INTRODUCTION
Translation is one of many ways to help people communicate across the country. Some definition of translation already presented by several leading linguist, according to Nida and Taber (1982:12) translating consists in reproducing in the receptor language the closest natural equivalence of a source language message, firstly in terms of meaning and secondly in terms of style. According to Larson (1984:3) translation consists of translating the meaning of the source language into the receptor language. Translation is rendering the meaning of a text into another language in the way that the author intended the text. (Newmark,1988:5).
There are many problems on translating a subject, one of the problems is translating idioms. Translating idioms sometimes being a problem if we don’t understand the culture of the source language, we can miss understand the sentence and translate it word by word. The differences of the culture affect the word that is used in the idioms. Idioms sometimes be a problem for people from other country with a different language to understand and translated into their own language.
Idiom, according to 7th edition of oxford advanced learner’s dictionary international student’s edition, is a group of words whose meaning is different from the meanings of the individual words. In addition to that, according to Allwords English dictionary, idiom is a phrase characteristic of a particular language, that cannot necessarily be fully understood from the separate meanings of the individual words which form it, but instead must be learned as a whole unit of meaning (http://www.allwords.com/word-idiom.html). According to UsingEnglish dictionary, idiom is a phrase which has a meaning that is commonly understood by speakers of the language, but whose meaning is often different from the normal meaning of the words (http://www.usingenglish.com/glossary/idiom.html). As it explained by three dictionaries, idiom is a phrase which is consists of two or more words that related to each other and makes a new meaning.
American idioms has a lot of categories, based on 101 American English Idioms by Harry Collis, American idioms arranged into 9 lighthearted sections, such as it’s a zoo out there (which the idioms are using animal words), the body has many uses (which the idioms are using the parts of human body), that’s not nice (which the idioms are talking about acting not nice to other people), people do the strangest things (which the idioms are using strange behavior words), clothes make the man (which the idioms are using clothes words), when things go wrong (which the idioms are using unusual things to do words), when the things go well, do your best, and you don’t say. This paper is going to talk more specific about the first part of this book, the idioms which are using animal words, especially “cat”. The use of word “cat” in the idiom is one of culture affected.
Indonesian has many idioms that are used in the daily conversation among society. The idioms that Indonesian people used are different with American, this differences sometimes makes a problem in translation. American idioms can be translated into Indonesian but it can’t translate word by word. This paper will focused on analyzing American idioms background which use animal words especially “cat” and finding the equivalence in Indonesian idiom. This paper will find out the equivalence between American idioms and Indonesian idioms.
ANALYSIS
Idioms can be found anywhere in our life. According to Myword English dictionary, idiom is a "figure of speech" that can’t be understood from the usual meanings of its constituent words. Often coined by people to express themselves in a more "poetic" manner. Communicate well for people of a particular culture. Can often be changed slightly without confusing the meaning (http://myword.info/definition.php?id=idiom_1-a). idioms consist of culture inside of it. Culture makes the idioms. The choice of words in the idioms sentences are affected by the culture that is happen in the society.
Translating idioms can be done in two steps. The first step is understands the cultural background of the idiom in source language. This step can be done by reading books about idiom and culture in the source language and also searching on the internet to enrich the translator knowledge. The second step is understands the target language idioms. If the translator knows well about idiom in the target language, the translator can compare the meaning of the idiom in source language and try to find the similar idiom in target language.
The animal words that are used in the idioms are not used by sudden. The animal word that is used are picked because the animal is representing something that is bigger that the animal itself. This animal being pick because of the environment in certain country and thought or stereotype of this animal. The animal that usually used in idioms is “cat”.
“Let the cat out of the bag”
This idiom means to let a secret be known. This idiom based on the theory that the 'cat' referred to is the cat o' nine tails, which was used to flog ill-disciplined sailors. Again, this has sufficient historical record to be at least possible. The cat o' nine tails was widely used and was referred to in print many years prior to the first use of 'let the cat out of the bag'. The 'nine tails' part of the name derives from the three strands of cord that the rope lashes were made from. Each of the cords was in turn made from three strands of string. When unbraided a piece of rope separated into nine strings. The 'cat' part no doubt alluded to the scratches that the knotted ends of the lash made on the victim's back, like those from a cat's claws. The cat o' nine tails story is dubious at best. It is reported that the lashes were sometimes stored in bags, but the suggested nautical punishment origin fails at the critical point, in that it doesn't match the 'disclose a secret' meaning of the phrase (http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/let-the-cat-out-of-the-bag.html). The cat in question is the 'cat of nine tales', a nine-stranded whip used to administer punishment aboard vessels of the British Royal Navy. The 'cat' was an object of some ceremony, and was kept in a special bag, hence 'letting the cat out of the bag' meant that there would be trouble. There was no one person who was responsible for administering punishment, but it was traditional for a sailor to be beaten by one of his own mess-mates (the people with whom he ate). This idiom can be translated into Indonesian idiom as “mencabik baju di dada” which means to let a secret be known, but this idiom has deeper meaning that the secret is more important and more embarrassing if other people know about this secret.
