AN ANALYSIS ON IDIOM TRANSLATION STRATEGIES IN

THE RAINBOW TROOPS

THESISSubmitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirement for the Degree ofSarjana Pendidikan

Mg. M. Frennandy Ngestiningtyas112008061

ENGLISH DEPARTMENTFACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

SATYA WACANA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITYSALATIGA

2013

ii

AN ANALYSIS ON IDIOM TRANSLATION STRATEGIES IN

THE RAINBOW TROOPS

THESISSubmitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirement for the Degree ofSarjana Pendidikan

Mg. M. Frennandy Ngestiningtyas112008061

ENGLISH DEPARTMENTFACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

SATYA WACANA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITYSALATIGA

2013

iii

AN ANALYSIS ON IDIOM TRANSLATION STRATEGIES IN

THE RAINBOW TROOPS

THESIS

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Sarjana Pendidikan

Mg. M. Frennandy Ngestiningtyas

112008061

Approved by:

M. Ch. Eko Setyarini, S.S., M.Hum Dr. E. Titik MurtisariSupervisor Examiner

iv

PUBLICATION AGREEMENT DECLARATION

As a member of the (SWCU) Satya Wacana Christian University academic community,I verify that:

Name : Mg. M. Frennandy NgestiningtyasStudent ID Number : 112008061Study Program : English EducationFaculty : Language and LiteratureKind of Work : Undergraduate Thesis

In developing my knowledge, I agree to provide SWCU with a non-exclusive royalty freeright for my intellectual property and the contents therein entitled:

AN ANALYSIS ON IDIOM TRANSLATION STRATEGIES IN THE

RAINBOW TROOPS

along with any pertinent equipment.

With this non-exclusive royalty free right, SWCU maintains the right to copy, reproduce,print, publish, post, display, incorporate, store in or scan into a retrieval system or database,transmit, broadcast, barter or sell my intellectual property, in whole or in part without myexpress written permission, as long as my name is still included as the writer.

This declaration is made according to the best of my knowledge.

Made in : SalatigaDate : September 5th, 2013

Verified by signee,

Mg. M. Frennandy Ngestiningtyas

Approved by

Thesis Supervisor Thesis Examiner

M. Ch. Eko Setyarini, S.S., M.Hum Dr. E. Titik Murtisari

v

COPYRIGHT STATEMENT

This thesis contains no such material as has been submitted for examination in any course oraccepted for the fulfillment of any degree or diploma in any university. To the best of myknowledge and my belief, this contains no material previously published or written by anyother person except where due reference is made in the text.

Copyright@ 2013. Mg. M. Frennandy Ngestiningtyas and Maria Christina Eko Setyarini,M.Hum

All rights reserved. No part of this thesis may be reproduced by any means without thepermission of at least one of the copyright owners or the English Department, Faculty ofLanguage and Literature, Satya Wacana University, Salatiga.

Mg. M. Frennandy Ngestiningtyas :

1

AN ANALYSIS ON IDIOM TRANSLATION STRATEGIES IN

THE RAINBOW TROOPS

Mg. M. Frennandy Ngestiningtyas

Abstract

This study is aimed at examining the translation strategies used in the translation of

idioms in the novel Laskar Pelangi from Indonesian into English. The data were collected by

listing the idioms in the source text and their corresponding translation in the target text,

which is entitled, The Rainbow Troops; identifying the idioms by classifying the idioms found

using McCarthy and O’Dell’s theory about the classification of idiom types. The data

obtained wereanalyzed by using idiom translation strategies proposed by Baker (2007). The

most frequent translation strategies used in translating the Indonesian idioms is translation

by using similar meaning and form. Other strategies applied are translation by using an

idiom of similar meaning but dissimilar form, translation by paraphrasing. There is no idiom

found using translation by omission or ellipsis strategy.

Keywords: descriptive qualitative, idioms, Laskar Pelangi, translation strategies

INTRODUCTION

Idiom is a combination of words that has a meaning that is different from the

meanings of the individual words themselves. When used in everyday language, they have a

meaning other than the basic one you would find in the dictionary. Every language has its

own idioms which develop according to the culture of the source language. When we are

learning a language, we must learn the idioms too because they are the part of

communication. Idioms are used in our daily conversation and can also be found in books,

especially in literary works, such as novel. Novels use informal language because they tell

daily life story that experienced by the reader’s life too. Novels’ languages are figurative and

usually use idiomatic expression.

