Final Project

Translation Techniques and Readability of Culture-Specific Items (CSIs) in

the case of 2005 Indonesian Translation of Alice in Wonderland.

Nur Majid Wahyu Wardhani

2201411003

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF LANGUAGES AND ARTS
SEMARANG STATE UNIVERSITY
2015

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

This chapter presents the background of the study, reasons for choosing
the topic, statements of the problem, objectives of the study, the significance of
the study, limitation of the study and the outline of the study.
1.1 Background of the Study
It was August 2012 that BBC Magazine carried Anthony Browne arguments that
Alice in Wonderland is not to be read as a logical book. There could be some
hidden meanings in there, especially considering Carroll was a mathematician
during his lifetime, whether he was aware of such meanings subconsciously or
not. Three years later, The Guardian, March 20, 2015 carried a review about
Alice in Wonderland: the never-ending adventures also dealing with the hidden
meaning beneath Alices Adventure in Wonderland. Martin Dubois in his article
also reinforced those facts, Alices adventures are absurd but not meaningless,
and her return to the real world at the end of the book contains a lesson.(cited
from:

http://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/anthropomorphism-in-

alices-adventures-in-wonderland).
The story of Alice has been survived for more than a hundred and fifty
years since Alices Adventure in Wonderland first published in 1865. The cultural
distance between then and today, however, is obviously much wider. Based on an
articles entitled Perceptions of Childhood by Kimberley Reynolds, from
around the middle of the 18th century, many people in Britain began to think
about childhood in new ways. Previously, the Puritan belief that humans are born
sinful. It led to the widespread notion that childhood was a dangerous period. As
a result, much of the earliest childrens literature is concerned with saving
childrens souls through instruction and by providing role models for their
behaviour. This religious way of thinking about childhood had become less
influential by the mid-18th century; in fact, childhood came to be associated with

a set of positive meanings and attributes, notably innocence, freedom, creativity,

emotion,and spontaneity. (as cited from: http://www.bl.uk/romantics-andvictorians/articles/perceptions-of-childhood). Susina Jan also highlighted, The
children literature in eighteenth centuries comprises those texts that have been
written specifically for children and those texts that children have selected to read
on their own, and the boundaries between children's literature and adult literature
are surprisingly explicit. In opposites, she added, increasing number of adults
have begun reading children's books on the early of twentieth centuries, blurring
the

boundaries

between

children's

and

adult

texts.

(Cited

from:

http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/childrens_literature.aspx). Those facts above

proved that the cultural gap between then and today is very influential to the
literature, especially children's literature.
The original Alices Adventure in Wonderland is written in English and it
was translated by many translators around the world. As cited from Alice in Many
Tongues by Warren Weaver (2006), Alices Adventure in Wonderland has been
translated to Japanese by Ema Shoko in 1961, to Swahili by E.V St. Lo ConanDavies in 1940, to Bengali by Nirmal Kumar Basu in 1955 and many more. In
Indonesia, Alices Adventure in Wonderland has been translated five times;
1. First Edition entitled Elisa di Negeri Ajaib by Julius R. Siyaranamual
in 1978.
2. Second Edition entitled Alice di Negeri Ajaib by Isnadi in 2005.
3. Third Edition entitled Petualangan di Negeri Ajaib dan Dunia di Balik
Cermin by Windi A in 2007
4. Fourth Edition entitled Alice in Wonderland by Khairi Rumantati in
2009.
5. Fifth Edition entitled Petualangan Alice, Alice di Negeri Ajaib & Alice
menembus cermin by Agustina Reni Eta Sitepoe in 2011.
The translator of the 2005 Indonesian translation of Alices Adventure in
Wonderland, the Alice di Negeri Ajaib, Isnadi, is Indonesian. It is obvious that
Isnadi has different culture with the author, Lewis Carroll which is in western

