Shifts of Cohesion and Coherence in Translation of Looking for Alaska into Mencari Alaska
on
ISSN: 2302-920X
Jurnal Humanis, Fakultas Ilmu Budaya Unud
Vol 19.1 Mei 2017:28-35
Shifts of Cohesion and Coherence in Translation of Looking for Alaska into Mencari Alaska
Ni Made Rina Anjani1*, Ni Ketut Alit Ida Setianingsih2, Ni Luh Putu Krisnawati3 [123]English Department, Faculty of Arts, Udayana University 1[e-mail: [email protected]] 2[e-mail: [email protected]] 3[e-mail: [email protected]]
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Corresponding Author
Abstrak
Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui tipe-tipe pergeserahan kohesi dan koherensi dalam penerjemahan dan menganalisis terjadinya kehilangan, penambahan dan penyimpangan informasi yang ditemukan dalam novel bahasa inggris berjudul Looking for Alaska dan terjemahannya Mencari Alaska. Metode deskriptif kualitatif digunakan untuk menganalisis data berdasarkan teori yang dikemukakan oleh Blum-Kulka (1986) dan teori pendukung Larson (1998), dan teori kehilangan, penambahan dan penyimpangan informasi yang dikemukakan oleh Nida (1975). Hasil penelitian ini menunjukan tipe pergeseran kohesi yang ditemukan dapat dibagi menjadi dua, yaitu pergeseran level eksplisit dan pergeseran makna teks. Sedangkan tipe pergeseran koherensi dibedakan atas bentuk dan fungsi dan pergeseran kohesi dengan kesenjangan budaya. Selanjutnya, kehilangan, penambahan dan penyimpangan informasi terjadi disebabkan oleh perbedaan dua budaya dan ketidakequivalenan terjemahan antara bahasa sumber dan bahasa sasaran.
Kata Kunci: pergeseran kohesi dan koherensi, kehilangan, penambahan dan penyimpangan informasi.
Translation is a target text written as a result of the translator’s comprehension of source text. However, Nida stated that since no two languages are identical, either in the meanings given to corresponding symbols or in the ways in which such symbols are arranged in phrases and sentences, it stands to reason that there can be no absolute correspondence between languages (1964:156). Catford (1978:73) defined shift as the departure from formal correspondence in the process of going from the source language to the target language. Shift in translation is unavoidable because the contextual elements must be maintained so that its meaning does not diverge from the original language.
In translation the translator will make necessary meaning adjustments to express the desired meaning of the SL. The reason why this topic is interesting to be discussed
is that no languages are the same, translator needs to be careful to maintain the meaning of SL into TL when shift occurs. By studying shifts of cohesion and coherence in translation, the translator can make a good translation without changing the meaning of SL considered from it overt and covert relationship.
Based on the explanation given above, the problems are formulated as follows:
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1. What types of cohesion and coherence shifts are found in translation of Looking for Alaska into Mencari Alaska?
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2. Why do loss, gain and skewing of information occur in the translation of Looking for Alaska into Mencari Alaska?
Concerning with the problem mentioned above, this study is aimed at:
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1. Finding and classifying cohesion and coherence shifts found in translation of Looking for Alaska into Mencari Alaska.
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2. Analyzing why do loss, gain and skewing of information occur in translation of Looking for Alaska into Mencari Alaska.
The research method in this study focuses on some aspects, namely: data source, method and technique of collecting data, and method and technique of analyzing data.
The data used in this study are words or phrases found in English novel Looking for Alaska written by John Green printed in the United States of America, published by Dutton Books in 2005 and its translation into Indonesian Mencari Alaska, printed in Jakarta, published by PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama in 2014. The reason of choosing Looking for Alaska as the data source is that the theory of translation such as shift in translation and loss, gain, and skewing of information give a big influence on transferring the meaning of the English text as the source language into Indonesian as the target language.
Library research was applied in this study and assisted by several techniques. The data of this study were taken through some steps; they are the data were collected by reading the SL and TL thoroughly in order to find words or phrases indicating shifts in translation. Second, the sentences were marked to remember which data contained cohesion and coherence shifts in translation and also loss, gain and skewing of information. Third step was taking a note for the data chosen.
