Module 15 - 16
Restructuring, Levels and Styles of Language
• Restructuring
• Level of Language
• Style of Language
Restructuring is the changing of the form
of a discourse without changing the
content of the message; specifically, to
transform the raw results of the transfer
process into a stylistic form appropriate to
the receptor language and to the intended
receptors. To get the appropriate form one
should take into consideration the levels
and styles of the language.
Restructuring
Penerjemah harus melihat secara terperinci
apakah:
1. Terjemahan kita sudah sesuai dengan
audience design dan needs analysis.
2. Terjemahan kita sudah sesuai dengan metode
yang kita pilih
Levels of Language
Within the basic structure of the language, there are
always three fundamental levels:
1. The language of the specialists, e.g. the medicine man,
the priest, the law man etc. which is called “technical
language”.
2. The language of the common people in their daily
activities, which is called “popular language”.
3. The language of the ordinary people, as opposed to an
upper class or educated minority, which is called “vulgar
language”. Although it is a universal phenomenon and
known by all, it is not used in those circumstances in
which it seems inappropriate.
Technical language and also literary language
pertain to a definite field of specialization and
are understood only by people specially trained.
Because they are not understood by nonspecialists, they have therefore an inappropriate
impact intended for general readers, except in
the passage, where their usage would be more
in keeping with the content, for example, the use
of such terms in the fields of medicine, science,
politics, law, religion, etc.
Sometimes the press will use popular foreign terms or
aphorisms and even leave them unexplained,
e.g.
“rule of law”, “joint venture”, “to be or not to be”, etc.
These are all technical terms and they are restricted in
use.
As a general policy, the translator should produce as
much as possible the popular forms of the language
which are both understood and accepted by all who
know Bahasa Indonesia.
As to the vulgar language, though it is a
universal phenomenon and found in every
language, it is nevertheless unacceptable
for serious communication, and are
therefore restrictive in use.
Again, it is inappropriate to be used for
general readers, except for the sake of
special effects.
If, however, it is inevitable that one should use some
technical terms, the terms should be described in the
text by putting them between brackets, or explaining
them in footnotes to be included on the page where the
terms occur.
In case of strong words, they should be euphemized to
avoid negative connotations.
When there are several choices of words in the range of
popular language, one should choose the one that
conforms best to the level of language intended, e.g. the
word “to die” or “ to pass away” which has several
Indonesian equivalents.
Styles of Language
Style is the characteristic mode of writing.
It is the style which gives to a text its
uniqueness and which relates the text
personally to its author.
In translating, one must recognize certain
quite different styles and attempt to
produce something which will be a
satisfactory dynamic equivalent. Lyric
poetry should be said like poetry and not
like an essay; letters should read like
letters and not like some technical treatise
on theology.
Poetic language is used in poetry and song,
in proverb, aphorisms, etc. Its main
characteristics comprise:
1. Sound, as in rhyme, alliteration,
assonance, rhythm, etc.
2. Lexical choices.
There are at least two levels of meaning in
poetic language:
1. Literal meaning, i.e. what the language is
about on the surface. If the literal meaning is a
play upon another quite distinct, literal
meaning, we have a pun, e.g.:
A: You’re up so early. What woke you?
B: The crack of dawn.
2. Figurative meaning, in which words are
used out of their literal sense, or out of
ordinary locutions. It may be that a poem
has a highly individual second meaning
which requires a key other than general
cultural knowledge in order to understand.
Poetic language is used in poetry and song, in proverb, aphorisms, etc.
Its main characteristics comprise:
a. Sound, as in rhyme, alliteration, assonance, rhythm, etc.
b. Lexical choices.
Let’s take as an example a passage of Shakespeare’s Romeo and
Juliet, Act II, Scene II, lines 40 - 46:
‘Tis but thy name that is my enemy.
Thou art thyself, thou not a Montague.
what’s Montague ? It is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. Oh, be some other name!
what’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.
The passage may be transferred and restructured
as follows:
Hanya namamu yang jadi musuhku.
Dikau adalah dikau, bukan Montague.
Apa itu Montague? Bukan kaki, bukan tangan,
Bukan wajah, bukan lengan, bukan apapun milik
seorang.
O, jadilah lain nama !
Apakah hakekat nama, yang diberikan kepada
sekuntum bunga mawar?
Namakan apa saja’kan tetap harum baunya.