TRANSLATION OF IDIOM AND FIGURATIVE LANGUAGES

PAPERS

Subject: Teori Penerjemahan

Lecturer: Muhammad Khodrotun, M.Pd

Submitted by Group 7:

Inayatun Khasanah 1710510004

Anisatun Nikmah 1710510007

Dina Agustina 1710510013

Nafkhatul Miskiyah 1710510021

ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

TARBIYAH FACULTY

STATE ISLAMIC INSTITUTE OF KUDUS

 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Problem

Translating is not as easy as it seems. Many translators find difficulties in

translating a text, for example a novel. Hardjoprawiro (2006:35) argues that
translating a novel is different from translating an ordinary text. The difference is on
the usage of idiomatic expressions and figurative languages. The figurative
languages and idiomatic expressions contain connotative meanings because they are
categorized into literary words that are different from technical words or terms that
have denotative meanings.

A translator should translate the source text carefully. Bassnett-McGuire

(1991: 115) states that translating is not just rendering the explicit notion in the
sentences but understanding the implicit purpose beyond the sentences or statements,
so translators should do translating process carefully. Many novel translators do
carelessness when they translate novels, for examples, they do mistakes in
transferring information; add their own interpretation that is out of the original text;
do narrow interpretation toward worth messages stated in the novel and finally they
produce a bias translation that is not matched between the source text and the target
one.

Therefore, it is important for us to know how to translate idioms and

figurative languages properly in order to avoid mistakes in transferring and
interpreting the meaning of the source text.

B. Statement of the Problem

Based on the background above, the statement of the problem can be done
as follows:
1. What is idiom?

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 2. What kind of figurative languages?

CHAPTER II

DISCUSSION

A. Translation of Idiom

The meaning of idioms is a group of words that the meaning cannot be

searched from the meanings of element words. Here are some opinions about
idiom from the experts of linguistic.
Crystal (1985: 152) states that the idiom or idiomatic is a term used in
grammar and lexicology referring to a limited set of words semantically and
syntactically, so that only serves as a single unit (single unit). For example, the
phrase “It's raining cats and dogs” cannot be translated one by one because the
phrase is an idiomatic expression. Idiomatic expression should be translated
idiomatically as well, so it would be translated “hujan lebat.” Besides, there is
an idiom “to kick the bucket,” which means not “menendang bakul” but
“mampus.”
Frye (1985: 234) argues that the idiom is a special phrase that is not easy to
translate. For example, to answer the phrase "Thanks", someone answered with
some variation, such as "Please, do not mention it," "Not at all," "It was a
pleasure," or "Forget it." These expressions cannot be translated into Indonesian
word for word but simply idiomatic Indonesian already familiar and everything
can be translated as “terimakasih kembali” not the other, such as “jangan
dipikirkan,” “gak apa-apa,” “ini suatu hal yang menyenangkan,” and others.
Richards (1992: 172) adds that the idiom is a phrase that serves as a single
unit and its meaning cannot be fragmented.
For example:
 “She washed her hands of the matter = She refused to have anything more
to do with the matter.”

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  “May I wash my hands?” Does not mean that someone is asking for
permission to wash his hands, but it is an idiomatic expression used to say
requesting permission to go to toilet. So this idiom if we translate become
“bolehkah saya pergi ke belakang?”
Hoed (2009) said that the purpose of the translation was not simply pass on
the message, but also the formation of a new word (neologism). Therefore, if the
interpreter is not able to translate idioms into another idiom, then he must retain
the original message or introducing something new as the efforts of
foreignization. In the translation of neologism, there neologisms in the source
language itself, there is also a neologism produced by the interpreter to be
introduced to the public.

B. Figurative Languages
1. Metaphor Translation
Holman and Harmon (1992) states that the metaphor is an analogy that
compares the one object to the other objects directly or in other words, is a
figure of speech that revealed the expression directly. For example, “She is
my heart” is an example of a metaphor for a person (she) in that sentence is
equated with heart = my heart. How could someone as a human being equated
with the heart. This sort of thing requires the expertise of a translator to find
the exact equivalent figure of speech in the TL. The phrase can be translated
as “Dia adalah belahan jantung hatiku.” Notice the examples below.

a. TSu: He is a book-worm.
TSa: Dia seorang kutu buku.

