Jul 2026· Theory and Practice in Language Studies· Vol 16, pp. 2239-2246· 0 citations
Abstract
Translation is considered the fifth dimension of language, a composite of the other four main language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The translation of culturally laden texts found in movies is an asset that connects cultures and communities by breaking down language barriers. This study attempts to identify and analyze the translation procedures applied to culturally-bound sentences in the Arabic subtitles of the animated movie: Hotel Transylvania: Transformania. The research used a descriptive qualitative method to analyze the Arabic subtitles, and thereafter, classified the translation based on Newmark’s taxonomy of translation procedures. Six translation procedures were identified in this movie: literal translation, paraphrase, compensation, cultural equivalent, shifts/transpositions, and descriptive equivalent. The study's findings indicate that one effective way to convey intended meaning, especially for concepts related to cultures that are foreign to the target audience in the case of movies is through frequent use of literal translation of dialogue. This can only be achieved by employing intensive and precise translation procedures. This research underscores the importance of adopting a flexible and procedurally focused approach to translation to preserve the entertainment and narrative value of the film and accommodate cultural diversity. The study’s findings are likely to be useful to all stakeholders in the field of translation.
This study demonstrates that the primary challenge in translating Indonesian literary works into Arabic lies in the cultural elements embedded in metaphors, proverbs, and local expressions. Employing a qualitative textual analysis of Hamka’s Di Bawah Lindungan Kaʿbah, the research reveals that differences in worldview between Indonesian and Arab societies influence lexical choices and stylistic expressions, making literal translation insufficient. The findings highlight the necessity for translators to grasp the cultural context of the source text to ensure comprehensive meaning transfer. The study contributes to translation studies by formulating strategies that integrate semantic and stylistic approaches, including transliteration with explanatory notes, functional equivalence in the target culture, and the preservation of social metaphors. These strategies prove effective in maintaining cultural authenticity while ensuring readability for Arabic audiences. Overall, the research reinforces the view that literary translation is an act of intercultural mediation, synthesizing linguistic, semantic, and cultural dimensions to preserve meaning, aesthetic nuance, and cultural resonance in the target language.
Translation plays a crucial role in transferring meaning across languages, particularly in literary works where linguistic and cultural elements require careful interpretation and adaptation. However, differences in linguistic structure and cultural context often create challenges in the transfer of meaning between source and target languages. This study aims to identify the translation methods applied at the sentence level in the English–Indonesian translation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and to examine how these methods are used in transferring meaning from the source language to the target language. A qualitative descriptive approach was employed, with data consisting of five selected sentences analyzed using Newmark’s (1988) translation methods framework. The findings reveal that two translation methods are applied: literal translation and semantic translation. Semantic translation is the most frequently used method (60%), while literal translation appears in 40% of the data. The analysis shows that both methods contribute to meaning transfer, although they differ in their approach to conveying linguistic and contextual elements. This study contributes to translation studies by providing a focused sentence-level analysis and demonstrating how translators employ different translation methods according to contextual needs. The findings offer practical insights for literary translators and educators in English–Indonesian translation contexts.
Perdana Kusuma, Abdul Syahid· ETERNAL (English Teaching Jo...· 0 citations
Literary translation involves more than linguistic conversion; it also entails the reconstruction and re-encoding of cultural meanings. From the perspective of cultural translation theory, this study takes Liu Cixin’s original Chinese novel The Three-Body Problem and its Spanish translation El problema de los tres cuerpos by Javier Altayó as the objects of analysis. Drawing on Nida’s framework of cultural classification, culturally embedded elements in the source text are grouped into five categories: ecological, material, social, religious-philosophical, and linguistic. Through a comparative reading of the Chinese and Spanish versions, the paper examines the translator’s shifting strategies among foreignization, domestication, and cultural negotiation. The analysis suggests that the translation does not rely on a single or fixed strategy. When dealing with culture-specific elements that carry strong historical or regional specificity, the translator is more likely to preserve foreignness through transliteration, literal translation, or brief explanatory additions. In contrast, for expressions that may hinder comprehension or lead to cultural misinterpretation, freer rendering, generalization, or contextual adjustment tend to be adopted in order to reduce the cognitive burden on target readers. Overall, the Spanish translation of The Three-Body Problem reveals a flexible negotiation process, in which cultural difference is retained to varying degrees while comprehension is facilitated and narrative flow is maintained. This case offers a useful reference for the Spanish dissemination of Chinese science fiction and more broadly for the cross-cultural transmission of heterogenous cultural elements.