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Translation is one way of transferring knowledge from foreign countries. Figurative

language and idiomatic expressions are normally challenging to translate into the Target

Language (TL) in translating novel. The idiom translation of Andrea Hirata’s novel, Laskar

Pelangi novel, which was translated into English, entitled The Rainbow Troops was

analyzed. A large number of novels have been published in Indonesia in every genre.

Spreading Indonesian novels abroad can be an effective means to introduce the culture and

values of Indonesia. Unfortunately, only a few Indonesian novels or other literary works are

published in other countries. And Andrea Hirata’s novel Laskar Pelangi is one of the works

published abroad. Andrea Hirata was born in Belitung. His success in releasing Laskar

Pelangi made Angie Kilbane interested in translating it into English so that people outside

Indonesia know Indonesian culture. Kilbane is from Ohio but she works as journalist and

teacher at an Islamic school in West Java. This novel becomes bestselling in Indonesia and

has been translated into many languages.

This study can be a reference for translators on translating idiomatic expressions into

English. Besides, it also may keep them aware of various types of idioms in Indonesia and

aware of how to make translation smoother and natural by choosing appropriate idioms in the

target language. It is hoped that this study may also inform students about the translation

strategies used in translating idiomatic expressions in Indonesian.

This study attempted to address a research question. On the types of strategies used to

translate idiomatic expressions in the Laskar Pelangi novel into English translation on The

Rainbow Troops novel. This study will also analyze the translation strategies used in

translating the idiomatic expressions.

What is Translation?

Translation occurs very often in our daily life in order to communicate meanings from

another language. Hatim and Munday (2004: 6) define translation as “the process of

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transferring a written text from source language (SL) to target language (TL)”. In this

definition they do not explicitly express that the object being transferred is meaning or

message. They emphasis on translation as a process. Catford (1995) defined the translation

process as the replacement of textual material in source language, with the closest meaning in

target language. He distinguished between total translation, which is the replacement of SL

grammar and lexis by equivalent TL grammar and lexis, and restricted translation that is

based on the replacement of SL textual material at only one level. Nord (2005) concluded that

since translation appears to be the only way to make sure that the source text has been

understood entirely and properly, the translator should understand the context before starting

any translation. In other words, translation is a process of transferring knowledge of SL into

TL as natural as possible. The translators have to know the background culture of both the

source language and the target language so that there is no misunderstanding.

Definition of Idioms

Since the idioms are developed by the culture of the language, we have to know the

background culture both the SL and TL. Translating idioms of a source language into a target

language is difficult for many people. Therefore we have to know the culture background of

English. Idioms cannot be translated without understanding the meaning behind the

expressions. It is reasonable when a translator deals with an idiomatic expression; the

translation process becomes more complex because the translator has to analyze the meaning

in the expression. Idiomatic expressions constitute a part of multiword expressions (Sag et al.,

2001) and can often be found in daily life, conversation and many other contexts especially in

English. There are many idiomatic expressions of which meaning cannot be accessed from its

constituting forms. Therefore it is sometimes challenging for the translator to find the proper

meaning. In her book “In Other Words: A course book on translation”, Baker states that the

main difficulties involved in translating idioms are an idiom may have no equivalent in the

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TL. An idiom may have a similar counterpart in the TL, but its context of use may be

different, and an idiom may be used in the source text in both its literal and idiomatic senses

at the same time. Baker (2007) found the following:

Idioms are “at the extreme end of the scale from collocations in one or both of these areas:flexibility of patterning and transparency of meaning. They are frozen patterns of languagewhich allow little or no variation in form and, in the case of idioms, often carrymeanings which cannot be deduced from their individual components.” (p. 63)

Liu (2006) stated that idiom is a group of words, which has a meaning that cannot be

translated literally. Besides, Larson (1997) also said that idiom is a group of words that have

different meaning from the meaning expressed by the each word. He also stated that idiom

have certain emotive connotations and are not expressed in the other lexical items.