The phrase of book-worm is translated as 'kutu buku' because that's the

equivalent of a metaphor that fits the culture of Indonesia. Indonesian society
is not familiar with the term cultural 'book worm' but 'kutu buku'. So the
metaphor is translated by finding matching similar metaphor.

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 b. TSU: You are the sunshine of my life.
TSA: Kau adalah pelita hidupku.
The phrases of sunshine translated as 'pelita' instead of 'sinar matahari'
because the word of 'pelita' is more appropriate for metaphor in Indonesia.

c. TSU: He is a rising star.

TSA: Dia adalah bintang kejora.
In the culture of Indonesian society, a metaphor for the rising star that is
'bintang kejora' instead of 'bintang terbit'.

Lakoff and Turner in Saeed (1997) gave the examples of metaphor: "Life
is a journey." The metaphor contains many meanings as follows:
1. The person leading a life is a traveler.
2. His purposes are destinations.
3. The means for Achieving purposes are routes configuration.
4. Difficulties in life are impediments to travel.
5. Counselors are guides.
6. Progress is the distance Traveled.
7. Things you gauge your progress by are landmarks.
8. Material resources and talents are provisions.
From these meanings above, metaphor "Life is a journey" can be translated
into:
1. Hidup itu kembara.
2. Hidup itu kelana.
3. Hidup adalah sebuah penggambaran yang panjang.
4. Pengalaman adalah guru yang baik.
5. Hidup adalah safari tiada henti.

2. Simile Translation
Simile is a figure of speech that reveals the indirect expression or
comparison of two different objects at all on the basis of similarity in one

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respect (Holman and Harmon, 1995). Metaphor has a characteristic
comparison with using the auxiliary verb TO BE, while simile using
connecting words like, as, such as, as if, seem. For example, “My house is like
your house = Rumahku mirip rumahmu.”
Moentaha (2006) gives a different pressure with Holman and Harmon
(1995). She found simile is a comparison between two objects of different
classes. Simile used to emphasize certain characteristics of the object of the
comparison with certain characteristics from other objects of different class.
So if there is a sentence like “The boy seems to be as clever as his mother”
(anak lelaki itu sepandai ibunya), it is not the simile but it is an ordinary
comparison, because boy and mother are from the same class. According to
him, an example of the simile is “He is as brave as a lion” that is translated as
“dia seberani banteng” or “dia seberani pendekar.” The word 'banteng' and
'pendekar' very suitable in the ears of Indonesia rather than the word 'macan.’
So the comparison itself sometimes to be addressed or adjusted by the user of
BSa in sociocultural context. Pay attention to other examples below.

a. TSu: He is a sly as a fox.

TSa: Dia selicik kancil.

From the above expression is analyzed that the Indonesian readers are
not familiar with the cunning of fox, but they are more familiar with “kancil”
so it was natural if it is not translated as “dia selicik rubah.”

b. TSu: He is sharp as glass.

TSa: Dia setegar batu karang.

The sentence of “sharp as glass” is a phrase to describe the hardness or

sharpness of something. In the Indonesian culture, to make a simile as above
is usually use “batu karang” instead of “gelas,” so that it would be translated
“setegar batu karang.”

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 c. TSu: White as antartic ice.
TSa: Seputih kapas.

To describe the white color in western culture known by antartic ice or

snow, while in eastern cultures, particularly Indonesia is a “kapas” or
“salju.” Therefore it would be translated “seputih kapas” or “seputih salju.”

