation strategies applied by the translator. The data presented in the result table was later coded in ST/Page (Source Text/Page). When two or more data were found on the same page, ST/Page/a, ST/Page/b, and so forth were then used.
In analyzing data, the researchers utilized some dictionaries, namely Online Great Indonesian Dictionary (Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia/KBBI Daring), Oxford Learners Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionary, Merriam Webster Dictionary, The Free Dictionary, and Urban Dictionary.
“The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” was chosen as the corpus because this book contains a large amount of linguistic evidence of taboo words, especially the word “shit” and its derivation with a total of 50 occurrences. In addition, it is a useful reading as it tells us how to focus only on important things to achieve a happier life. It is also unique as it gains its popularity as a blog before becoming a book. In addition, this book is an International bestseller book according to the New York Times, Globe and Mail. It has been translated into 33 languages and sold over 8 million copies. Its Indonesian version is as popular as the original one, reaching its 22nd print in March 2019, a year after its first publication.
3. Results and Discussions
This study found that there are 50 occurrences of the word “shit” and its derivation (Shit/shitty/bullshit/bullshitty/shithead/shitheap/batshit/shit-ton) in the studied book. The functions of the word are PredNeg, EmphInt, Idiom, Literal, Imagery, and Pronominal.
Table 1. Translation Strategies Based on the Functions of the Taboo Word Sh*t
No Function Translation strategies f
Omissi on
Substitution Taboo to Euph emis
Superor dinate
Paraphrase
m taboo
1 PredNeg 1 1 2 4
2 EmphInt 2 2 14 18
3 Gen
4 Idiom 1 3 4
5 Literal 1 1 2
6 Imagery 4 4 1 1 7 17
7 Pron 2 3 5
8 Personal 9 Unc
Total 8 6 6 0 1 29 50
Percentage 16% 12% 12% 0% 2% 58% 100%
Table 1 shows that the strategy mostly used for PredNeg, EmphInt, Idiom, Imagery, and Pronominal functions is the paraphrase strategy. This strategy is useful for the translator in maintaining the message and delivering it into the target text without having to use the taboo word. As a result, the translation is acceptable and not harmful to the TT readers’
morals. Meanwhile, omission and taboo-to-taboo are implemented equally (each has one occurrence) in the literal function. To analyze effectively, the findings are elaborated based on the functions of the word “shit”.
a. Predicative Negative Adjective (PredNeg)
The strategies found are taboo to taboo (ST/51a), omission (ST/113), and paraphrase (ST/113 and ST/179). The following table provides three examples of PredNeg cases:
Table 2. PredNeg Function of the Taboo Word Sh*t
No. Code Source Text Target Text Strategy
1 ST/51a But I was also a shithead.
Tapi saya bengal. Taboo to taboo
2 ST/51b I was a rebellious, lying little shithead.
Saya pemberontak, tukang bohong.
Omission
In ST/51a, the translator applies taboo to taboo strategy in translating the word
“shithead” into bengal. “Shithead” is a taboo word referring to a person whose brain is made of shits (Urban Dictionary), an idiot, inept, foolish, or contemptible person (The Free Dictionary), a stupid, unpleasant, and unpopular person (Cambridge Dictionary). The word
“shithead” is related to intellectual impairment. The Online Great Indonesian Dictionary (KBBI) defined bengal as tidak mau mengindahkan nasihat dan sebagainya; keras kepala, nakal; suka mengganggu. Bengal is mostly related to stubborn or difficult to handle, not because he/she has an intellectual impairment, but because of his/her unwillingness to obey a rule or a command. The translation of “shithead” into bengal is inappropriate because it may generate a perception of TT readers that is different from that of the ST readers. As a solution, the phrase otak udang – a taboo word which means stupid – can be used as its equivalent. ST/51b shows that the translator deletes the message of the word “shithead”.
