Strategy For Translating Cultural Words in Ahmad Tohari’s Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to find the translation strategies, taken by the translator in translating cultural words into English. The source of the data is Ahmad Tohari’s Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk and its translated version, “The Dancer,” translated by Rene.T.A. Lysloff. This research uses descriptive qualitative as the research method; in this case the researcher collected, classified, identified the data concerning the translation of cultural words; and the cultural strategies dealing with cultural words proposed by Newmark’s categories of cultural words (1988). The results show that there are eight strategies which are used by the translator to translate the cultural words. From one hundred and sixty-two data which are identified, there are 43 data (26,5%) cultural words by descriptive equivalent, 35 (21,7%) cultural words by loan word or loan word plus explanation, 32 (19,8%) cultural words by using general words, 31 (19,1%) cultural words by cultural substitution, 7 (4,3%) cultural words by omission,6 (3,7%) cultural words by functional equivalent,6 data (3,7%) cultural words by literal translation, and 2 data (1,2%) cultural words by naturalization. But it should be noted that the best strategy for translating cultural words is using descriptive equivalent, by employing the procedure of notes.