3. Personification Translation
Frye (1985: 345) put forward the opinion that personification is the
technique of treating everything abstract, object or animal like humans. For
example the names of animals in cartoons such as Mickey Mouse and Donald
Duck are personified as humans. For example Mickey Mouse says "I love
you" to Minie Mouse can be translated as "tikus Miki" mengatakan "aku cinta
kamu" kepada tikus Minie. How can a rat say love, because ‘saying’ is the
work of humans not rats. Another example in Indonesian is ‘Saat kulihat
rembulan, dia tersenyum kepadaku seakan-akan aku merayunya'. If translated
into English as ‘When I saw the moon, she smiled at me as if I flattered her.’
Lin (2008: 471) states: "Personification is the major symbolic process
of objectifying a deity. It first gives the deity a body, and enlarges it as a
living organism.
The personification limitation stated by Lin above is motivated by the
cultural context of the nation of Taiwan which has the concept of humanizing
gods. Gods are considered living things that can behave like humans, even
though the gods they worship are in the form of statues. Thus, Lin's opinion
above refers to a limit that personification is a symbolic process of actualizing
a god, who gives a figure to a god and regards the god as a living creature,
such as "Gods guard and help us every day" (Para dewa menjaga dan
menolong kita setiap hari). How could a statue be able to look after and help
humans every day. But that's the belief of those who personify statues
(inanimate objects) as humans.

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 Here are some limitation about personification from
various sources about personification:
a. Personification is a figure that endows animal, ideas,
abstractions, and inanimate objects with human form; the
representing of imaginary creatures or things as having
human personalities, intelligence, and emotions; also an
impersonation in drama of one character or person,
whether real or fictious, by another person.
b. Personification is to give human qualities to a thing or
creature that is not human.
c. Personification or anthropomorphism is the attribution of
human characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, forces
of nature, and others.
d. Personification is a kind of metaphor that gives inanimate
object or abstract ideas human characteristics.
The four restrictions above have the same concept of
personification, namely that personification is a style of
language that considers inanimate objects, abstract ideas,
animals, natural forces, etc. as humans or has characteristics
like humans, for example having emotions, desires,
sensations, feelings, showing physical movements, making
decisions, loving, singing, crying, even talking.

Here are a few examples of personification and translation:

a. Let the rain kiss you (Biarkan hujan menciummu).
b. The sun played peek-a-boo with the clouds (Matahari
bermain cilukba dengan awan).
c. The wind cried in the dark (Angin menangis di gelap malam).
d. The flowers were suffering from the intense heat

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 e. (Bunga-bunga menderita karena panas yang membara).
f. The lights blinked in the distance (Sinar berkedip dari
kejauhan).

Tsu I think he would have a fine surprise, but his face

killed my joy.
Tsa Kusangka dia akan terkejut, tetapi wajahnya
mematikan kecerianku.

Tsu Ground, sky and houses melted into a mad palette,

my ears trobbed, I was suffocating.
Tsa Tanah, langit, dan rumah meleleh menjadi palet
warna liar, telingaku berdenyut, nafasku sesak.

4. Alliteration Translation
Alliteration is a stylistic tool which means repetition of
the same consonant sound at the beginning of a word that
forms an established series of words, usually in pairs
(Moentaha, 2006: 182). This alliteration often appears in
literary works both poetry and prose or often appears in the
headlines of the letters as an expression of attraction for
readers such as Summer of Support, Quips and Quirks, Frenzy
at Franconia, Face the Future. How about this alliteration case
if translated?
A translator must be able to translate alliteration into
alliteration so that the sense of beauty in the results of his
translation (TSa) is the same as the aesthetic value in TSu,
even if he has to look for words that are very far from the
equivalent or even not worth it as long as the nuances of
alliteration appear in the translation product. Consider the
following example:

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 TSu : ... between promise and performance.
TSa 1 : ... antara janji dan pelaksanaannya.
(unalliterated)
TSa 2 : ... antara perkataan dan perbuatan. (alliterated)

If analyzed, the first Tsa does not pursue alliteration

while the second Tsa pursues the alliteration equivalent. The
translation of the word promise into 'perkataan' seems to
have a closeness meaning also because usually if the
"janji/promise" is the same as "ucapan" or "perkataan" in the
Indonesian context, likewise the translation of the word
performance becomes "perbuatan" does not seem too
distorted because both refers to a performance action or
deed.
The others examples of alliteration according to
Nordquist (2008).
a. TSu: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
TSa: Peter Piper pungut satu patukan buah pohon perdu
pedas yang pakai pengawet.
b. TSu: Sweet smell of success
TSa: Semerbak sedap suasana sukses
c. TSu: The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.
TSa: Banyak masyarakat manusia menjalani hidup penuh
derita.
d. TSu: He bravely breach’d his boiling bloody breast.
TSa: Dengan dorongan dari dalam dirinya, dia dobrak
dinding dadanya yang penuh didihan darah.
Alliteration should be translated into alliteration, so that
the element of beauty in the source text (TSu) can reappear
in the target text (TSa). By maintaining the beauty element, it

