RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Analysis on the Translation of English Ellipsis into Indonesian

Research ProposalSubmitted as a Partial Fulfillment

for the requirement of Magister Degree in HumanioraMajoring in TranslationGunadarma University

Intan Firdaus

95108010

GUNADARMA UNIVERSITY

JAKARTA

2009

RESEARCH PROPOSAL

TOPIC: Analysis on the Translation of English Ellipsis into Indonesian

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Research

In this part of the study the researcher is going to describe the justification of the

research, previous research, position of the research, problem of the research, aim of the research

significance of the research, and scope of the research.

1.1.1 Justification of the research

In this study the researcher wants to find out how English Ellipsis is translated into

Indonesian and whether there are any shifts or omission in the process of translation in order to

find out the equivalent.

English Ellipsis is different with Indonesian Ellipsis. We can say Marry buys a jacket and

John a camera. But we can not translate it into Indonesian Marry membeli baju dan John

kamera. Therefore the researcher wishes to conduct this study to see how the difference between

English ellipsis and Indonesian ellipsis.

It is important to carry out this research since Ellipsis in the Indonesian language is

different with English. Therefore we know how to translate English Ellipsis into Indonesian.

1.1.2 Previous researches

Researcher conducted so far which are in way relevant to the researcher’s studies are

follows:

1.1.2.1 Soepomo Poedjosoedarmo (2005), conducted research entitled, “Ellipsis in Indonesian

and Javanese”. In this research, he discussed ellipsis in Indonesian and Javanese,

especially from the point of view of its meanings and contexts of use. He hoped that this

study will shed some light on processes which result in grammatical change, especially

the loss of grammatical items such as focus particles, phrase linkers and verbal affixes, all

of which have occurred to some degree in Javanese and Indonesian.

1.1.2.2 Darna (1997), conducted research to get a Master Degree at Unika Atma Jaya. He

conducted a research which entitled Ellipsis of Noun Phrase in English and Indonesian.

In his thesis, he discussed the difference and the similarity of deletion both in English and

Indonesian.

1.1.2.3 Bernhard Schwarz (2000), conducted research to get a Doctor Philosophy Degree at

University of Massachusetts Amherst. He wrote a research which entitled Topics in

Ellipsis. This dissertation explores ellipsis in both the broader and the narrower sense of

the term.

1.1.3 Position of the Research

The study that the researcher will conduct is an analysis of the translation of English

Ellipsis which is not covered by the above relevant study. In the first previous research, which is

Soepomo, he analyzed about Ellipsis in Indonesian and Javanese. This research is related to his

research because it also discussed about ellipsis. Meanwhile this research discusses how English

Ellipsis translated into Indonesian.

From the second previous research, which is Darna, He analyzed ellipsis noun phrase on

English and Indonesian. The similarity is it’s also discussed about ellipsis. The difference is this

research Danra’s research comparing the ellipsis of noun phrase between English and

Indonesian; meanwhile, this research is trying to find out how English ellipsis translated into

Indonesian.

From the third previous research, which is Bernhard, he analyzed topics in ellipsis. He

explored ellipsis in both the broader and narrower sense of the term. The similarity is he also

discussed about Ellipsis. The difference is it discussed the sense of the term, meanwhile this

research discussed how the translated is from English ellipsis into Indonesian.

1.1.4 Significance of the research

Analyzing translation gives many inputs and information for teachers, learners, and

particular discipline. First for the English and Indonesian teacher, this research will improve

the quality of teaching. By analyzing translation she/he will be able to determine what

method he/she should use to achieve better result in the process of teaching.

Meanwhile for the English learners, analyzing translation is useful to help and guide

them in studying the English Ellipsis. This research shows how English Ellipsis translated

into Indonesian. In addition, learners can decide the best strategies in studying English as a

second language, and they can enrich their knowledge about English and Indonesian Ellipsis.

In conclusion, theoretically, this research will contribute information generally for English

learners, and practically this research is a guideline for them.

Last, the writer hopes this research can give its contributions to a particular discipline,

which is English Ellipsis, by using the theories of English Ellipsis.

1.1.5 Problem Statement

1. What is the translation of English Ellipsis into Indonesian?

2. Is there any omission or shift in translating English Ellipsis into Indonesian?

1.1.6 Purpose of the Research

Based on the problems mentioned above, the purposes of this study are:

a. To describe the translation of English Ellipsis.

b. To describe and analyze the use of shift and omission

1.2 Scope of the Research

This study is only investigating the translation of English Ellipsis.

2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1 Theoretical Review

2.1.1 Definition of Translation

Theories of Translation

Larson (1984) stated in her book:

Translation, then consists of studying the lexicon, grammatical structure, communication

situation, and cultural context of the source language text, analyzing it in order to

determine its meaning, and then reconstructing in the same meaning using the lexicon

and grammatical structure which are appropriate in the receptor language and its cultural

context (p.3).

