A Comparative Analysis of the Impact of Translation Techniques on the Translation of Similes and Metaphors in The Old Man and The Sea

Abstract


Introduction
This paper looks at the translation of The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, published in 1952.This novel is famous worldwide, leading Hemingway to win the Novel Prize of Literature in 1954.For many years, The Old Man and the Sea has been considered an outstanding work of classical literature that significantly impacted the world of literature in the 20th century and is still worthy of reference today (Mohammed, 2017).Due to its popularity, this novel has been translated into many languages.In Indonesia itself, there are several versions of Indonesian translations.Sapardi Djoko Damono was the first to translate the novel in 1973.Several other versions followed, including Yuni Kristeningsih Pramudhaningrat's version in 2009, Dian Vita Ellyati's version in 2013, and Deera Army Pramana's translated version in 2015.Different translators will come up with different products.Traditionally, translation has been viewed as a derivative rather than a creative activity (Ordudari, 2008;Toury, 2021).As Razmjou (2004) stated, the translator cannot have and should avoid a distinctive style.The translator's role is to translate the original style as closely as possible (Baker, 2000;Huang, 2015;Jahromi & Suzani, 2016;Newmark, 1988).However, whether intentionally or not, translators will leave a personal imprint on every text they produce (Zhonggang, 2006).According to Baker (2018), translations have various styles because each translator has a technique for translating literary works.This fact has caught the interest of researchers researching the impact of translation techniques on translation quality.
Holmes (2011) and Prasetyo (2021) agree that language is a product of a particular culture, so the translator has an essential role as a mouthpiece, forwarder of intent, messenger, and liaison between one culture and another.The translator is responsible for connecting writers in the source language and readers in the target language.(Baker, 2018;Razmjou, 2004).A good translation is needed to maintain the reader's interest and understanding of the novel.For that reason, many novel publishers compete to publish good translated novels.As a result, many distinct versions of translated novels are available from various publishers.However, Indonesians voiced their displeasure with the quality of the translations of scientific and nonscientific publications released in the country.According to Dr Salim Said in Nababan and Nuraeni (2012), many translated works, particularly from English to Indonesian, depart from the original text's content.According to House (2014), the translation is more likely a messenger.Thus, a translator must be able to deliver, transform, and express the writer's thoughts and ideas or message from SL into TL accurately, acceptably, and readably (Nababan & Nuraeni, 2012).Hartono (2017) and Nababan (2003) stated that the translator should be able to write, read, know, and understand enough other languages as fluent as the natives and be familiar with cultural terminology in both languages.Considering the importance and beneficial effects of translation work in transmitting information and technology, the quality of the translation needs to be maintained (Ardi, 2014).
Several studies raise the topic of translation techniques and quality.Fitriana (2014) researched the analysis of techniques and quality of expressive speech acts in the Stealing Home novel by Sherryl Woods.From her research, it was found that 11 translation techniques were used to translate expressive speech acts.The application of 11 translation techniques positively impacts the quality of the translation so that this expressive speech act maintains the uniqueness of the story's theme, including its characterizations in the Indonesian translation.Dhyaningrum et al. (2016) tried to find out the complexity of sentences containing satirical expressions, types of satirical expressions, rhetorical devices in satirical expressions, techniques of translation, and the impact of translation techniques on the quality of the translation of sentences containing satirical expressions in the novel.Her study showed that the most frequent translation techniques positively contribute to translation quality.The average translation quality score is 2,82, which can be considered high.Another research on translation quality is also conducted by Nasution (2020).This study deals with translation techniques, ideologies, and quality of the translated text of sea repast incantation from Malay into English.According to Nasution (2020), the utilization of foreignization ideology and the use of source language-oriented translation techniques showed that the intercultural and thematic knowledge of the translators needs to be improved.Since the frequency of the literal technique was less than 25%, the quality of the translated text was regarded as 'fair.'Despite the valuable insights provided by previous studies conducted by Fitriana (2014), Dhyaningrum et al. (2016), andNasution (2020)  Therefore, referring to the explanation above, this study aims to address the existing research gap by examining the translation techniques employed by translators in translating similes and metaphors in the The Old Man and The Sea novel and its translated versions.Furthermore, the study tries to assess the impact of these translation techniques on the quality of translation in the two translated versions.The selection of figurative language as the focal point of investigation stems from Toolan's (2004) assertion that figurative language imbues literary sentences with a distinctiveness not present in literal expressions.Given the prevalence of figurative language, the researcher has specifically chosen to analyze similes and metaphors, both of which are employed for comparison purposes.This research endeavour is prompted by the inherent challenges of comprehending figurative language's true meaning and implications within Indonesian culture.Consequently, the researcher investigates how translators navigate the cultural divide by identifying the translation techniques utilized in rendering similes and metaphors.