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 means that the translator does not eliminate the literary
elements inherent in the source language (BSu).
Although to maintain the value of beauty, the
equivalent meaning used in the target language (BSa) is not
so close but still contains commensurate information. For
example, the alliteration of 'peering and poking' which reads
the consonant [p] is translated as ‘mengamati dan
menyentuh'. This example already represents a quite good
translation of alliteration, because the translator in addition to
using the correct equivalent, he also strives to maintain the
alliteration pattern in his target text (TSa) even with a
different consonant sound, from [p] to [m].
If the translator does not translate alliteration into
alliteration while still looking for the closest equivalent, then
the effect will be different and the results of the translation
are not "literary", it means there is no literary value, because
the source text itself is in the form of literatur works
(Retmono, 2009).
If the translator is not able to translate alliteration into
more idiomatic target language expressions, then he should
try to translate them into alliteration forms or other possible
language styles in the target language, provided they have
the right equivalence. Examples are as follows.
Tsu We were far too old to settle an argument with a fist-
fight, so we consulted Atticus.
Tsa Karena kami sudah terlalu besar untuk membereskan
perselisihan melalui adu tinju, kami berkonsultasi
kepada Atticus, ayah kami.

Tsu In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass

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 grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the
square.
Tsa Saat musin hujan, jalanan berubah menjadi kubangan
lumpur merah, semak tumbuh di trotoar, gedung
pengadilan melesak di alun-alun.

5. Translation of Asonance
According to Frye, et al (1985: 52), assonance is a
repetition of the middle vowel sound, for example in the
words fight and hive; pan and make. Usually the asonance as
syllable pressure is more effectively found in a line of poetry.
Harris (2005) further argues that asonance is the repeated
repetition of the same vowel in adjacent words that contain
different consonants. Jordan (2008) argues that asonance is
the repetition of vowels in non-rhyming words. For example,
Edgar Allan Poe in his work "The Bells", uses vocal assonance
[e:] 'Hear the mellow wedding bells.' And Robert Louis
Stevenson use vocal assonance [] in 'The crumbling thunder
of seas'. What's the difference with rhyme? Rhyme is an effect
that is created by combining or matching sounds at the end of
certain words, for example the sound effect on words of paint,
fat; defeat, repeat; better, setter; clerical, spherical; paint,
cot, and hope, cup.
In the rhymes being pursued is the beauty of sound. Pay
attention to the examples of paint, cot and hope, cup, there
are the same vocal sounds, but the words are only chasing
the same final (consonant) sound (Frye, 1985). So obviously
the asonance and rhyme are different.

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 The translation of this asonance is not easy because the
speech of the reasoning source text is as far as possible
translated into the target text that is also reasoned. In this
case the translator must be able to look for the equivalent of
the resonance in the target text that contains the message
and has a similar sound, so that the results of the translation
still look beautiful and have literary value. The translator must
try to find a matching sound, so that the speech in the source
text (TSu) which can be translated into the target text (TSa) is
also reasoned.
Some examples of speech that can be translated into
Indonesian as follows:
a. TSu: Hear the mellow wedding bells.
TSu: Dengarlah dayuan gamelan kawin itu.
b. TSu: The crumbling thunder of seas.
TSa: Petir laut yang pecah itu.
c. TSu: It’s hot and it’s monotonous.
TSa: Gerah dan jemu.
d. TSu: With the sound, with the sound, with the sound of
the ground.
TSa: Bahana, bahana, bahana massa.
e. TSu: Poetry is old, ancient, goes back far. It is among
the oldest of living thing. Soold it is that no man knows
how and why the first poems came.
TSa: Sajak itu karya lama, jaman dahulu kala, datang
jauh dari kala lama. Diantara jaman purbakala. Maka
banyak manusia yang tak tahu bagaimana dan
mengapa sajak itu lahir.

