文化对等功能

1、Equivalence in Translating Cultural Text: Mangido Miak ni Ompunta in Batak TobaErika SinambelaUniversitas Sumatera Utaraerikasinambelayahoo.co.idAbstractThe focus of this study is on using one of the techniques of translation that is equivalence in translating the cultural text and terminologies. Ma

2、ngido Miak ni Ompunta, equivalent with Mangido Udan, signifies a ceremony in Batak Toba centering on praying for rain. The explanation of the text is in Indonesian and the words being used in the ceremony are in Batak Toba and it is found that many cultural terminologies being used are not familiar

3、or are not commonly used. This is because they are used on certain occasions and by certain people, so even though the writer is Bataknese, she found some unfamiliar expressions in the context of Batak language as well as in the context of Indonesian translation. In other words, she had to also find

4、 the equivalence of the terminologies in the same language, and then later on in English translation. Non-equivalence at word level means that the target language has no direct equivalent for a word which occurs in the source texts. The type and level of difficulty posed can vary tremendously depend

5、ing on the nature of non-equivalence. Different kinds of non-equivalence require different strategies, some very straightforward, others more involved and difficult to handle. In addition to the nature of non-equivalence, the context and purpose of translation will often rule out some strategies and

6、 favour others. When translating the unfamiliar expressions being used, due to the rarely used or old language, the writer should be careful in finding the equivalence in the target language, i. e English. In translating this kind of text, the translator should possess the same amount of knowledge a

7、bout the source language and the target language.Keywords : translating, equivalence, Batak culture1. IntroductionAs translators, we are primarily concerned with communicating the overall meaning of a stretch of a language.To achieve this, we need to start by decoding the units and structures which

8、carry that meaning. The smallest unit which we would expect to posses individual meaning is the word. Defined loosely,“ the word is thunit of language that can be used by itself“ (Bolinger, 1968, p. 43).Translation is the part of the communication, it means that in our language activities we also do

9、 translation, for example when foreigners come to Indonesia as a guest so they need an interpreter to get around easily in Indonesia. Translation is the interpreting of the meaning of a text and the subsequent production of an equivalent text, likewise called a“ translation ” that communicates the s

10、ame message in another language. Tvariations of that are used in translating the text, because the translators try to use the words and the form of language that can be easily understood by the readers. Nowadays, translation is needed as an information source, but in fact it is not easy to translate

11、 from one language to another.In translating a text, a translator should apply a suitable method in order to provide adequate natural and comprehensible translation.“ Translation can be produced by studying the text carefully and then deciding theproper method as the way to express naturally the sam

12、e message of the source text in the receptor”1982, p. 20). A translator who is concerned with transferring the meaning will find that the receptor language has a way in which the desired meaning can be expressed, even though it may be very different from the source language form.The development of s

13、cience and technology in this modern age cannot be separated from translation activity because most of sources information are written in English such as, science, fiction, opinion and reality and all of the source information written in English, so if there is no translation, they do not understand

14、 the content of the text. For that reason, the translation is very important in order to convey to the readers the true information written in English.There are some problems in doing translation especially in conveying the real meaning of the source language into the target language, which is not s

15、uitable to the writer s purpose. This may happen because of somsuch as culture, environment and some difficulties in finding the most equivalent words in the target language. Because of that, a qualified translator is needed. Translators have to have insight about knowledge, culture and also must be

16、 able to choose the most equivalent word in the target language in order to make the translation suitable to the writer s purpose and avoid misunderstanding between writers and readers.2. Language and CultureAccording to Bassnett McGuire (1980), translation involves the transfer of meaning contained

17、 in onlanguage signs into another set of language signs through competent use of the dictionary and grammar; the process involves a whole set of extra-linguistic criteria as well.Edward Sapir (1956) claims that language is a guide to social reality and that human beings are at the mercy of the langu

18、age that has become the medium of expression for their society. Experience, he asserts, is largely determined by the language habits of the community, and each separate structure represents a separate reality.3. Types of TranslationJakobson (1959) distinguishes three types of translation :1) Intrali

19、ngual translation, or rewording (an interpretation of verbal signs by means of other signs in the same language).2) Interlingual translation or translation proper (an interpretation of verbal signs by means of someother language).3) Intersemiotic translation or transmutation (an interpretation of ve