Yueyang Zhang· Journal of Language, Culture...· 0 citations
This study aims to identify cultural terms in a bilingual book entitled Anthology of Indonesian Writing: Nandurin Karang Awak and also analyze the meaning equivalence between the source language and the target language. The object of this study focused on three parts of prose with different cultural backgrounds contained in the bilingual book. In the research method, this study used the qualitative method to explain the data descriptively. This study used translation theory about cultural categories to identify the types of cultural terms found in the bilingual book either in the form of words or phrases while for the equivalence of meaning, it used equivalence theory. Seen from the identification results, 19 data related to cultural categories were found with the ecological category, and gesture and habits were found only one data while the material culture category dominated with 9 data and social culture with 5 data while organization ideas, custom found 3 data related to activities, politics, and procedures. In the analysis of meaning equivalence, mostly full equivalent was found in 15 data, and at the level of partial, and each different equivalent found in one data. However, two data were found as non-equivalent.
Keywords: Translation, Cultural terms, Equivalence, Prose
Imada Aulia Syafitri, Gusti Agung, I. Aryani et al.· Apollo Project: Jurnal Ilmia...· 0 citations
The translation of Islamic texts requires careful negotiation between theological accuracy and readability. This study examines how that negotiation is realized in the Arabic-Indonesian translation practices of Pustaka Yasin. Using a descriptive qualitative approach with a single-case study design, this research analyzes translated Islamic texts supported by in-depth interviews with the main translator. The data focus on ambiguous terms, culture-bound expressions, and Islamic terminologies, as well as the use of paratextual elements such as footnotes, glosses, and interpolations. The findings show that Pustaka Yasin consistently balances doctrinal precision and reader accessibility through a combination of micro-level translation techniques, selective retention of Arabic terms, and systematic use of paratexts. This pattern indicates a managed foreignization strategy in which foreign elements are preserved while readability is maintained through guided explanation. The study contributes to Arabic-Indonesian translation studies by showing that paratext functions not merely as an editorial supplement but as a central mechanism for negotiating meaning in the translation of Islamic texts.
Recent research in translation studies has emphasised the function of the text as the
focus of translation analysis. The implication of this for legal translation is that the
expected effects of the target text determine the strategies adopted in the translation
process. Given that legal terminology presents various levels of challenges to
translators, it would be advantageous for legal translation analysis to adopt a more
specific approach, and for translator training to incorporate more specialised
knowledge. It is within this context that this study sought to investigate the
terminological challenges of legal translation and provide a platform to further
investigate the implications for legal translation and social justice in general,
particularly in a country such as South Africa where the field of legal translation is
‘under-researched’ and ‘has received little, if any, attention in translation theory and at
tertiary institutions’ (Cornelius 2011: 123). The study draws from the Descriptive
Translation Studies’ (DTS) sub-branches, namely, the process-oriented approach,
product-oriented approach and function-oriented approach. This is because of the
relations that exist between these approaches in translation. In this regard, Toury
(1995) argues that there is no point in conducting a product-oriented study if questions
relating to the determining force of its intended function, and to the choices made by
the translator governed by the norms of establishing a product, are not considered. In
advancing his argument, Toury contends that it is the function of the translation
through its linguistic make-up and/or relationships that connect it to the original, which
yield and govern the strategies which are adopted during the production of the
translation that would result in a translation process as a whole. The study adopted a
qualitative case study design approach to gain a deeper understanding of the
translation decisions made by translators within a particular context, in light of the
translation challenges that they encounter when translating legal texts. The study used
a thematic analysis method to analyse translation styles employed by translators in
the translation of eThekwini Municipality By-Laws. The translation styles were
identified and exemplified in the framework of three broad categories: legal terms -
technical terms, polysemous words and word strings/legal synonyms; linguistic terms - modal verbs, archaic adverbs, collocations, ambiguous/vague words, long sentences
and passive voice, and culture-specific terms/expressions. Norms were also identified that are at play during the translation act. Data was accessed from the eThekwini
Municipality website. It consisted of eight pieces of legislation in English and their
translations. The findings of the study reveal that the main challenges encountered by
the translators of the selected legal texts were both linguistic and socio-cultural in
nature. As a result, the translators adopt various translation styles such as borrowing,
adaptation, naturalisation, paraphrasing, and functional equivalents to render the
source texts in the target language. These styles produced translations are generally
acceptable in the isiZulu language and culture, even though a few of the translations
led to meaning shifts in the target language. The norms that were operational during
the translation process shaped translators’ decision-making with respect to the
translation styles they adopted in the translation. This is consistent with Toury’s (1995)
assertion that norms determine the translation strategies that a translator adopts. In
other words, they serve as a guide in the translation process regarding strategies
used.