Translating literary
works from one language to another is never easy—especially when the two languages
have huge different paradigms. Incommensurate modes of thinking and
understanding under different paradigms would make it impossible to translate
certain terms or phrases, that finally they are kept within the text without
being linguistically transferred. This phenomenon in a context of broad translation
is called as cultural untranslatability.
I encountered untranslatability
when I read the English version of Eka Kurniawan’s Lelaki Harimau (Man Tiger). The English translation was done by
Labodalih Sembiring, and I gotta be honest: it is one of the best translated
Indonesian books that I have ever read. The book is beautifully translated without dismissing the figurative and poetical aspects. However, despite the splendid translation, I noticed that
there are certain Indonesian terms which are kept as they are. They are not
translated; and stand with the English language equally and, of
course, proudly! Right after I read the first page, I found three
Indonesian words that are left untranslated which are kangkong, mujair, and nila. The translator’s decision to leave out these words is
interesting to observe, because, as a matter of fact, they all can be
translated to English. Kangkong, for
instance, is linguistically called as kale
in English. Mujair (mujjair) and Nila (parrot fish) are the names of fish that are universally known
and certainly have English translations. Renouncing them in Indonesian might appear to be a daring decision to some, because readers who do not speak Indonesian would have difficulties in understanding
the text. Therefore, it is apparent that in this specific page, untranslatability
is done deliberately. I would argue that cultural barrier and incommensurate
paradigms are not the case. Instead, it is all a matter of preserving cultural
values to maintain Indonesian unique characteristics.
Leaving the words kangkong, mujair, and nila reinforces
the preservation of cultural values. The word kangkong, for
example, when translated directly to English, means kale.
However, kale as understood by the community that speaks and
understands English is not the same with kangkong as known by the Indonesian people. They are of different kinds of plant, yet shares the
same literal translation. Therefore, it can be agreed-upon that what is
understood as kale in a universal context is not the same with the one in
Indonesian context. It is better, then, to leave the word kangkong as it is—because it bears a nation’s understanding
towards the word’s meaning. This understanding, then, can be classified as a cultural value.
Interestingly, this
deliberate untranslatability adds to the beauty of the translated version of Man Tiger. By preserving the Indonesian
words, there are values that bring along cultural and Indonesian unique
characteristics. This preservation is important, especially if applied to Eka
Kurniawan’s work, as he represents picturesque Indonesia in his
narration.
