Indonesian Translation of Cultural Words in ‘The Book of Lost Things’

Abstract

Cultural differences between Indonesian and English can cause problems in translation. In translating cultural words, various aspects should be considered with the aim of producing quality translations of cultural words. This research aims to discover cultural words and their categories, as well as translation techniques employed to translate them in the novel ‘The Book of Lost Things’. The method used in this research is a descriptive qualitative method. The sources of the data of this research are an English novel entitled ‘The Book of Lost Things’ written by John Connolly, and its translation version entitled ‘Kitab Tentang yang Telah Hilang’ translated by Tanti Lesmana. The results show that there are 104 data of cultural words, which are categorized into material culture (51), ecology (30), organizations, customs, activities, procedures, concepts (14), social culture (5), and habits and gestures (4). Moreover, there are 7 techniques employed, including established equivalent (69), pure borrowing (18), amplification (9), particularization (3), adaptation (2), generalization (2), and discursive creation (2). The most frequently found cultural words category is material culture (51). Besides that, the most frequently employed technique is established equivalent (69). Hence, the high number of "material culture" words highlights the challenge of translating tangible items with potential cultural significance. By understanding the categories of cultural words likely encountered and the effective translation techniques used, translators can make informed decisions to preserve the cultural essence of the original work for the Indonesian audience.