20、rbal signs by means of signs of nonverbal sign systems)In the case of the translation of the word hello, the standard English form of friendly greeting when meeting, the problems are multiplied. English does not distinguish between the word used when answering the telephone, French, German and Itali

21、an all make the distinction. The Italian pronto can only be used as a telephone greeting, like the German hallo.The question of semiotic transformation is further extended when considering the translation of a simple noun, such as the English word butter. When translating butter into Italian there i

22、s a straight-forward word-for-word substitution: butter -burro . Both butter and burro describe the product made from milk and marketed as a creamy-coloured slab of edible grease for human consumption. In Italy, burro , normally light coloured and unsalted, is used for cooking, whilst in Britain, mo

23、st often bright yellow and salted, it is used for spreading on bread and less frequently in cooking. Because of the high status of butter, the phrase bread and baccepted usage is actually margarine. So there is a distinction between the objects signified by butter andburro and between the function v

24、alue of those objects in their cultural context. Here the problem of equivalence involves the utilization and perception of the object in a given context.In the Batak language, the word dekke means fish in general, the accompaniment of rice or a meal, but it could also meanikan mas or gold fish whic

25、h is commonly served when Batak people are having a cultural ceremony. Dekke is usually offered to people hoping for success and symbolizing togetherness because this kind of fish never lives alone but always swims in a large group.The words inang and amang are also an illustration: inang can mean m

26、other but it could also be used to address a daughter in a loving way. And the same way with the term of address amang to the son, which could have the same meaning.Levy, the great translation scholar, insisted that any contracting or omitting of difficult expression in translating was immoral. The

27、translator, he believed, had the responsibility of finding a solution to the most daunting of problems and the functional view must be adopted with regard not only to the meaning but also to style and form. The wealth of studies on Bible translation and the documentation of the way in which individu

28、al translators of the Bible attempt to solve their problems through ingenious solution in a particularly rich source of exampes of semiotic transformation.4. Problems of EquivalenceAccording to Bassnett McGuire (1980), in the process of interlingual translation, one idiom is substituted for another.

29、 The substitution is made not on the basis of the linguistic elements in the phrase but on the function of the idiom where the SL phrase serves the same purpose in the TL culture. In his definition of translation equivalence, Popovic (1976) distinguishes four types:1. Linguistic equivalence , where

30、there is homogeneity on the linguistic level of both SL and TL texts, i.e.word for word translation.2. Paradigmatic equivalence, where there is equivalence of the elements of paradigmatic expressiveaxis , i.e. the elements of grammar, which Popovic sees as being of a higher category than lexical equ

31、ivalence.3. Stylistic (syntacmatic) equivalence, where there is functional equivalence of elements in bothoriginal and translation aiming at an expressive identity with an invariant of identical meaning4. Textual (syntagmatic) equivalence, where there is equivalence of the syntagmatic structuring of

32、 a text, i.e. equivalence of form and shape.Eugene Nida (1964) distinguishes two types of equivalence, formal and dynamic. Formal equivalence focuses attention on the message itself, in both form and content . In such a translation, one is concernsuch correspondences as poetry to poetry, sentence to

33、 sentence, and concept to concept. Nida calls this type of translation a gloss translation , which aims to allow the reader to understand as much of the SL context aspossible. Dynamic equivalence is based on the principle of equivalence effect, i.e. that the relationship between the receiver and mes

34、sage should aim at being the same as that between the original receivers and the SL message. As an example of this type of equivalence, he quotes J.B. Philips rendering of Romans 16;16, where the idea of greeting with a holy kiss is translated as give one another a hearty handshake all roundexample

35、of what seems to be a piece of inadequate translation in poor taste, the weakness of Nida defined types can clearly be seen.In trying to solve the problem of translation equivalence, Neubert (1967) postulates that from the point of view of a theory of text, translation equivalence must be considered

36、 a semiotic category, comprising a syntactic, semantic and pragmatic component.5. UntranslatabilityWhen such difficulties are encountered by the translator, the whole issue of the translatability of the text is raised. Catford (1965) distinguishes two types of untranslatability, which he terms lingu