Motallebzadeh and Tousi (2011: 2) defined that “idioms are fixed phrases consisting of more

than one word, and their meaning cannot be worked out by knowing the meaning of the

individual words”. According to McCarthy and O’Dell (2010: 6), “idioms are fixed

combinations of words whose meaning is often difficult to guess from the meaning of each

individual word”.

McGraw-Hill’s Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs (2005), includes

verbal collocations, idioms, idiomatic expressions, clichés, proverbs, set phrases, fixed

phrases, phrasal verbs, common phrases, prepositional verbs and phrasal/prepositional verbs

in the category of idiomatic phrases. They are unclear because the meaning of the phrase is

not literal or predictable. Phrasal verbs, also called two-word verbs, are idiomatic expressions

because the second element of the verb (the adverb or preposition) is not necessarily

predictable.

From those definitions, it can be said that idioms are group of words that cannot be

literary translated as individual words, which make up the idioms. Not all idioms can be

translated into idioms in the target language. Idioms are fixed words or expressions, which

5

have particular forms and meanings. When we are translating idioms, we have to know the

real meaning of the idioms in the source language. Therefore, in order to know idioms’

meanings, people need to know the background culture of both the source language and the

target language so that there is no misunderstanding in knowing the meaning of the idioms.

We can translate idioms into target language and the readers will know the closest meaning

of the idioms.

Other Studies

There are some studies about translating idioms; Mustonen (2010), Chen (2009), and

Motallebzadeh and Tousi (2011). Mustonen (2010) analyzed the idiom translation strategies

from Finnish into English in Donna Tartt’s The Secret History. She looked for what kinds of

translation strategies can be used in the translating idioms in the novel. The result found that

the most common strategy is translating SL idiom into non-idiom. The next common strategy

is translating SL idiom into TL idiom and the last strategy is translating SL idiom literally.

Chen (2009) did the research about literal translation in English idioms into Chinese. In her

research, when idioms of the source language are similar to those of the target language in

terms of choice of words, collocation and social meanings, according to Nida’s Dynamic

Equivalence theory, translation becomes easy because of the positive influence of cultural

similarities. Because of that, literal translation should be in the top priority in translation. The

main cultural differences between Chinese and English idioms are not only in the language

expression and ways of vocabulary, grammar, and rhetoric devices, but also in their different

cultural backgrounds, because Chinese and English idioms are created from different

cultures. As the result, in translation of idioms, much attention should be paid to the

dissimilarities of cultures as well as languages themselves. Motallebzadeh and Tousi (2011)

analyze Persian translation of Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The results

show that in most cases the translators had translated the SL idioms into TL non-idioms.

6

Analyzing the opposite, which is analyzing the English translation of Indonesian

idioms, which are in Laskar Pelangi, was challenging. Zhang and Wang (2010) analyzed the

application of functional equivalence theory in English translation of Chinese idioms. The

conclusion of the study is when translating idioms; we should take three notions into

consideration, namely, equivalence, receptor’s response, and diversity. Chinese idioms have

their own unique features; therefore, it is quite tough and fascinating job to translate Chinese

idioms into English. For this study, the idiom translation strategies in translating Indonesian

idioms into English were analyzed.

Strategies of Translating Idioms

In providing ideal translation, some translators face difficulties on translating idioms.

Baker (2007: 68-71) summarized the difficulties involved in translating idioms, such as: an

idiom or fixed expression may have no equivalent in the target language, an idiom or fixed

expression may have a similar counterpart in the target language, but its context of use may

be different; they may have different connotations or not be pragmatically transferable, an

idiom may be used in the source language in both its literal and idiomatic senses at the same

time and this play on idiom may not be successfully reproduced in the target language, and

the convention regarding idioms in written discourse, the contexts in which they can be used

and their frequency of use may be different in the source language and target language.

According to Machali (2009: 3), translators might be mistaken in losing the tone or meaning

of idioms in translating them as they think of the idioms as ordinary expressions. Therefore,

in order to transfer the messages of idioms to be translated accurately and efficiently, the

translator must choose the most appropriate strategy.

Therefore, Baker proposed four idiom translation strategies in her book “In Other

Words: A course book on translation” (2007, pp. 72-78). The idiom translation strategies are

7

using an idiom of similar meaning and form, using an idiom of similar meaning but dissimilar

form, translation by paraphrase, and translation by omission.