culture. In line with those facts, Nida stated differences between cultures may
cause more severe complications for the translator than do differences in
language structure (Nida, 1982). Xiao Geng highlighted Language reflects a
nations characteristic and contains historical and cultural backgrounds of the
nation. So language is closely attached to culture. Cultural influence on language
mainly embodied in cultural differences(Xiao Geng, 2010).
Dealing with translation of culture specific items, in order to produce
good translation product, Translators must be both bilingual and bicultural, if not
indeed multicultural (Karamanian, 2002). Molina and Albir (2002:509) also
stated that translation techniques affect the translation outcome.
Based on those facts, the researcher wants to investigate what translation
technique that used by Isnadi in translating the culture specific items in Alices
Adventure in Wonderland, and the readability dealing with the used of techniques
that shown in Alices Adventure in Wonderland.
1.2 Reasons for Choosing the Topic
Cultural gap between the author, Lewis Carroll and the Indonesian translator,
Isnadi who is from eastern culture, encourage the researcher to investigate the
culture-specific items that presented in 2005 Indonesian translation of Alices
Adventure in Wonderland. Like what translation techniques that being used by
Isnadi in translating Alices Adventure in Wonderland, about the categories of
culture specific items that shown in Alices Adventure in Wonderland and also the
readability of the novel. Those facts in line with Nida, Differences between
cultures may cause more severe complications for the translator than do
differences in language structure(Nida, 1982).
The cultural distance between then and today, however, is also obviously
much wider. That phenomenon encourages the researcher to unearth more about
Culture Specific Items that can be found in 2005 Indonesian translation of Alices
Adventure in Wonderland.

As Molina and Albir (2002:509) stated that translation techniques affect

the translation outcome, the researcher also wants to investigate what translation
technique that used by Isnadi in translating the culture specific items in Alices
Adventure in Wonderland, and the readability dealing with the used of techniques
that shown in Alices Adventure in Wonderland.
1.3 Statements of the Problem
Based on the statements above, the main problems of the study will be shown
from several questions below:
1. What translation techniques are used in translating culture-specific items
(CSI) in the 2005 Indonesian translation of Alices Adventure in
Wonderland?
2. How readability of culture-specific items (CSI) is measured in the 2005
Indonesian translation of Alices Adventure in Wonderland?

1.4 Objectives of the Study

The general objectives of the study are as follows:
1. To explain what translation techniques used in translating culture-specific
items(CSI) in the 2005 Indonesian translation of Alices Adventure in
Wonderland
2. To describe how readability of culture-specific items measured in the
2005 Indonesian translation of Alices Adventure in Wonderland.
1.5 Significance of the Study
This study is expected to give some significance results to translation practitioners
and the reader.
1. This study is expected to give some inputs related to literary translation
especially about translating culture-specific items
2. To give information to translation practitioners about culture-specific items
and translation techniques

3. As a reference to readers, translators, translation practitioners who are

interested to learn types of culture-specific items that consists in Alices
Adventure in Wonderland.
1.6 Limitation of the Study
This study is only focuses on culture-specific items that can be found in 2005
Indonesian translation of Alices Adventure in Wonderland novel, the translation
techniques that being used, and how it impacts the readability. Ecology, material
culture, social culture, organization, gesture and proper name will be used as a
category for classifying the culture-specific items in this study.
1.7 Outline of the Research
The study is divided into five chapters. They are presented as follows: Chapter I is
discussed about the introduction of the study. It comprises background of the
study, reasons for choosing the topic, statement of the problem, objectives of the
study, significance of the study and the outline of the research.
Chapter II consists of review from related literature which serves a set of
relevant theories as a basis for investigating the problem.
Chapter III presents the methods of investigation. It concerns with
research design, object of the study, roles of the researcher procedures of
collecting the data and procedures of data analysis.
Chapter IV is the results of the study. It presents the general description,
findings and discussion.
Chapter V closes the study by presenting conclusion and suggestion deal
with the results and discussion of the study.