Perhaps, he did this because he assumed that the readers can understand the message of the word “shithead” from the word “rebellious” itself.
b. Emphatic Intensifier (EmphInt)
The strategies found in EmphInt function are paraphrase (ST/1, ST/76, ST/81, ST/86, ST/87, ST/97, ST/101a, ST/101b, ST/145a, ST/145b, ST/152, ST/162, ST/172, and ST/178),
substitution (ST/21a, and ST/54), and omission (ST/57 and ST/167). The following table provides two examples of EmphInt cases:
Table 3. EmphInt Function of the Taboo Word Sh*t
No. Code Source Text Target Text Strategy
1 ST/1 He got paid shit money
and spent most of it on booze.
Ia digaji sangat rendah, dan hampir seluruh uangnya dihabiskan untuk minuman keras.
Paraphrase
2 ST/81 Shitty Values Nilai-Nilai Sampah paraphrase
In ST/1, it can be seen that the translator cleverly manipulated the taboo word “shit”
into a non-taboo word rendah to adjust it to the target culture. The phrase “shit money” in this sentence refers to the very low salary that Bukowski earned, and the appropriate Indonesian adjective to express the low salary is sangat rendah. Then, in ST/81, the phrase
“shitty values” is translated into nilai-nilai sampah because the phrase expresses the values which are worthless, unimportant, and useless in life. The word “shit” functioning as EmphInt was handled creatively by using the paraphrase strategy. This can be seen from the word shitty appearing 12 times with 7 different Indonesian translations. The translator did not only use buruk or rendah to describe the unpleasant situation, but he adjusted it to the context of each sentence. In ST/54, “shitty apologies” is translated into permintaan maaf yang penuh omong kosong as the context is about Manson’s hypocrisy, while in ST/76, “shitty club gigs”
was translated into panggung klub murahan to show the low quality of the club. Then, in ST /81, the phrase “shitty values” was translated into nilai-nilai sampah to express the worthless values; however, in ST/97, it was translated into nilai-nilai yang payah to demonstrate the arduous but useless values held by Manson’s friend. In ST/86, “shitty things” was translated into hal buruk to show the bad things. In ST/87, “shitty problems” were translated into masalah yang sangat besar because the word “shitty” expresses an unpleasant and problematic condition. Then, “shitty relationship” in ST/101a was translated into hubungan yang kacau to show the inharmonious relationship that Manson had with his ex-girlfriend.
Last, “shitty self-worth” was translated into harga diri yang rendah in ST/172 to communicate the low value of self-worth possessed by a person who thinks of her partner, not herself, is responsible for her fate. To sum up, the translator provided a variety of translations for the word “shit” in EmphInt function by adjusting them to the context.
c. Idiomatic set phrase (Idiom)
The strategies found in Idiom function are taboo to taboo (ST/24) and paraphrase (ST/39, ST/74, ST/188). The following table provides two examples of Idiom cases:
Table 4. Idiom Function of the Taboo Word Sh*t
No. Code Source Text Target Text Strategy
1 ST/39 The daily drudgery of
practicing, the logistics of finding a group and rehearsing, the pain of finding gigs and actually getting people to show up and give a shit, the broken strings, the blown tube amp, hauling forty pounds of gear to and from rehearsals with no car.
Kebosanan saat bermusik, koordinasi untuk menemukan grup band dan mengatur gladi kotor, rasa lelah mengadakan
pertunjukan dan sulitnya mengajak orang untuk datang dan membeli tiket, senar yang putus, tabung amplifier yang meledak, mengangkut
Paraphrase
peralatan sebesar 20 kg ke dan dari tempat latihan tanpa mobil.
2 ST/188 For the first time in my
life, I actually studied for classes, gaining me the startling realization that I could make good grades if only I gave a shit.
N Untuk pertama kalinya dalam hidup saya, saya benar-benar belajar di dalam kelas, membuat saya sadar bahwa saya bisa mendapatkan nilai yang bagus kalau saya berusaha.