The first strategy is translation by using an idiom with similar form and meaning in

the target language. This strategy is to translate idioms by using an idiom very similar in its

form and meaning to the source language idiom. It must express roughly the same meaning

and be of equivalent lexical items. Here is the example of this strategy.

Source text (A Hero from Zero, p. 6)The Sultan’s magnificent income was distributed impulsively at his command. Therain fell on the just and on the unjust.

Target text (French, p. 21)Le revenue fabuleux du Sultan était distribué sur un simple ordre de sa part. Lapluie tombait aussi bien sur les justes que sur les injustes.

Back translation:The fantastic income of the Sultan was distributed on a simple order on his part.The rain was falling on the just as well as on the unjust.

Another example in Indonesian is besar kepala which means ‘someone who believes that

they are very clever or very good at an activity and who thinks that other people should

admire them’ can be translated into big head.

The second strategy is translation by using an idiom of similar meaning but dissimilar

form. It is translation of idiom by using an idiom with similar meaning but dissimilar form in

the target language. Here is the example of this strategy.

Source text (Maters of the Universe):Feel the force of my fist, frozen fiend!

Target text (German):Dir werde ich einheizen, du Scheusal!

Back translation:I will make things hot for you, monster!

The previous statement on the example is addressed to an ice monster. The German

expression Dir werde ich einheizen means literally, or as near literally as possible, ‘I will put

8

the heating on to you’. Another example in Indonesian is play cat and mouse,, which means

‘alternate between kinds of behavior when dealing with someone, often in matters of pursuit’,

which can be translated into bermain petak umpet has the same meaning with the source

language.

The third strategy is translation by paraphrase. According Baker, paraphrase is one of

the most common strategies in the translation of idioms. As sometimes it is impossible to find

the right equivalent or any idiom in the target language, therefore, a translator can use

translation by paraphrase. Using this kind of strategy a translator transfers the meaning of an

idiom using a single word or a group of words, which roughly corresponds to the meaning of

idiom but is not an idiom itself. The example is after this paragraph.

Source text (Language and Society, no 16 (1085), p. 4)One frequent criticism of the Manitoba Government throughout the languagecontroversy was that it never seemed to get a handle on the issue.

Target text (French, p. 4)Tout au long de la controverse linguistique, on reprocha fréquemment augouvernement du Manitoba de ne pas réussir, selon toute apparence, a maitriser lasituation.

Back translation:For the whole length of the linguistic controversy, the government of Manitobawas reproached frequently for not succeeding, by all appearances, in mastering thesituation.

Another example in Indonesian is meninggal dunia, which means ‘die’, can be translated

into kick the bucket.

The fourth strategy is translation by omission. According to Baker (2007, p.77)

omission is allowed only in some cases: first, when there is no close equivalent in the target

language; secondly, when it is difficult to paraphrase; finally, an idiom may be omitted for

stylistic reasons. For example: He might get up the juice to kiss me, which means ‘find the

courage or motivation to do something’. This idiom can be translated by omission into dia

mungkin akan mencium saya.

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THE STUDY

This study used descriptive qualitative research as the basis of its approach. The data

was in the form of words not about numbers and this study was concerned with a certain

variable, indication, or condition properly. In addition, this research involved the variables,

which exist naturally. The data was analyzed descriptively, in which I only illustrated,

described, and reported without drawing or testing hypothesis. Creswell (1994) wrote that

descriptive method is a way to collect information of the existing condition. Meanwhile

Fraenkel and Wallen (1996:23) mentioned that descriptive method is used to explain,

analyze, and classify using various techniques.

By using qualitative descriptive method, the source of data was treated as the

condition, which was selected to gather the information that is needs for the research. In this

case, the novel Laskar Pelangi and its translated version The Rainbow Troops were the

sources of the data while the selected information gained from the novels were the culture

specific items found in the novel. There are 34 chapters in Laskar Pelangi novel. Because of

the limit of the time, only three chapters from Laskar Pelangi were selected to do this study

in which become four chapters in English version.

The first procedure of collecting data was reading both novels Laskar Pelangi and its

English version, The Rainbow Troops. While both novels were read, I also made a list of

idioms that have been written on Laskar Pelangi. When the Indonesian idioms lists were

gained, the next step was looking for the English translation on The Rainbow Troops. Then I

identified the idioms and their translations. The next step is classifying the idioms into their

types and their translations as the guide analyzing.