Methodology
The researcher used a qualitative descriptive research method to analyze the translation technique in The Old Man and The Sea novel.The characteristics of qualitative descriptive research are that the data collected is mainly in words, sentences, and pictures that have more meaning than numbers or frequencies (Creswell, 2017;Litosseliti, 2018).This study used the qualitative method because in analyzing the data in the form of similes and metaphors in the novel The Old Man and The Sea and its translation, the result was not presented as a number but as a narrative description of the problems examined.It also emphasized the validity of the research and commended the researcher's abilities for gathering and analyzing data.The data for this research were collected through content analysis, questionnaires, and focus group discussions.The content analysis examined sentences containing similes and metaphors from The Old Man and The Sea novel to identify the translation techniques employed.Questionnaires were distributed to three raters and 30 correspondents.The raters evaluated the quality of the translation, specifically in the accuracy and acceptability aspects.At the same time, correspondences gave a score on the readability aspect.The raters and correspondences used a scale adapted from Nababan and Nuraeni (2012) for their assessments.Weighting was applied to calculate the overall translation quality score, following the manual calculation method outlined by Nababan and Nuraeni (2012).The raters were carefully selected based on their fluency in Indonesian and English, translation theory, and practice expertise.
Furthermore, the researcher conducted a focus group discussion with a representative rater and correspondence.The focus group discussion was used to gather information and comments from the respondents (Podesva & Sharma, 2014).In this case, it will discuss the quality of translation when there are differences in giving scores by the raters and correspondences.

Translation Techniques Found in Similes and Metaphors Translation
The translation technique theory to analyze the simile and metaphor translation technique in this study was from Molina and Albir (2002).According to Molina and Albir (2002), the translation technique is a practical way to analyze and classify how the equivalent search process is carried out.In this study, the researcher found that the translator in version A uses 14 translation techniques consisting of 10 data using a single technique and 4 data using the couplet technique.In version B, the translator uses 11 translation techniques consisting of 8 data using a single technique and 3 data using couplet techniques.The comparison of translation techniques can be seen in Table 1.The researcher found that the translation techniques that the most dominant used by the translator in version A are as follows: literal 8 data (22%), transposition 5 data (14%), reduction 5 data (14%), modulation 3 (8%), particularization 3 data (8%), amplification 2 data (6%), generalization 2 data (6%), the combination of transposition and amplification 2 data (6%), established equivalent one datum (3%), adaptation one datum (3%), borrowing one datum (3%), the combination of borrowing and reduction one datum (3%), the combination of amplification and reduction one datum (6%), and the combination of established equivalent and generalization one datum (3%).In total, the translated version A uses 14 translation techniques.The frequency of translation techniques showed that the most dominant translation technique used is the literal technique.
In version B, the researcher found that the translation techniques that the translator used are literal 18 data (50%), reduction 4 data (11%), modulation 3 data (8%), generalization 3 data (8%), established equivalent 2 (6%), transposition one datum (3%), adaptation one datum (3%), discursive creation one datum (3%).Then it is followed by couplet techniques which are the combination of borrowing and literal one datum (3%), the combination of modulation and reduction one datum (3%), and the combination of established equivalent and particularization one datum (3%).In the translated version B, the translator uses 11 translation techniques.According to the frequency of the various translation techniques, the most frequently applied in version B is also the literal technique.The comparison of translation techniques between the two translated novels can be seen in Table 1.

The Result of Translation Quality
The analysis of the translation quality of the two versions of The Old Man and The Sea novel covers three aspects of translation assessment according to Nababan and Nuraeni (2012): accuracy, acceptability, and readability.The highest score for each aspect is 3, and the lowest is 1.Regarding accuracy, the average score of translation accuracy for version A is 2,2.Version B has a higher average score of 2,5.While from the aspect of acceptability, the average score for the acceptability of version A is 2.47.Version B scored slightly better than Version A, with an average score of 2.52.Regarding the readability aspect, version B shows a better score in the readable aspect, scoring 2.6 as opposed to Version A's average score of 2.5.