The data in this study were analyzed using the descriptive qualitative method. There were several steps done in analyzing the data. First, the researcher chose the data in order to collect words or phrases that indicate shifts in translation. Second, the data were classified based on the cohesion and coherence shifts and loss, gain and skewing of information. The last two steps were analyzing the types of coherence and cohesion shift in the English and Indonesian novels based on theory proposed by Blum-Kulka (1986) and the supporting theory by Larson (1998) and analyzing the occurance of loss, gain and skewing of information based on theory proposed by Nida (1975).
The analysis started by choosing and classifying data that indicate coherence and cohesion shift of expression, then analyzing the types of coherence and cohesion shift of expression and the occurance of gain, loss, and skewing of information in the English and Indonesian novel based on the theories applied.
Shift of cohesion occurs when there is an overt relationship between SL and TL and the concepts of source language are known (shared) in the receptor language.
Blum-Kulka (1986:22) stated that when the meaning of TL becomes deeper than SL, connected explicitly as lexically and grammatically, giving the text a dense, close texture as shift of cohesion, it means that the explicitness occurs in TL.
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5.1.1.1 The General Level of the Target Text’s Textual Explicitness is Higher than that of the Source Text
Blum-Kulka pointed that as required by the target language (TL) grammatical system, TL will be repeated once more than source language (SL). The result is in TL it becomes in the higher level of redundancy compared with SL.
SL: My skinniness
TL: Tubuh kurusku
TL Literal: Kekurusanku
The general level of explicitness higher than SL occurs in the sentence above, because in literal meaning my skinniness is kekurusanku. The translator adds the word tubuh for naturalness of style and it explains clearly the expression of the source language as an overt meaning (cohesion shift) (Larson 1998:495). In the TL the translator clarifies the SL by adding the word tubuh; therefore, gain of information occurs in this translation.
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5.1.1.2 The General Level of the Target Text’s Textual Explicitness is Lower than that of the Source Text
In some cases, textual level of explicitness is absent due to grammar, semantics, and style of two different forms of languages. The result is in TL it becomes in the lower level of redundancy compared with SL.
SL: That’s cool
TL: Keren
TL Literal: Itu keren
The word that’s in the SL is missing in the TL because such expression is more common in TL. Larson (1998:479) stated that the redundancy of the source text must not be translated literally that only makes the TL information load to ‘heavy’. Therefore, we know that the loss of information occurs in this translation in which the determiner that in SL disappears in which it can actually be translated into itu in the target language. 5.1.2 Shift in Text Meaning(s)
Shifts in text meaning(s) are the explicit meaning potential of the source text changes into implicit or vice versa.
English has specific grammatical markers which are cohesively obligatory. In English, a is an indefinite obligatory article to make explicit whether a noun is singular or plural as in the example below:
SL: a large circle of grass
TL: lapangan rumput bundar
TL Literal: sebuah bundaran rumput yang besar
The indefinite article ‘a’ in a large circle of grass means one of the large circles. The absence of indefinite grammatical feature ‘a’ in TL translation means that the referential meaning to lapangan rumput bundar is left implicit. According to the theory proposed by Nida (1975), there is loss of information occuring in this data in which the determiner (a) in the English noun phrase is not translated into the target language which is present in the SL due to naturalness in the TL.
The cultural background of SL may affect the change in the implicit meaning into explicit meaning of TL. A different of grammatical structure in SL may require TL to be made explicitly (Larson 1998:494).
SL: My parents’ SUV
TL: Mobil SUV orangtuaku
TL Literal: SUV orangtuaku
To translate literally My parents’ SUV into SUV orangtuaku sounds confusing to the receptor language speakers. The translator adds extra information “mobil”, in the target language the word SUV does not directly describe a “car”. As pointed by Larson (1998:493-495) some information of source text is needed to be included in the translation of target text in order to avoid the wrong meaning. Gain of information occurs in this data because in the target text the word SUV is unknown as one type of a car.