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6. Translation of Euphemism

Euphemism is the expression of words that are considered taboo or

deemed rude with other words that are more appropriate or considered subtle
(Frye, 1985: 179). He gave examples for the phrase passed away ('wafat') or
gone to the great beyond ('meninggal dunia') for the word died ('mati') and
the phrase earthly remain for the word corpse ('mayat'), for the sentence His
grandpa passed away not His grandpa died, so that translated must also be
adjusted politely or appropriately to be 'Kakeknya meninggal dunia' or
'Kakeknya wafat' not 'Kakeknya mati', because the word died or 'mati' is only
appropriate for animals, for example The dog died is translated as ‘Anjing itu
mati.'
Moentaha (2006: 187) adds that eufeumism is an expression that is
conveyed in a smooth and polite manner, for example in English there is the
expression Not the most modest of men which can be translated into
Indonesian as ‘Orang yang dengan kesederhanaannya tidak berlimpah ruah’.
If expressed roughly, it could be translated into 'Orang rakus'.

7. Illocutionary Verbs Translation

What is meant by Illocutionary verbs is word-action verbs, that is,

verbs that are in dialogue guides in direct speech. Consider the example given
by Maclin (2001: 139).

"We want to go," the student said.

Quotation Dialog Guide
The verb in the dialogue guide is the verb ‘said’ called an illocutionary
verb. The speech act verb is very interesting to study because every translator
translates it differently according to the appropriate equivalent choice. For
example, the verb for said might be translated as 'mengatakan', 'menuturkan',
'menjawab', 'mengungkapkan', and so on. However, it is important that the

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 verb is translated according to the group of the verb of its focus, that is, as an
action verb say (‘mengatakan’) which is categorized as expressive.

The illocutionary verb in the above sentence can be translated into

variations of the translation as follows:

1. SL: "We want to go," the student said.

TL: "Kami ingin pergi," kata siswa itu.
2. SL: "We want to go," the student said.
TL: "Kami ingin pergi," tutur siswa itu.
3. SL: "We want to go," the student said.
TL: "Kami ingin pergi," ungkap siswa itu.
4. SL: "We want to go," the student said.
TL: "Kami ingin pergi,"siswa itu menjawab.

Leech (1993: 323) gives examples of several verbs that are included in
the illocutionary verbs including: report (melaporkan), announce
(mengumumkan), predict (meramalkan), admit (mengakui), opine
(berpendapat), ask (meminta), reprimand (menegur), request (meminta),
suggestion (menganjurkan), order (menyuruh), propose (mengusulkan),
express (mengungkapkan), congratulate (mengucapkan terima kasih), and
exhort (mendesak).

8. Illocutionary Utterances Translation

Illocutionary utterances are parts of sentences which occupy the

quotation position. The following are examples of illocutionary utterances or
utterances:
“An illocutionary utterance is spoken with the intention of making
contact with a listener. Illocutionary utterances are usually sentences that
contain propositional utterances, that is, they refer to things in the word - but it
is their intentional that is of the most importance.” (http:rdillman.com)

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 From the above quotation, it can be concluded that the illocutionary
utterance was spoken with the aim of contacting the listener. Illocutionary
utterances are usually in the form of sentences that contain proposition
utterances, namely propositions that refer to everything that is considered the
most important in the world. In this case, the goal of the speaker really has an
important and very decisive role in the meaning of the speech in question.
Here is an example:

SL: "I am tired."

TL: "Saya lelah."
What speech is actually spoken by the speaker in the example sentence
above? Based on the speaker's purpose, the speech may contain the following
purposes:
Based on the context, the saying "I am tired" contains several possible
goals for:
a. Answering a friend who just asked me how I feel. In this context, the
speech "I am tired" implies "I am fatigued" and takes the form of a
statement (pernyataan).
b. Refusing politely someone I tried to avoid because he asked if I would go
to dance with him tonight. In this context, the speech "I am tired" implies
"I’d rather not" and takes the form of a statement (pernyataan).
c. Asked my husband who was watching TV together to turn off the TV and
immediately go to sleep. In this context, the statement "I am tired"
implies "Could we turn this off?" and in the form of questions or requests
(pertanyaan atau permintaan).
d. Told my little son to go to sleep because it was late at night, but he asked
me to go watch a movie. In this context, the speech "I am tired" implies
"No, go to bed" and takes the form of a command (perintah).