The data were classified according to McCarthy and O’Dell’s theory (2010:6) to make

easy the collecting data. After the data had been collected from both novels, the data were

10

analyzed using my interpretation and Baker’s theory about idiom translation strategies. I used

Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (KBBI) and Oxford Dictionary as the guide analyzing the

data. Draw the conclusion was the final step of doing this study. The conclusion was based

the data analyzing and my interpretation.

Finding and Discussion

I found there are four idiom translation strategies like what Baker found in her

research. Those four strategies are translation by using similar meaning and form, translation

by using similar meaning but dissimilar form, translation by paraphrasing, and translation by

omission or ellipsis. The most common strategy is translation by using similar meaning and

form.

Translation by using similar meaning and form

The first strategy of translating idioms is using similar meaning and form. In this

strategy, both SL and TL have similar meaning and form. Form in here is the diction of TL

which is similar with SL. I found 15 idioms which are used this strategy. Here are some

examples of translation using similar meaning and form strategy in translating Indonesian

idioms.

Idiom “buah pikiran” (buah=fruit; pikiran=thought, mind) is translated literally. Buah

pikiran means a result of thoughts. Fruit means the result, like we pick fruit which we have

waited for a long time. In TL, this idiom is translated literally, which becomes “the fruit of

mind”. In this case, the form of TL which is the diction is similar with the SL. Therefore this

idiom belongs to translation by using similar meaning and form in translating idiom.

SL: setiap apa pun yang ditulisnya merupakan buah pikiran yang gilang gemilangTL: everything he would write would be the fruit of a bright mind

11

The next idiom is “agak terbelakang mental” (agak=quite, a bit; terbelakang=behind;

mental=mental). The meaning of this idiom is someone who has autism problem. This idiom

is translated in similar form which is a bit behind mentally. The meaning of TL is similar

with the SL. In here, the SL is translated literally. The diction of TL is similar with the SL.

SL: Pria itu adalah Harun, pria jenaka sahabat kami semua, yang sudah berusia limabelas tahun dan agak terbelakang mentalnya.

TL: That boy was Harun, a funny boy and a good friend of ours. He was already 15years old, the same age as Bu Mus, but was a bit behind mentally.

Idiom “kehancuran hati” (kehancuran=ruin, downfall; hati=heart) has similar

meaning with the TL, broken heart. Both idioms mean suffering from overwhelming distress.

The form of both SL and TL is also similar. The diction of TL is similar with SL and both TL

and SL have similar meaning too. Therefore, it uses translation by similar meaning and form

strategy.

SL: Aku mengerti bahwa pira yang tak tahu tanggal dan bulan kelahirannya itugamang membayangkan kehancuran hati anaknya ...

TL: This was a man who didn’t even know his own birthday, imagining his son’sbroken heart ...

The next idiom which has similar meaning and form is “berpikir jernih”

(berpikir=think, jernih=clear). Berpikir jernih in KBBI means using brain to decide

something clearly. In here, jernih becomes adverb to describe the action berpikir. Therefore,

jernih is translated into clearly. The English version of berpikir jernih in the Rainbow Troops

is thinking clearly. Idiom “berpikir jernih”, which is translated into think clearly, is translated

literally and also has similar meaning with the Indonesian. In here, both idioms have similar

form which is the diction in translating SL.

SL: Ia sudah tak bisa berpikir jernih. Ia berulang kali mengucapkan hal yang samayang telah diketahui semua orang.

TL: She had already reached the point where she wasn’t thinking clearly, repeatingthe same thing everyone already knew.

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Idiom “meloncati nasib” (meloncati=jump over; nasib=fate, luck, destiny) means

jump with great force beyond the destiny. In TL, meloncati nasib is translated into “leap over

fate”. Both SL and TL have similar meaning which is to make different destiny. In here, the

form of SL is verb phrase which TL is also in VP form. It means that the form of both SL and

TL is similar. In this case, the translation of meloncati is leap over. The diction of TL has

similar meaning with SL. Therefore, idiom “meloncati nasib” belongs this strategy.

SL: Ayahnya telah melepaskan belut yang licin itu, dan anaknya baru saja meloncatinasib, merebut pendidikan.