Paraphrase
ST/39 contains an idiom “Give a shit” which means to care about someone or something (Urban Dictionary) which, by the translator, was translated into membeli tiket. The translator implemented the paraphrase strategy to make it clearer for the TT readers. He inferred the message demonstrated by the idiom “give a shit” from the context, which is related to a band’s struggle and the problems they faced. In addition, the phrase “getting people to show up” also gives a clue for determining the translation of the phrase “give a shit”, which is the next activity after showing up to a concert is buying the ticket allowed in there. Similarly, the idiom “gave a shit” in ST/188 was also paraphrased based on the context to make it understandable for the TT readers. In this sentence, Manson spoke about an effort to achieve good grades in his study.
d. Literal usage denoting taboo referent (Literal)
The strategies found in Literal function are omission (ST/16) and taboo to taboo (ST/35). The following table provides two examples of Literal cases:
Table 5. Literal Function of the Taboo Word Sh*t
No Code Source Text Target Text Strategy
1 ST/16 The people who don’t
give a fuck about adversity or failure or embarrassing
themselves or shitting the bed a few times.
Orang-orang yang tidak peduli dengan kerasnya perjuangan itu, tak peduli dengan risiko kegagalan, masa bodoh akan hal-hal yang memalukan yang mungkin terjadi
Omission
2 ST/35 You know who bases
their entire lives on their emotions? Three- year-old kids. And dogs. You know what else three-year-olds and dogs do? Shit on the carpet.
Apakah Anda tahu
siapa yang
menyandarkan seluruh hidup pada emosinya?
Balita. Dan anjing.
Anda tahu selain balita dan seekor anjing? Tahi di karpet.
Taboo to taboo
The phrase “shitting the bed a few times” was omitted in ST/16. In this case, the message of the phrase “shitting the bed a few times” was already represented by
“embarrassing themselves”; thus, no important message is lost. The translator was aware that the author used some redundant words to express a message; therefore, he wanted his translation to be effective. Then, ST/35 was translated using the taboo to taboo strategy;
however, the translation was poorly chosen. The word “shit” in ST/35 is a verb, an action done by a three-year-old and dogs, while tahi is a noun which means excrement. As a substitute, the translator can use BAB (buang air besar) which has a similar message with ST.
The word BAB is applicable to both humans and animals. The translator did not omit the taboo word “shit” in ST/35 because this word has a significant meaning to the sentence, which is to answer what the three-years-old child and dogs do.
e. Imagery based on literal meaning (Imagery)
The strategies found in Imagery function are superordinate (ST/18), taboo to taboo (ST/21b), substitution (ST/43, ST/111, ST/121, ST/176), paraphrase (ST/38, ST/50, ST/52, ST/53, ST/83, ST/159, and ST/176), and omission (ST/21c, ST/148 ST/156, and ST/166b).
The following table provides an example of Imagery cases:
s
Table 6. Imagery Function of the Taboo Word Sh*t
No. Code Source Text Target Text Strategy
1 ST/43 The worst part was that Jimmy believed his own bullshit.
Bagian paling parahnya adalah bahwa Jimmy meyakini omong kosongnya sendiri.
Substitution
ST/43 contains the word “bullshit” which means complete nonsense or something that is not true (Cambridge Dictionary). Its translation, omong kosong means cakap yang tidak ada isinya atau tidak benar (KBBI); thus, the message from ST is successfully rendered in TT.
f. Pronominal form with undefined referent (Pron).
The strategy found in the Pron function is the paraphrase strategy (ST/7a, ST/8, and ST/84) and taboo to taboo (ST/7a and ST/7b). The following table provides an example of Pron cases:
Table 73. Pron Function of the Taboo Word Sh*t
No. Code Source Text Target Text Strategy
1 ST/8 By not giving a fuck
that you feel bad, you short-circuit the Feedback Loop from Hell; you say to yourself, “I feel like shit, but who gives a fuck?”
