NAME : ISMI ROHIMA

NIM : 1175030135

CLASS : 2 D

AN ANALYSIS OF IDIOMATIC TRANSLATING IN

DEAD POETS SOCIETY FILM

A. Introduction

Translation is an activity of expressing the meaning of the source language

into the target language. Translations has been being very important for deliver the
meaning of a language that is not a majority language, so that it can be then
understood by the majority language users in a country. Translation is one of
communication language.

In English, there are words that can not be found in the dictionary, and there
are phrases or sentences that can not be explained in grammar theories and can not
be translating. This special feature of English language is called idiom. Hornby in
Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary of Current English (1974:421) defines
idiom as a phrase or sentence whose meaning is not obvious through knowledge of
the individual meanings of the constituent words but must be learnt as a whole.
Then, Biber, Conrad, and Leech (2002:18) state that an idiom, like many
compounds, is a multi-word unit with a meaning that cannot be predicted from the
meanings of its constituent words. Furthermore, the difficulties in understanding
idioms arise from two different characteristics of language. The meaning of many
idioms often does not correspond to idiom's individual components.
In this research, film becomes an object of the study. Film is one of the
literary works which people often watch to entertain and gain information. As with
books or other printed works, film is a conductor of information to the society. The
information presented in a film providing new knowledge to society. Whatever the
genre of the theme, film always leaves a moral message to people that can absorbed
easily. Besides, understanding a film can be easier than reading a written text
like a book. That is why, film is strategically used for communication tools
for many people. Language in the film has very important role and function.
Without language, film will lose its strength because language is an effective
element in conveying the information.
Based on that explanation above, film becomes an object of the study.
Dead Poets Society film was choosen to analyze which is focused on the types and
the meaning of the idioms found on the script. This film was choosen because there
are many idioms can be found in the film. Due to the reason above, this study is
very interesting to be conducted. Therefore, the study entitled “An Analysis of
Idiomatic Translating in Dead Poets Society Film Script” will be conducted.
B. Finding and Discussion

However, the main objective of translation is to deliver the message from

the source language (SL) to the target language (TL). Problems usually arise when
people deal with idiomatic expressions, especially idiomatic expressions in movies.
It is simply because they are spoken, not written and the conversation among the
casts happens so fast that the viewer barely capture the whole line of the
conversation. The differences of culture in which the movie is produced also
influence the meaning of each idiomatic expression. An idiom is a set phrase of
two or more words that means something different from the literal meaning of the
individual words.

The word idiom is believed to have come from French idiome via late Latin
from the Greek idiōma, which means private property or peculiar phraseology. It
further derived from idiousthai meaning to make one’s own, which derived from
idios meaning own or private (Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries). Of these meanings,
the peculiar phraseology is closest to the meaning of today’s use of idiom in
English, as illustrated by the below definition: a group of words whose meaning is
different from the meanings of the individual words. ‘Let the cat out of the bag’ is
an idiom meaning to tell a secret by mistake (Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries). The
reason for the peculiarity of idioms is that their literal meanings often do not make
sense in the context in which they are uttered, another examples is the idiom ‘feeling
blue’ in a sentence ‘he is feeling blue’. ‘He is feeling blue’ does not have meaning
that person feels his color is blue. The literal meaning is the person feels sick.
 From those examples we can know that interpreting an idiom can not be
arbitrary and very different from ordinary sentences. which in ordinary sentences
we can interpret sentences with various translation strategies. Then before we go to
the data of idiom that we will discussing we have to know first about translating
and the strategies of translating.

1. Translating

The basic concept of translation is to transfer the meaning from one

language to another. It can be seen in definition of translation. Here there are:

According to Newmark “Translation is a craft a consiting in the attempt to

replace a written massage and/or statement in one language by the same massage
and/or statement in another language”. It is mean that the translator must think about
the cultural references, the structure of target language, habit, and etc.

According to Larson “Translation is an activity to translate the source

language into the target language or the language of the recipient, which is start the
first language form to the form of a second language using semantic structure”. It
can be said that meaning or massage is the important thing of translation. Is not just
the process of translating the language, but also a way to replace message from
source language to target language.