The Impact of Translation Techniques on the Quality of Translation
The finding shows that translators in versions A and B use different techniques for translating similes and metaphors.The translator of version A uses 14 translation techniques, while the translator of version B uses 11.However, not all of them are translated using different techniques.Some data was translated using similar techniques.These different translation techniques and combinations also make the translation quality different.In this section, the researcher tries to find out whether the translation techniques used by each translator impact the translation quality.the boy said.Target language 30/TLA/20a : Kaulah jam wekerku," kata anak itu.
The example above used the literal technique because it is translated word for word according to SL.The phrase alarm clock is translated according to the function and meaning of each word according to the target language's structure, which produces an accurate translation.Source language 28/SL/26 : He knew that each of the jerking bumps of the shark had been meat torn away and that the fish now made a trail for all sharks as wide as a highway through the sea.Target language 28/TLB/142 : Ia sadar bahwa di setiap guncangan yang diakibatkan oleh hiu itu kini menghamparkan lintasan selebar jalan raya melalui laut bagi semua hiu.
In datum version B above, as wide as a highway through the sea, it is translated word by word; however, ignore the context which makes the meaning distorted so that the translation doesn't make sense.Therefore, the translation quality results are less accurate.
Source language 03/SL/11 : His shirt had been patched so many times that it was like the sail and the patches were faded to many different shades by the sun.Target language 03/TLA/15 : Kemejanya penuh tambalan sehingga tampaknya seperti layar, dan tambalan-tambalan itu sudah luntur menjadi bermacam-macam warna kena sinar matahari.
This translation shows that the specific term sail translates into the general term layar.As we know the equal meaning of sail is layar perahu, while in Indonesia layar can be layar kaca or layar tancep etc. Translations that are too general make the translation feel ambiguous, so the raters judge the quality of the translation to be less accurate.Sources language 13/SL/46b : His sword was as long as a baseball bat and tapered like a rapier and he rose his full length from the water and the re-entered it… Target language 13/TLA/59b : Pedangnya sepanjang pemukul baseball dan meruncing, dan ia menampakkan seluruh panjang tubuhnya di permukaan air dan kemudian menyelam kembali… The example shows that there is a reduction in information from the SL.The translator did not translate the simile part and omitted the words' like a rapier'.The phrase tapered like a rapier only translated into meruncing.This research found that there is a suppression of information done by the translator, making the translation quality less accurate.This research shows that versions A and B's translation acceptability levels have slightly different scores (Table .2).The translation techniques found in version B are not entirely different from those in version A. It also makes the average score for translation acceptability not entirely different.On version A, it can be found that 20 data are translated acceptably.The acceptable translation is mainly translated with the literal technique (7 data).Then, it is followed by transposition (3 data) and modulation (3 data).The next is the combination of transposition and amplification with two data and particularization with two data.Then, each generalization technique, reduction, and the combination of borrowing and reduction have one datum.Version B contains more acceptable data than version A. 22 data are acceptable.The dominant translation technique is literal with 14 data.Next, the technique of modulation and reduction has the same amount of three data.Then, the established equivalent and the combination of the established equivalent and particularization have one datum.
As we can see, the SL in the example above is an active sentence, while the TL is translated passive sentence.It is marked by the word dibandingkan.The translator used a modulation technique when the word in SL does not have a meaning in the TL, for example, changing the source language's active structure to passive in the target language.Even though the structure has changed, the translation is still acceptable according to the raters.
This different amount of translation technique data also occurs in the less acceptable translation category.Version A has 13 less acceptability data than version B, which has 11 less acceptability data.According to the data found, the less acceptable translation in version A is translated with transposition (2 data), amplification (2 data), and reduction (2 data).Then, each technique of literal, generalization, particularization, borrowing, the combination of amplification and reduction, and the combination of established equivalent and generalization have one datum.The less acceptable translation in version B translated with literal (4 data), generalization (3 data), transposition (1 datum), established equivalent (1 datum), adaptation (1 datum), and the combination of borrowing and reduction (1 datum).
Source language 01/SL/06 : His hope and his confidence had never gone.
Based on the example in the version B, translation in the simile used transposition techniques.According to Molina and Albir (2002) transposition is a translation technique that tries to change the grammatical category.In this datum, the translator translated freshening to segar, where there is a shift in the class of verbs to adjectives.Despite the change in grammatical categories, the translation still conveys naturally.However, there is a slight error in the translation of the word as where the translator translates it into saat which makes the translation odd.This makes the translation results less acceptable according to the raters.
At the same time, the amount of unacceptable data for both versions is the same.Both of these translations are categorized as unacceptable since the term translation is not familiar with the target text culture and sounds unnatural.In this research, the reduction technique has a negative effect on the acceptability and accuracy of the translation.Hence, this technique should be avoided when translating similes and metaphors.Reduction is a translation technique that reduces information items in the source language.Using this technique is not recommended because, in translating similes and metaphors, we have to translate them to convey the meaning.The comparison of the effect of translation techniques against translation acceptability can be seen in Table 4. Something is fascinating about the assessment of the readability aspect; if in the previous assessment, the reduction technique scored between 2 and 1, the reduction got a high score on the readability aspect.It is because the correspondent only assesses whether the translation is easy to read.In the example below, as tight as the gripped claws of an eagle is only translated kaku bagai cakar elang and does not translate the word gripped even so many correspondents judge that the translation is readable and not long-winded.
Source language 15/SL/47 : Now alone, and out of sight of land, he was fast to the biggest fish that he had ever seen and bigger than he had ever heard of, and his left hand was still as tight as the gripped claws of an eagle.
Target language 15/TLA/60 : Kali ini ia sendiri, daratan tak tampak lagi, berurusan dengan ikan paling besar yang pernah dilihatnya, yang lebih besar daripada yang pernah ia dengar-dengar, dan tangan kirinya masih juga kaku bagai cakar elang.Discursive creation in translation involves the creative adaptation and redrawing of the source text to convey the intended meaning in the target language.This technique is beneficial when dealing with idiomatic expressions, cultural references or complex linguistic structures that may not have a direct equivalent in the target language (Hartono, 2017).However, translators need to be careful when using discursive creation techniques to maintain the source text's essence and integrity (Baker, 2018;Ordudari, 2008).Balancing creative adaptation with fidelity to the original author's intent is crucial to maintaining the overall quality and coherence of the translated work.