Shift of coherence occurs when there is a covert potential meaning, made overt by translator, which is the concept of source language is unknown in the target language.
THINGS and EVENTS can be looked from the perspective of the form of the THING or EVENT, or from the perspective of its function.
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5.2.1.1 From the FORM of the THINGS to the Different FORM of the THINGS
SL: final Friday
TL: Jumat yang ditunggu-tunggu
TL Literal: Jumat terakhir
The literal translation of final friday is jumat terakhir, which is blurred to the reader. Furthermore, both functions of SL final friday and TL jumat yang ditunggu-tunggu are similiar as the coming at the end of a series. However, the form is different, in TL it remains readiness for a purpose, but not in the SL. The skewing of information occurs in this translation due to the cultural differences of SL and TL.
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5.2.1.2 From the FORM of the THINGS into the FORM of the EVENTS
SL: manual labor
TL: bekerja keras
TL Literal: pekerjaan kasar
In TL, the SL manual labor (noun) is translated into bekerja keras (verb) in order to make the reader understand it easily. Manual labor means someone doing a physical work done by people; however, bekerja keras means someone is working really hard, it can be done by people or working with computer. Skewing of information occurs in this data due to the difficulty to find the lexical equivalent in the TL.
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5.2.1.3 From the FORM of the EVENTS to the Different FORM of the EVENTS
SL: attached
TL: dibaut
TL Literal: mencantelkan
From the above diagram we can see that the form of the EVENT attached (mencantelkan) occurs, but changes into dibaut (bolted). Attached in SL means joined, fastened, or connected to something. However in TL, it is translated into dibaut. From the above diagram we can see that the form of the EVENT attached (mencantelkan) occurs, but changes into dibaut (bolted). Attached in SL means joined, fastened, or connected to something. However, in TL it is translated into dibaut which means fasten something to something else with a long pin that screws into a nut. Skewing of information occurs in this translation in order to make the reader understand the sentence easily.
Larson (1998:187-188) stated that there will be some lexical items where neither a generic term nor a loan word with modification will be possible as a translation equivalent.
SL: fifteen miles
TL: 24 kilometer
TL Literal: 15 mil
Finding equivalent translation for a specific measurement of the different system is often difficult (Larson, 1998:171). Form of THING miles changes into TL form of THING kilometer which is more natural in the TL. Both are units for measuring length, but the length of one mile is not the same as one kilometre. 1 mile is equal to 1.609 kilometres. Skewing of information occurs in this translation due to the culture differences of SL and TL.
Shift of cohesion found in the novel are shifts in level of explicitness and shifts in text meaning(s). Shift in level of explicitness are divided into two, they are the general level of the target texts textual explicitness is higher or lower than the source text. Meanwhile shifts in text meaning(s) occurs in the novel are divided into two, they are the explicit meaning potential of the SL changes into implicit through translation and vice versa. Two types of coherence shift are found in the novel, they are form and
function and coherence shift by cultural gap. Form and function of coherence shift are divided into three; they are from the form of the things into the different form of the things, from the form of the things into the form of the events and from the form of the events to the different events.
Loss of information occurs because certain features of the source language text disappear or are absent in the target language text. Gain of information occurs because the translator adds some information to meet the needs of its speakers and its readers. Skewing of information occurs because certain features of the source text is unknown in the target text due to cultural differences which are not in the same families.
Barokah, Ruziati dan Sekar,Wulandari. 2014. Mencari Alaska. Jakarta: PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama.
Catford, J.C. 1978. A Linguistics Theory of Translation. London: Oxford University Press.
Green, John. 2005. Looking for Alaska. United States of America: Dutton Books.
Juliane House dan Shoshana Blum-Kulka. 1986. Interlingual and Intercultural Communication. Germany: Gunter Narr Verlag Tübingen.
Larson, M.1998. Meaning Based Translation. Boston: University Press of America.
Nida, E. A.1975. Language Structure and Translation. California: Standford University Press.
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