Dengan tidak ambil pusing ketika Anda merasa buruk, berarti
Anda memutus
Lingkaran Setan; Anda berkata pada diri sendiri, “Saya merasa sangat buruk, tapi terus kenapa!
paraphrase
In ST/8, the author expresses the similarity between his feeling and shit, which means really bad (Oxford Learners Dictionary). In other words, he says that his feeling is very bad.
Based on the theory of the taboo word functions suggested by McEnery (2006), six functions of the word “shit” have been identified, namely PredNeg, EmphInt, Idiom, Literal, Imagery, and Pronominal. Furthermore, the function of the taboo word “shit” in a motivational nonfiction book is mostly as EmphInt and Imagery. Meanwhile, the Gen and Personal functions are nil. This contradicts the finding of Kurniawati and Hardjanto (2019) who found that the dominant usage of taboo words in a movie is for Gen and Personal functions. This difference is caused by different media used as a corpus. The researchers used a motivational book (nonfiction), while Kurniawati and Hardjanto (2019) used TV series (movie).
In addition, the findings demonstrate that the strategies used in the literal function are omission and taboo to taboo. Meanwhile, the strategy dominantly implemented in PredNeg, EmphInt, Idiom, Imagery, and Pronominal functions is the paraphrase strategy. This is opposite to the finding of Robati & Zand (2018) that the dominant translation strategies applied in translating taboo words are substitution and taboo to taboo strategies (61%), showing the tendency of the translator to maintain the force of effect of taboo terms. This results from the differences in the text types explored. Robati & Zand (2018) studied the taboo words in a literary text entitled The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (2008), a controversial novel that has been removed from libraries, school curricula, and student reading lists, in order to stop students from accessing the book. On the other hand, we studied an informational text. Reiss (2000, 17) stated that ‘the type of text is the primary factor influencing the translator’s choice of a proper translation method’. In translating a literary text, the translator has to maintain the author’s style, while in an informational text, rendering the information is the emphasis. Reiss’s statement implies that it is important for a translator to determine the text type first before determining the strategies he/she will use in translating a text. This research suggests that professional translators mostly apply the paraphrase strategy in dealing with the taboo word in nonfiction text; however, more comprehensive and broader research is needed to confirm this assumption. This study also shows that the translator tends to avoid using taboo words in TT as much as possible in order to provide an acceptable translation for the TT readers. The frequency of taboo to taboo strategy implementation is only 12% (6 out of 50 cases). Specifically, in EmphInt, the translator did not apply taboo to taboo strategy because the message expressed in this function is to intensify, which can be translated into non-taboo words in Indonesian, such as the word sangat, rendah, and murahan. The translator manipulated most of the taboo elements into the non-taboo ones by using the paraphrase strategy to deliver the message in an acceptable way to the TT readers.
4. Conclusion
In conclusion, this research figures out that from 50 occurrences of the word “shit”
and its derivation (Shit/shitty/bullshit/bullshitty/shithead/shitheap/batshit/shit-ton), 6 functions have been discovered, namely PredNeg, EmphInt, Idiom, Literal, Imagery, and Pronominal. The strategies found in literal function are omission and taboo to taboo.
Meanwhile, the strategy dominantly implemented in PredNeg, EmphInt, Idiom, Imagery, and Pronominal functions is the paraphrase strategy. Using this strategy, the translator is able to maintain the message and deliver them into the target text without having to use the taboo word. As a result, the translation is acceptable and not harmful to the TT readers’ morals.
This research can be used as a reference for teaching students in translation training center/translation study program on how to deal with taboo words so that they can produce an acceptable translation for Indonesian readers. Future research is recommended to explore the translator’s motives in applying certain translation strategies in handling the taboo words.
5. Acknowledgment
The authors would like to thank LPDP for providing financial support for this study.
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