In Indonesian culture, people show respect to their elders by addressing them in

different expressions. For example, in translating the source text, the researcher found a

sentence written: “Could you help me pick up that garbage over there?” This is a

conversation between a child who was talking to his father. For Indonesian people, the

word “you” means “kamu”. But many words ‘you’ in source language text cannot be

easily substituted by the word “kamu”. It depends on the context. If the translator is not

aware of the culture, then his work will not be quite familiar to the Indonesian readers.

Thus, the translation of the word “you” into ‘kamu’ on the sentence above is totally not

appropriate. It should be “Bisakah Ayah membantu saya mengambil sampah di sana?”

While Newmark (1986) defined the term of translation in the following:

Translation is a craft consisting in the attempt to replace a written message and/or

statement in one language by the same message and/or statement in another language.

Each exercise involves some kind of loss of meaning, due to a number of factors. It

provokes a continuous tension, a dialectic, an argument based on the claims of each

language. The basic loss is on a continuum between over-translation (increased detail)

and under-translation (increased generalization) (p.7).

Connecting to definition above, in translating the source text, the researcher also found

dome undertranslation problems. For example, in translating a sentence “I’ll never forget an

experience I had several years ago.” The word “had” refers to experience in the meaning “I had

the experience.” Literally, the translation should be “saya tidak akan pernah melupakan sebuah

pengalaman (yang saya miliki pengalaman itu) beberapa tahun lalu” In order to make it natural,

the translator has translated it as follows: saya tidak pernah melupakan sebuah pengalaman

beberapa tahun lalu.” There is an undertranslation by not translating the phrase “I had.”

The problem of overtranslation and undertranslation was also mentioned by Nida and

Taber (1982). They stated that:

… there is a tendency for all good translation to somewhat longer than in originals. This

does not mean that in the process of transfer from one linguistic and cultural structure to

another, it is almost inevitable that the resulting translation will turn out to be longer

(p.163).

For example, the word “rewind” in sentence “If I could hit “rewind” and make the decision

differently …” “Rewind” is a loan word. Since there is no equivalent in Indonesian, the

translator did not translate the word. “Rewind” here refers to a button on a tape or device that can

play cassette or disc back. The translator added the word “tombol” in order to make it clearer.

Thus, there is an overtranslation of the word “tombol” and the sentence becomes “Jika saya bisa

menekan tombol “rewind” dan membuat keputusan yang berbeda ...

In line with Nida and Taber, Horsleys Green and Katherine G. L. Barnwell (1984) also

discussed about overtranslation and undertranslation in their handbook. They called it as the

terms of explicit and implicit. They stated that “Under certain specific circumstances it may be

necessary to make some information explicit in the translation, even though it was not explicit in

the original message” (p.125).

For example, “I have to walk on eggshells at work. If I say what I really think … I’ll get

fired … or at least made irrelevant.” These sentences are translated into “Saya bagaikan telur di

ujung tanduk di tempat kerja. Jika saya menyampaikan apa yang sesungguhnya saya pikirkan,

… saya akan dipecat … atau setodaknya dipindahkan ke tempat tidak penting.” The meaning of

the phrase “made irrelevany” has to be translated explicitly to transfer the message accurately

and make a meaningful translation as the writer intended to be.

Furthermore, message which is implicit may be understood because of any of three

different factors:

1) The situation in which the utterance is spoken. For example, a sentence that is taken from a

conversation between a man and his son about the yard that he has told the child to take

care of it. The child wailed, “But, Dad, It’s just so hard.” The message which is received is

“the job is so hard.” There is an implicit information of the word “it” that refers to “the

job.” In another situation, the word “it” is understandable.

2) The linguistic context. The meaning is clear because of what already been said. This factor

is in line with the way the researcher made in her annotated translation. For example, “You

mean I’m paying taxes?”

“Yes, you are.” i.e. you are paying taxes.

The translation of the conversation becomes: “Maksudmu saya membayar pajak?”

“Ya.”

The researcher did not need to translate the text as “Ya, kamu membayar pajak” since the

meaning way already clear.

3) Information which is already known to both the speaker and the hearer because of shared

previous experience or shared cultural background. For example, the word “rewind” in a

sentence “If I could hit “rewind” and make the decision differently … “ Although it is a

loan word in Indonesian, but there is no need to give some description to the readers since

the word is familiar. The translation becomes “Jika saya bisa menekan tombol “rewind”

dan membuat keputusan yang berbeda …”

According to Alan Duff (1990) there are some principles of translation:

a. Meaning. The translation should reflect accurately the meaning of the original text. Nothing

should be arbitrarily added or removed, though occasionally part of the meaningcan be

‘transposed’. For example, in translating the title of the source book “Nothing is a Fast as the

Speed of Trust”, the researcher has translated into “Meningkatnya kinerja tidak secepat

seperti jika dipercaya” is because in line with the content of the source book increasing

somebody’s performance depends on whether you trust that person or not. Thus, in order to

convey the same message, the sentence is translated into “meningkatnya kinerja tidak secepat

seperti jika dipercaya.”

b. Form. The ordering words and ideas in the translation should match this original as closely as

possible … But differences in language structure often require changes in the form and order

of words. When in doubt, underline in the original text the words on which the main stress

falls. For example, one of the titles in a chapter of the source book, “The First Wave.” The

different language structure between English and Indonesian makes the phrase cannot be

translated in the same word order of the source language for it becomes “Pertama

Gelombang.” Thus, the researcher translated into “Gelombang Pertama.”

c. Register. Languages often differ greatly in their levels of formality in a given context. The

translator must distinguish between formal and fixed expressions and personal expressions.

