Translation is a challenging job
 Translation is not an easy work. It needs a
serious attention and concentration. It can
be said that the core of translation is a
transfer of message. The translator should
be careful in replacing the meaning from
Source Language (SL) to Target Language
(TL).
 The translator must also keep the excess and
mission in the Source Language then transfer
them to target one. If the translator can translate
well semantically but can not move the closest
mission, the result of translation is unsatisfied.
Therefore, to solve this problem the translator
should master not only linguistics and the
materials that will be translated but also the
theory of translation.
The Problem of Translating
Indonesian-english
 In general, Indonesian or Bahasa is used
freely by its users both in oral and written
form. This means that the use of the
language is in practice deviates or misleads
from what is prescribed by the Tatabahasa
Indonesia Baku.
 This violation is also occurs in written form, where the
language used must actually be formal. This deviation
applies in a word choice, word collocation, sentence
pattern and discourse pattern.
 Even if the use follows the rules, there are still other
problems, one of which is ambiguity as asserted by
Gunawan (2001).
An instance:
 What’s the best translation for this sentence?
 Anak perempuan presiden yang kaya itu”
 When this translated in English, it can be either,
 1. The rich daughter of the president or
 2. the daughter of rich president.
 Which one is the rich? The president or the daughter
of president?
 This case is the same as “Istri tentara yang genit itu”
 Which one is “genit/coquette/firtatious”?
Other confusion
 Commonly, most of the students translate
even when they speak and write. This
means that they write in Indonesia first
what they want to say in English. Then they
translate it. This of course produces
problems in their translation as their
Indonesian is itself still bad.
An example
 “Diantara
keluarga hukum, paramedis, atau
masyarakat dan korban dapat membuat kerjasama
satu sama lain”
 Keluarga hukum, paramedis”?
 One can easily see how badly the sentence is
constructed in Indonesian in the first place, this
resulting in the translation being also wrong.
No coherence and cohesion
 Anak yang putus sekolah adalah anak-anak yang
kehilangan hak pendidikannya dan tidak memiliki
kesempatan untuk mengembangkan dirinya secara
maksimal. Kondisi seperti ini adalah kondisi yang
sangat menyedihkan. Dampak lain masa depan anak
tidak menentu serta menjadi “unskill worker”
sehingga mereka akan menjadi beban negara di masa
datang.
 (missing transitional markers, inappropriate use of
the word “lain”)
Tiga setengah abad lamanya
terjajah oleh Belanda telah
mempengaruhi pola pikir dan
karakter bangsa ini. Belanda
telah banyak memberi warisan
bagi bangsa ini. Jika warisan itu
sesuatu yang positif seperti
rasa tanggungjawab, fokus dan
disiplin yang tinggi hal ini tidak
apa-apa bahkan perlu
dimaksimalkan. Sayangnya, ada
satu warisan yang sekarang
tidak lagi relevan tapi masih
saja digunakan.
Three and
a half centuries colonized by the
Dutch has influenced the mindset and
character of this nation. The Netherlands
(the Dutch) has a lot to give a legacy
(heritage(+)) for the nation. If it's
something positive (positive thing)
legacy (heritage,inheritance(-)?) as a
sense of responsibility, focus and
discipline it does nothing (it doesn’t
matter) even (more it) needs to be
maximized. Unfortunately, there is a
legacy (heritage) that is now no longer
relevant, but (is) still used.
 Salah satunya ialah mindset bahwa
bersekolah dan menuntut ilmu bertujuan
akhir agar menjadi pegawai pemerintah.
 One of them is the mindset that ( going to
school and studying) school and study
aims to end in order to (be) become civil
servants (government
employee/governnment official).
 Di zaman dulu, Belanda memberikan pendidikan kepada
pribumi agar bisa dijadikan tenaga terampil dan berkualitas tapi
murah. Digaji sedikit pun mau dan ada kebanggaan berlebih
sebagai “Amtenaar” atau pegawai negeri . Jika sudah
jadi Amtenaar-nya kompeni, si pribumi merasa bangga , pribumi
lain dianggap lebih rendah darinya.
 In ancient times, the Netherlands (Dutch) provide education to
the natives in order to become skilled and qualified but cheap (a
cheap but qualified and skills officer. Paid and there is not any
excessive pride as "Amtenaar" or civil servants. If it was so
Amtenaar Company, the natives take pride(feel proud) , (he
considered the others are compared to him )others considered
inferior natives of it.
 Itulah mengapa banyak kaum intelektual yang gengsi
untuk memulai dari bawah. Mereka lebih bangga menjadi
karyawan kantoran dengan gaji dua sampai tiga juta
perbulan dibanding jadi (so) tukang (builders) nasi
goreng dengan laba empat ratus ribu perhari.
 That is why many intellectuals (feel shy/embarassed) are
proud to start at the bottom (from the beginning). They are
more proud (feel prouder )to be employee in an office with
a (monthly) salary of two to three million per month
compared with the fried rice so builders (a fried rice street
vendor/seller) (with a ) profit of four hundred thousand
per day.
.
 Selain itu, mereka juga merasa tidak bisa berkontribusi
tanpa jabatan. Padahal sesungguhnya, banyak kontributor
besar di bangsa ini yang tak punya jabatan struktural.
Karena jabatan itu sementara, tapi kontribusi dan
kapasitas bersifat kekal- dikenang sepanjang masa.
 In addition, they also felt (that) they could not contribute
without a job (job position). When in fact, a lot of big
contributors in this nation who have no structural
position. Because (since a job position is temporary) it is a
temporary position, but the contribution and capacity ( are
eternal-it will be memorized all time) to be remembered
for all time eternal.