TL: He was like a little kid sitting on a pony—delighted, not wanting to get down.He had just leapt over fate and grabbed education by the horns.

The idiom “mendinginkan suasana” (mendinginkan=cool, freeze.

suasana=atmosphere) and cooled down the mood have similar meaning. The meaning is to

make the mood or atmosphere calm. Like the previous idiom, the verb of this idiom,

mendinginkan, is translated into cool down. They have similar meaning too, therefore this

idiom belongs to this strategy.

SL: Lalu Pak Harfan mendinginkan suasana yang berkisah tentang penderitaan dantekanan ...

TL: Then Pak Harfan cooled down the mood with a story of the sufferingexperienced …

The last example of translation by using similar meaning and form is “keras kepala”

(keras=hard; kepala=head). This idiom refers to person who has steady determination not to

change one’s attitude or position on something. In this case, keras kepala is translated into

“hard-headed” instead of stubborn. The meaning of TL is similar with SL. In here, both

idioms have similar form; the diction on TL has similar meaning with SL although it is

translated literally.

SL: N.A. Sahara Aulia Fadillah binti K.A. Muslim Ramdhani Fadillah, gadis kecilberkerudung itu, memang keras kepala luar biasa.

TL: Sahara was extraordinarily hard-headed.

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Another idiom which use this strategy is “menancapkan tekad dalam hati”

(menancapkan=stick; tekad=push, desire; dalam=in, hati=heart). This idiom means giving a

determination or a desire. The translation of this idiom is “strongly imbed in heart the desire”.

Although the position of the words “tekad” is moved in the behind of the phrase, the form

and the meaning of TL is still similar with SL.

SL: Kuliah umum dari Pak Harfan di hari pertama kami masuk SD Muhammadiyahlangsung menancapkan tekad dalam hati kami untuk membela sekolah yanghampir rubuh ini, apa pun yang terjadi.

TL: The general course from Pak Harfan on our first day at MuhammadiyahElementary School strongly imbedded in our hearts the desire to defend thisnearly collapsing school, no matter what.

This strategy is the most common strategy that is used in Indonesian idiom translation

into English. The goal of translation is to make translation smoother and natural by choosing

appropriate idioms in the target language.

Translation by using similar meaning but dissimilar form

The next strategy is translation by using an idiom with similar meaning but the form is

different. There are changes of phrases and clause in TL form. I found ten (10) idioms which

use this strategy. Here are some examples of translation by using similar meaning but

dissimilar form.

The first idiom that use this strategy is “tertekan batin” (tertekan=pressed down,

oppressed; batin=inner). Tertekan batin means feeling of getting pressure from others

according to KBBI (The Indonesian Dictionary). It has similar meaning with the TL which is

unpleasant feeling caused by the realization that something unpleasant or undesirable has

happened or is about to happen. Both idioms has different form. The word “sinking” has

14

different meaning with “tertekan”. Although the meaning is different, according to Oxford

dictionary, the meaning of idiom in TL is similar with SL.

SL: Suaranya berat selayaknya orang yang tertekan batinnya.

TL: Her voice was grave, normal for someone with a sinking heart.

Idiom “senyum getir” (senyum=smile; getir=bitter) means unnatural smile according

to Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia/KBBI (Indonesian dictionary). The TL of this idiom is

forced smile. According to Oxford dictionary it has also similar meaning with SL. Idiom

senyum getir belongs to this strategy because it has similar meaning but dissimilar form.

Bitter and forced are totally different. But in here, the meaning of both words is similar; that

is a smile to hide the sadness.

SL: Namun, senyum Bu Mus adalah senyum getir yang dipaksakan karena tampakjelas beliau sedang cemas.

TL: Yet Bu Mus’ smile was a forced smile: she was apprehensive.

The idiom “mulut pintu” (mulut=mouth, pintu=door) is used to describe place to go in

and out. This expression is translated into “the doorway”. The doorway and mulut pintu have

similar meaning. The meaning of these expressions according to KBBI is not the door itself

but the square cavity where the door is placed. The form of both idioms is dissimilar. There is

no word “mouth” in TL. However, in TL, “the doorway” has similar meaning with SL.

TL: Di mulut pintu berdiri dua orang guru seperti para penyambut tamu dalamperhelatan.