For example, the phrase “please find enclosed.” There is no such phrase in Indonesian. Thus,

the phrase is translated into “terlampir.”

d. Source language influence. One of the most frequent criticism of translation is that ‘it doesn’t

sound natural.’ This is because the translator’s thought and choice of words are too strongly

molded by the original text. A good way of shaking off the source language (SL) influence is

to set the text aside and translate a few sentences aloud, from memory. For example, if a

translator translates “we had just come out of a very exhausting meeting” into “kami baru

saja keluar dari rapat yang sangat melelahkan,” it will make the translation sound unnatural

since it is not common in Indonesian to say “keluar dari rapat.” Thus, the translator

translates the phrase into “menghindari” and the sentence becomes “kami baru saja

menghadiri rapat yang sangat melelahkan.”

e. Idiom. Idiomatic expressions are notoriously untranslatable. These include similes,

metaphors, proverbs and saying (as good as gold), jargon, slang, and colloquialism (user-

friendly, the Big Apple, yuppie, etc), and (in English) phrasal verbs. If the expressions cannot

be directly translated, try any of the following:

Retain the original word, in inverted commas. For example, the word “rewind” in the

sentence “Jika saya bisa menekan tombol ‘rewind’ dan membuat keputusan yang berbeda

…”

Retain the original expression, with a literal explanation in brackets: Indian summer (dry,

hazy weather in late autumns).

Use a close equivalent. For example, the idiom “walk on eggshells” cannot be translated

literally since it will make the translation awkward. The idiom can be translated into an

idiom in the target language which is equivalent “bagaikan telur di ujung tanduk.”

Use a n0n-idiomatic or plain prose translation. For example, an idiom “in a heartbeat” in

the sentence “I would do it in a heartbeat.” We can use the strategy of use a non-

idiomatic translation. In Indonesian this idiom can be translated into “langsung.” Thus, the

sentence becomes “saya akan langsung melakukannya.”

In line with Duff (1990), Larson (1984) stated in the following:

Idioms are special collocations, or fixed combinations of words which have a meaning as

a whole, but the meaning of combination is not the same as the meaning of the individual

words. They often have the same meaning as other lexical items in the language but carry

certain emotive connotations not expressed in the other (p.142).

For example, in English, an idiom “get handle on” means starting to understand a

situation. But the meaning of combination is not the same as the meaning of the individual

words. The translator used the word “memahami” as the closest meaning of the idiom. Thus, the

phrase “getting handle on trust” becomes “memahami kepercayaan.”

It is said above that the idioms are special collocations. In her book, Larson (1984) said

that “Collocation is concerned with how words go together, i.e., which words may occur in

construction with other words. Some words occur together often, other words may occur together

occasionally, and some combinations of words are not likely to occur” (p.141). For example,

“have” means “mempunyai” in Indonesian. In English, there may be a collocation of having a

crisis such in sentence “we have a crisis of trust.” But in indonesian, people do not say “kita

mempunyai krisis kepercayaa” since the word “mempunyai” does not collocate with the word

“krisis.” In indonesian, people say “kita menghadapi krisis kepercayaan.”

2.1.2 Ellipsis

2.1.2.1 Definition of Ellipsis

The omission of one or more items from a construction in order to avoid repeating the

identical or equivalent items that are in a preceding or following construction, as the omission

of been to Paris from the second clause of I've been to Paris, but they haven't.

2.1.2.2

3. RESEARCH METHOD

In this research, the writer uses a qualitative method as her research method. It means all

the data that are analyzed, are in the form of phenomenon description, not in the form of

numbers but in the form of the words (Amaluddin, 1999:16). According Wilkinson (2000: 7)

qualitative is the resulting data is presented in the form of quotations or descriptions, though

some basic statistics may also be presented. Qualitative data include observations, interviews,

and life history accounts. They enable the voices of those being researched to be heard.

Qualitative data is usually analyzed by subjecting it to some form of coding process.

Based on the explanation above, the writer uses qualitative method because the data in

this study is in the form of description.

3.1 Technique of Collecting Data

a. The source text and its translation is read sentence by sentence or paragraph by paragraph

consecutively to identify the Ellipsis understudy.

b. The identified Ellipsis the data that will be analyzed later on.

c. By identifying the source data and its translation, the researcher then will find out the

relevant translation theory that has been used by the translator.

d. Having found the theory mentioned above, the data can then be analyzed based on the

theory that forms the foundation of translation.

3.2 Technique of Analyzing Data

a. Editing.

b. Classifying.

3.3 Source of the Data

The source of data in this research are a novel “Harry Potter and the Death

Hollows” by JK Rowling and its translation “Harry Potter dan Relikui Kematian” by

Listiana Srisanti