37、istic and cultural .-On the linguistic level, untranslatability occurs when there is no lexical or syntactical substitute in the TL for an SL item.-Cultural un tra nslatability is due to the abse nce in the TL culture of a releva nt situati onal feature forthe SL text. He quotes the example of the d

38、ifferent concepts of the term bathroom in an English, Finnish, orJapa nese con texts, where both the object and the use made of that object are n ot at all alike. But Catford alsoclaims that more abstract lexical items such as the English term home or democracy cannot be described asuntranslatable,

39、and argues that the English phrases m going homen readily be provided with translationequivale nts in most Ian guageswhilst idemocnacyis intern ati on al.5#I will now turn to looking at an example of attempting to translate a prayer for rain in Batak culture.6. Lake Toba: Batak cultureDanau Toba or

40、Lake Toba as we know it, is the largest lake in Southeast Asia. It was created by the eruption of a super volca no 75 thousa nd years ago. It was still surro un ded by the crater edge of that volca no, and in the middle of the lake, volcanic activity created Samosir, an island as big as Singapore. A

41、ttached to that island is a small peninsula, with the village of Tuktuk on it. This is the tourist destination of the area, where we enjoy the cool air, a dive in the lake, the relaxed atmosphere, and the local Batak culture.THE BATAK PEOPLES OF NORTH SUMATRAKAROS5匂圧BAM収OSA7. Asking for rain in Bata

42、k Toba CultureThis ceremony is called mangido udan. Mangido means asking for; udan means rain. So mangido udan is a ceremony which is asking for rain. Another expression for this ceremony is mangido miak ni Ompunta. Literally it means ask ing for God s oil .udaWnigadas es symbolized by miak (oil). S

43、o in the same con text,man gido miak means ask ing for a rain fall.This cere mon y con sists of some steps, i.e : (1)Mars ungkun, that is a con sultati on which is held by Raja Purbaringin to determine the time of the ceremony. On this occasion the propitious time ( maniti ari ) to hold the ceremony

44、 is determ in ed, (2) Mamele, to give the offeri ng to the Mula Jadi na Bolon (The Almighty God) and the other Gods, (3) Manortor, that is dancing together which is done by Raja Parbaringin together with forgiving one each other, (4) Maridi , bathing together.Huta nggo ma, hu pio, hupa ngalualui Bor

45、as Pati ni TanoI in vite, I call, I inform the god of land rulerTano liat, tano don da, tano marlopi-lopiClay, black soil, various kinds of coloured landPan arsara n ni na marpira, pan eraraha n ni na marlunduThe place where to cultivate and fruitful and to sowAsa hu ton ggo pe hamu omp ung na man g

46、elek, man gido, asa leh onon mu miak muna iI in vite you God is for beggi ng, ask ing you to give me your waterAsa gabea n taon, sinur na pin aha n, gabea n na ni ula di hami da omp ung, an gka hami siminik mu iIn order that the harvest is overflow ing, the cattle is reproduci ng, the product ion of

47、 our pla nt is overflow ing your gran dchildre nHu ton ggo muse ma daomp ung Boru Saniang NagaI also in vite the gran dmother the God of the water ruler,Saniang Naga Laut, Saniang n ahupatoguThe God of the sea water ruler, God whom I respectPar aek tambok siminon g-i nong par aek sim onan g-m onangT

48、he owner of the overflow ing water, the ownerof the victorious waterAsa leh onon Mu da omp ung miak miGod, give us your waterAsa man ghorasi ho, mandingini di hami, asa gabe na ni ula, sinur na pin aha n, tu sehat ni hajolma onSave us, freshe n us, a good harvest, an overflow ing cattle, hopefully p

49、eople will be healthierOlooooo .i .da ompung Fulfill it.God8. Some Problems in Tran slat ingIt is quite difficult for me to translate the text because some of the expressions being used are old Ianguage which are not used any Ion ger by com mon Batak nese people, such as:-In the first line Boras Pati ni Tano which mea ns God of Land Ruler. If it is tran slated literally itwould mean something very different, boras means rice, pati means extract,tano means soil, so it could mean rice extract of the soil.-In line three, panars