SL: In the doorway stood two teachers, like hosts welcoming guests to a party.

Idiom “buta huruf” (buta=blind, huruf=letter) means disable in reading and writing.

There is no English literal translation of this idiom. Therefore, the translation of buta huruf

becomes “illiteracy” which has similar meaning with the Indonesian. Both SL and TL have

dissimilar form. In here, illiteracy is not an idiom but a term to name the disability to read

15

and write. The Indonesian “buta huruf” is translated into illiteracy which has similar meaning

with SL.

SL: … tuntutan memerdekakan anak dari buta huruf.

TL: … to submit to modern demands to free their children from illiteracy.

Another idiom is “detik-detik terakhir” (detik-detik=seconds; terakhir=last, final). The

meaning of detik-detik terakhir is the very last time. This idiom shows how the people’s

feeling wait for the time when the school is closed. This idiom creates tense mood when they

are waiting. In TL, the translation of this idiom is in English common expression; “the final

moment”. The meaning of the final moment is similar with the SL. The form of both idioms

is also dissimilar. In here, there is no relationship between SL and TL’s diction.

SL: …pedih menyaksikan detik-detik terakhir sebuah sekolah tua yang tutup justrupada hari pertama kami ingin sekolah…

TL: …heartbroken to witness the final moments before the old school closed on thevery day we were supposed to start…

Idiom “kehabisan napas” (kehabisan=run out; napas=breath) is translated into “out of

breath”. In here, both SL and TL have similar meaning but the form is different. The words

“out” and “kehabisan” are very different but the TL phrase has similar meaning with SL.

SL: Mereka berdua hampir kehabisan napas ketika tiba di depan Pak Harfan.

TL: They were both nearly out of breath when they arrived in front of Pak Harfan.

Idiom “waktu habis” (waktu=time, habis=run out) is translated into time was up.

Although it has an equivalent meaning with its translation, this idiom has different form. In

this case, form of both SL and TL is not a phrase. Both SL and TL are a clause. They consist

of subject and predicate. Both idioms do not have a relation if translated literally but have

similar meaning.

SL: Akhirnya, waktu habis …

TL: Finally, time was up.

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Translation by paraphrasing

There are three (3) Indonesian idioms found in this strategy. Baker said that

paraphrase is the most common strategy in translating idiom (2007). However, this strategy is

not the most common strategy in translating Indonesian idioms into English in this novel.

Here are the idioms that use this strategy.

In English, “benang merah” (benang=thread, merah=red) means connecting line,

connection, correlation, similarity, or underlying causes. In this context, benang merah is

translated into the very essence. Benang merah in here means connecting line because the red

thread connects the words with the life. This idiom uses paraphrase strategy because the TL is

very different. There is no equivalent meaning if it translated literally. The form and the

words in TL are different from the SL. The TL translation is totally different with the SL.

SL: Beliau menorehkan benang merah kebenaran hidup yang sederhana melalui kata-katanya yang ringan namun bertenaga seumpama titik-titik air hujan.

TL: Through humble words, as powerful as raindrops, he brought to us the veryessence of the simple life’s righteousness.

The idiom that is using this strategy is “menyakitkan hati” (menyakitkan=painful,

hati=heart). In Indonesia, menyakitkan hati means feeling unhappy because of being hurt.

Hati in here is used as the complement of adjective menyakitkan. If hati is omitted, the

meaning will not change. However, in Indonesian, hati makes the meaning of menyakitkan

becomes more detail and clear which part is painful. The English translation of “menyakitkan

hati” is only “painful”. The idiom “menyakitkan hati” is paraphrased into “painful”, which

has similar meaning with SL.

SL: Kenyataan bahwa beliau hanya memerlukan satu siswa lagi untuk memnuhitarget itu menyebabkan pidato ini akan menjadi sesuatu yang menyakitkan hati.

TL: The fact that he only needed one more student would make this speech evenmore painful to give.

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The idiom “membesarkan hati” (membesarkan=enlarge, expand; hati=heart) means to

entertain or to cheer up someone. But in Indonesia, if we omit the prefix and suffix (besar

hati), it means arrogant and someone who have big heart. The English translation of this

idiom is “console” which means entertain or cheer up someone. The diction on TL is totally

different with the SL. There is no relationship between SL and TL.