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 From the description above, the translation of illocutionary utterances
is very interesting to study in order to examine how translators perceive their
understanding in the form of illocutionary speech translations.

9. Proper Names Translation

According to Crystal (1985), proper names are the names of people,

places and others, for example: Alice, Bill, Jakarta and London. In translation,
the name itself is rarely or never translated because of several things: the
translator wants to maintain the sociocultural aspects of SL, there is no
equivalent in TL, TL does not have the concept of transliteration, the speakers
of TL are easy to speak the name meant by the same utterances. In this case
there is no translation (non-translation).
An example is a word in the English name "Alice" not translated or not
transliterated into a specific TL, but only adjusted according to the way it is
pronounced. The French and Germans did not change the name themselves
into other forms of transliteration but they pronounced it [A‘li: s], and the
Italians pronounced it [a‘litche].
In the same journal Nord (2003) explained that the name ‘Alice‘ was
interpreted differently according to the form of transliteration of each SL
speaker. For example, in Spanish it becomes ‘Alicia‘, in Finland the cultural
adaptation becomes ‘Liisa‘, and in Brazilian it becomes ‘Marina‘.

10. Onomatopoeia Translation

Frye (1985) said that onomatopoeia is the use of words that are formed
or pronounced to resemble the sound of something, for example the word
‘buzz’ to imitate the sound of an insect's wing vibrations, the word ‘crack’ to
imitate the sound of broken objects, the word ‘smack’ for imitation of sound
blows, etc.
According to (Richards, 1992), onomatopoeia is an imitation of natural
sounds with words or groups of words, such as moo for cow sounds, baa for

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 goat or sheep sounds. If for a rooster in English it sounds like a cock-a-
doodle-do, in Japanese it sounds like a kokekokko. What if all the imitations
were translated into Indonesian? Of course the translator must look for
imitations of sound that is in accordance with the socio-cultural of the
Indonesian people, for example:

TSu (English) TSa (Indonesian)

Moo Mooh
Ding-dong Ning-nong
Meow Meong
Cock-a-doodle-do Kukuruyuk

11. Proverb Translation

Holman and Harmon (1995) say that proverbs are words that express
an acknowledgment of the truth about life. According to KBBI (2005),
proverbs are groups of words or sentences that are still structured, usually a
specific intentions or concise expressions or short sentences, containing
comparisons, parables, advice, principles of life or rules of behavior.
The translation of proverbs requires the ability of translators to look
for proverbs in TL that are appropriate to their socio-cultural context. So the
translation of the proverbs in TSa is usually much different from the proverbs
in TSu.
Here are some proverbs that were translated from English (TSu =
Source Text) into Indonesian (TSa = Target Text):

English
Where there is a will, there is a way
It's better to give than to receive
An empty barrel resounds loudly
Like two drops of water
A slander is more dangerous than
murder
Indonesian
Dimana ada kemauan, di situ ada jalan
Lebih baik member daripada menerima
Tong kosong nyaring bunyinya
Bagai pinang dibelah dua
Fitnah lebih kejam daripada pembunuhan

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 Home sweet home Rumahku surgaku
Swept away on the main street Seperti air di daun talas
Many hands make light work Berat sama dipikul, ringan sama dijinjing
Keep your hands clean Lempar batu sembunyi tangan.

CHAPTER III

CONCLUSION

Idiom is a special phrase that is not easy to translate. Idiomatic expression

should be translated idiomatically as well. There are 10 figurative languages, they are
metaphor, simile, personification, alliteration, assonance, euphemism,
illocutionary verbs, illocutionary utterances, proper names, onomatopoeia, and
proverb. In translating these figurative languages as much as possible we must find an
appropriate equivalent.

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 REFERENCE

Hartono, Rudi. 2012. Translation Problems of Idioms and Figurative

Languages from English into Indonesian. ELTL International
Conference Proceedings, 360-370.

Hartono, Rudi. 2017. Pengantar Ilmu Menerjemah (Teori dan

Praktek Penerjemahan). Semarang: Cipta Prima Nusantara.

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