Acccording to Kuswarini “translation has the main aim of transferring the

massage contained in source language into target language as equivalence as
possible. That means is the elements of the target language contain same message
with the element of the source language”

2. Strategies of translating

According to Newmark (1988) here are the methods of translation:

1. Borrowing

Borrowing is borrowing words from the source language into the target
language. Borrowing is also often referred to as an absorption word. In
 borrowing the word in the source language is not altered significantly. As
language develops, borrowing is no longer then referred to as a loan word, but
is already integrated into the target language.

2. Calque

Almost same as borrowing, Calque borrows words from the source

language but still remains in the order of the target language. In Calque, the
translator must know the original structure of the word in the source language so
that when it is translated it does not deviate from its original meaning.

3. Literal Translation

Literal translation is a real translation or also called linear translation

(linear translation). Where in the process of the translation , the translator finds
for a Sla grammatical construction which commensurate or close to Tla. This
literal translation can not be separated from the context. This translation was
initially performed like word-for-word translation, but the translator then
adjusted his wording according to the grammatical Bsa.

4. Transposition

Transposition is to replace the source language element with a matching

semantic yet semantically equivalent but in formal its not equivalent language
element such as the change of word class, plural to singular change, adjective
position until the whole sentence structure changes. Transposition can be
referred to as translating phrases, not words.

5. Modulation

Modulation is a meaning shift which caused of the change of point of view

and the mind of each translator.

6. Equivalence
 Equivalence is to find the appropriate matching words from the source
language into the target language. In another word, a similar situation can be
expressed in two texts using the same stylistic and structural methods.

For example: Dont cry over the spoiled milk → Nasi sudah menjadi bubur
7. Adaptation

Adaptation is the cultural matching of the source language into the target
language. This strategy is used in matching cases where the situation referred to by
the source language message is unknown or not owned in the culture of the target
language. So that the translator must create a situation that can be considered worth
it.

Cause Translating idioms has been a puzzling problem for many people.
Someone must comprehend translation and idiomatic expression because they are
interconnected. In this case Based on the data we can coclude that translating idiom
can use equivalence or/and transpostion strategy. and then we can take a look on
the data from Dead Poets Society film.

Big shoes to fill -

does not mean the meaning is similar to the direct translation that requires
filling the shoe but a way of saying that a family member is compared to you,
doing a very good job in sth you will do it yourself. big shoes to fill.
 Looks like a stiff – if we translate this to other language the meaning of
this idiom is a person that is not intersting; a dead boy. Doesn’t mean of stiff
in the true meaning.

That’s rich – the meaning is what you said about a person, could be said
about you.

And then these are the other idiom from Dead Poets Society film in form of
table :

Idiom Meaning Exp

born with his foot in he's always talking the real meaning is
someone stupidity and
his mouth! stupid/foolish
is not the feet in the
mouth.

don't mind him Ignore him which means no need

to care again to
someone.
 tell him off To yell or curse at him
don’t to test me Don’t challange me
settle down Calm down To calming down
someone.
Chin up Be brave To cheer up.

C. Conclusion

According to research finding, it can be concluded that there are 2 strategies

composed which are applied to translate the idiom found on ‘Dead Poets Society’
film. The analysis explains that to know the meaning of an Idiom we have to know
the similar situation, the phrase, and sometimes can be expressed the structural
methods. Those translation strategies is used to interpret the idiom accurately and
clearly interpret the meaning of the idiom to the language itself or to other
languages. The strategies used are Transposition which matching semantic in
formal its not equivalent language. Also transposition that referred to as translating
phrases, not words. The other strategies is equivalence that find the appropriate
matching words from the source language into the target language.
that means this method is used to translate into other languages with the same idiom
meaning. But once again translating an idiom is more to situations that occur at that
time and more use free translation.
 REFERENCES

Djuharie, O. Setiawan. 2004. Teknik dan Panduan Menerjemahkan : Bahasa

Inggris - Bahasa Indonesia. Bandung : Yrama Widya.

https://asd-hs.wikispaces.com/Dead%20Poets%20Society%20Part%201

http://repository.uinjkt.ac.id/dspace/bitstream/123456789/28845/3/Windawati-
FAH.pdf

https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/