SL: Para orangtua menepuk-nepuk bahunya untuk membesarkan hatinya.

TL: The parents patted him on the back to console him

In this study, the translation by omission or ellipsis was not found. If I analyzed until

the last chapter, I might find it. Beside that, the translator, Kilbane, do not have much time in

translating Laskar Pelangi. She only had seven month to translate this novel.

CONCLUSION

The aim of this study was to analyze the translation strategies used in translating

idioms in Rainbow Troops novel, the English version of Laskar Pelangi novel by Andrea

Hirata. There are four strategies found that used by the translator in translating Indonesian

idioms into English. I found that the most frequent translation strategy used by the translator

is translation by using similar meaning and form. This result is different from what Baker

proposed, which the most common strategy in translating idiom is paraphrasing. The next

most frequent translation strategies used based on the analysis are translation by using an

idiom of similar meaning but dissimilar form, translation by paraphrasing. I did not found the

last strategy, translation by omission or ellipsis, in this study.

In this study, I only examine three chapters of the Laskar Pelangi novel because of

the limit of the time doing this study. Unfortunately, the English translations of these three

chapters become four chapters in the Rainbow Troops. If I analyzed all of the chapters of the

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novel, I would have found more strategies that are used by translator to translate the

Indonesian idioms.

According to the previous conclusions, some suggestions are recommended as

follows. For teachers, translation strategies used in the translation of idioms are suggested to

be taught in translation course especially about the translation by similar meaning and form

as it is the most frequent translation strategy used, because the meaning and the translation of

TL have to be as close as the SL. For researchers, further research related to idiom translation

especially English translation of Indonesian idioms is important to be conducted since they

can be used as a reference in both teaching and learning English as a foreign language. It is

hoped for the translator to provide better idiom translation as the researcher has provided the

translation strategies used and their examples. The translator should also have deep

comprehension about idiomatic expressions as well as the cultures and languages of both the

source language and target language text in order to produce a good translation of the

idiomatic expressions. It is important for the students or English Department students to

recognize idioms to improve better interpretation of native English language.

Acknowledgment

First of all, I would like to thank to my Almighty God, Jesus Christ, for always

blessing me through His kindness, guidance and strength in doing my thesis. Also, I would

like to send my gratitude to my supervisor, Maria Christina Eko S., M. Hum., for her supports

and suggestions in guiding me so that I could finish my thesis. I would also thank my

examiner, Dr. E. Titik Murtisari, who is willing to read and examine my thesis.

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I also thank to my father, mother and sister for their endless prayer, supports and

advices which means so much for me. Also to all my friends, Dewa, Riris, Ricky, Vitus, and

Mayang, who always support and help me. Lastly, I would thank to my friends in ED 2008

for giving me unforgettable memory as long as I study in this department. Also to all my

teachers in English Department for teaching and educating me the whole time I study in

SWCU.

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Appendix

Table 1. Translation by Using Similar Meaning and Form

No. Indonesian Idioms English Translation

1. mempercerah masa depan brighten futures

2. agak terbelakang mentalnya a bit behind mentally

3. berpikir jernih think clearly

4. meloncati nasib leap over fate

5. mematahkan semangat break determination

6. keras kepala hard-headed

7. buah pikiran the fruit of mind

8. kehancuran hati broken heart

9. hati malu heart was embarrassed

10. menghabiskan hidup dedicate lives

11. mendinginkan suasana cool down the mood

12. menancapkan tekad dalam hati strongly imbed in hearts the desire

13. membelai hati touch heart

14. pantang menyerah never surrender

15. jatuh cinta fall in love

Table 2. Translation by Using Similar Meaning but Different Form

No. Indonesian Idioms English Translation

1. mulut pintu the doorway

2. senyum getir forced smile

3. tertekan batin a sinking heart

4. buta huruf illiteracy

5. detik-detik terakhir the final moment

6. putus asa devastated

7. kehabisan napas out of breath

8. angkat bicara began to speak

9. merebut hati win heart

10. waktu habis time was up

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Table 3. Translation by Paraphrasing

No. Indonesian Idioms English Translation

1. benang merah the very essence

2. menyakitkan hati painful

3. membesarkan hati console