Conclusion
This research found some differences and similarities between the translation of similes and metaphors in versions A and B. The differences and similarities of translation from version A and B can be analyzed starting from the translation techniques used by each translator.The research found two variants of translation techniques used in similes and metaphors.They are single techniques and a couple of variant techniques.There is a similarity in that both translated versions use all these variant techniques in translating the similes and metaphors.However, there are differences here.The differences lie in the combination of translation techniques.This research also found similarities between versions A and B regarding the dominant translation technique.The research data shows that both simile and metaphor translations found in versions A and B are mostly translated using the literal technique.
Both translation versions show the same accuracy, acceptability, and readability levels.Version B, however, is better than Version A in terms of accuracy, acceptability, and readability.Both versions are classified as good translations since they have a good quality score.Version B, however, achieves a higher score than version A at translating similes and metaphors.
To conclude, this study shows the importance of translation techniques in shaping the quality of translated similes and metaphors.The study provides insights into the effectiveness and appropriateness of various translation techniques and their impact on the accuracy, acceptability and readability of translations that translators, researchers and practitioners could utilize to help them in their decision-making process and improve translation outcomes.As suggestions for further research, researchers could focus on exploring additional translation strategies for other forms of figurative language, investigating preferences or ideology, and examining the influence of cultural context on the translation process.In addition, researchers could conduct a more indepth similar study by looking at several variables, such as how confident translators are in using specific translation techniques and the role of editors in checking translations.
A in accuracy, acceptability, and readability.These findings emphasize the significance of examining the specific data that indicate the enhanced quality in version B. It provides valuable insights into the effectiveness and appropriateness of the translated texts.

Table 1 .
The comparison of translation techniques

Table 2 .
The comparison of translation quality in both translated versions

Table 3 .
The comparison of the impact of the translation techniques on the translation accuracy

Table 4 .
The comparison of the impact of the translation techniques on the translation acceptability

Table 5 .
The comparison of the impact of the translation techniques on the translation readability