"Cat got your tongue?"
This idiom is something you say to someone when you are annoyed because they will not speak. The expression comes from the Middle Ages when witches were greatly feared and often put to death. It was believed that if you saw a witch, her cat would somehow "steal" or control your tongue so you couldn't report the sighting. The cat was a common associate of the witch and it was believed that the witch's cat did his/her dirty work for its master. During this time the witch-hunts were commonplace and for a person to be discovered as a witch meant death. Thus it was also believed that if you saw a witch, his/her cat would "steal" your tongue, or otherwise control it, in order to keep you from letting out the secret. The way to prevent the cat from doing so was first: not to let the witch know that you knew and second: to be blessed as quickly as possible by a priest by confessing that you saw that particular person performing witchcraft. The testimony of course would seal the "witch's" fate, and thus also eliminate the threat of the cat. Naturally, if the witch's cat had managed to 'get your tongue' you would be rather quiet or tight-lipped about certain things. (http://www.trussel.com/jap/cats.htm). This idiom better be translated in Indonesian idiom “diam seribu bahasa” which means that he/she can’t say anything.
CONCLUSION
Translation has been performed as a process which begins with the source text, then the meaning of the text is analyzed, discovered, transferred, and re-expressed in the receptor language. In actual practice, however, the translator moves back and forward from the source text to the receptor text. Sometimes he will analyze the source text in order to find the meaning, then restructure this meaning in the receptor language, and move back once again to look at the source text (Choliludin,2005:39).
Idiom is a sentence with a deep meaning. The pattern of idiom is sometimes look complicated because the words that is represent in the sentence is hard to understand. The words in idiom sentence were meaningful and difficult to understand in the first time. But if we understand the word historically, culturally and deeply we can found a million meaning of it.
Cat is one of favorite animal in America that have a lot of story and cat represent in many American idioms. The example above are “Cat got your tongue?” and “Let the cat out of the bag” that both of this examples have their historical background that makes this idioms popular until nowadays. Idiom using “cat” word
American idiom can be translated into Indonesian idiom. The translated American idiom has a different pattern in Indonesian idiom because in translating idiom we can’t translate word by word. American idiom transfer the meaning into Indonesian idiom. Sometimes idiom in American language can’t be translated into Indonesian idiom because Indonesian language doesn’t have any equivalence with American language. But there is some idioms that can be translated like “Let the cat out of the bag” translated into “mencabik baju di dada” and “Cat got your tongue?” translated into “diam seribu bahasa”
Translating idioms can be done in two steps. The first step is understands the cultural background of the idiom in source language. This step can be done by reading books about idiom and culture in the source language and also searching on the internet to enrich the translator knowledge. The second step is understands the target language idioms. If the translator knows well about idiom in the target language, the translator can compare the meaning of the idiom in source language and try to find the similar idiom in target language. The meaning can be one hundred percent the same, if the difference of meaning is too much, translator can use his own word to describe how the meaning of the idiom itself.
REFERENCES
Newmark, Peter.1988. Text Book of Translation. Pritence Hall.NewYork
Nida, E.A. & Taber, C.R. 1982. The Theory and Practice of Translation. Leiden: E.J.Brill.
Larson, M. 1984. Meaning-Based Translation. USA: University Press of America, Inc.
Collins, V.H. 1958. A Second Book of English Idioms With Explanations. Great Britain: Longmans.
Collis, Harry. 1975. 101 American English Idioms Understanding and Speaking English Like an American. Chicago: Passport Books.
Cholilludin, 2005. The Technique of Making Idiomatic Translation. Bekasi: Visipro
Brataatmadja, Heroe Kasida.1982.Kamus 2000 Peribahasa Indonesia. Yogyakarta: Kanisius.
http://www.allwords.com/word-idiom.html
http://www.usingenglish.com/glossary/idiom.html
http://myword.info/definition.php?id=idiom_1-a
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/let-the-cat-out-of-the-bag.html
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