Equivalence in Translating Cultural Text: Mangido Miak ni Ompunta in Batak Toba

Erika Sinambela Universitas Sumatera Utara erikasinambela@yahoo.co.id

Abstract
The focus of this study is on using one of the techniques of translation that is equivalence in translating the cultural text and terminologies. Mangido Miak ni Ompunta, equivalent with Mangido Udan, signifies a ceremony in Batak Toba centering on praying for rain. The explanation of the text is in Indonesian and the words being used in the ceremony are in Batak Toba and it is found that many cultural terminologies being used are not familiar or are not commonly used. This is because they are used on certain occasions and by certain people, so even though the writer is Bataknese, she found some unfamiliar expressions in the context of Batak language as well as in the context of Indonesian translation. In other words, she had to also find the equivalence of the terminologies in the same language, and then later on in English translation. Non-equivalence at word level means that the target language has no direct equivalent for a word which occurs in the source texts. The type and level of difficulty posed can vary tremendously depending on the nature of non-equivalence. Different kinds of non-equivalence require different strategies, some very straightforward, others more involved and difficult to handle. In addition to the nature of non-equivalence, the context and purpose of translation will often rule out some strategies and favour others. When translating the unfamiliar expressions being used, due to the rarely used or old language, the writer should be careful in finding the equivalence in the target language, i. e English. In translating this kind of text, the translator should possess the same amount of knowledge about the source language and the target language.

Keywords : translating, equivalence, Batak culture

1. Introduction As translators, we are primarily concerned with communicating the overall meaning of a stretch of a language. To achieve this, we need to start by decoding the units and structures which carry that meaning. The smallest unit which we would expect to posses individual meaning is the word. Defined loosely, the word is the smallest unit of language that can be used by itself (Bolinger, 1968, p. 43). Translation is the part of the communication, it means that in our language activities we also do translation, for example when foreigners come to Indonesia as a guest so they need an interpreter to get around easily in Indonesia. Translation is the interpreting of the meaning of a text and the subsequent production of an equivalent text, likewise called a translation that communicates the same message in another language. The variations of that are used in translating the text, because the translators try to use the words and the form of language that can be easily understood by the readers. Nowadays, translation is needed as an information source, but in fact it is not easy to translate from one language to another. In translating a text, a translator should apply a suitable method in order to provide adequate natural and comprehensible translation.Translation can be produced by studying the text carefully and then deciding the proper method as the way to express naturally the same message of the source text in the receptor (Newmark, 1982, p. 20). A translator who is concerned with transferring the meaning will find that the receptor language has a way in which the desired meaning can be expressed, even though it may be very different from the source language form. The development of science and technology in this modern age cannot be separated from translation activity because most of sources information are written in English such as, science, fiction, opinion and reality and all of the source information written in English, so if there is no translation, they do not understand the content of the text. For that reason, the translation is very important in order to convey to the readers the true information written in English. There are some problems in doing translation especially in conveying the real meaning of the source language into the target language, which is not suitable to the writers purpose. This may happen because of some factors such as culture, environment and some difficulties in finding the most equivalent words in the target language. Because of that, a qualified translator is needed. Translators have to have insight about knowledge, culture and also must be able to choose the most equivalent word in the target language in order to make the translation suitable to the writers purpose and avoid misunderstanding between writers and readers.

2. Language and Culture According to Bassnett McGuire (1980), translation involves the transfer of meaning contained in one set of language signs into another set of language signs through competent use of the dictionary and grammar; the process involves a whole set of extra-linguistic criteria as well.

Edward Sapir (1956) claims that language is a guide to social reality and that human beings are at the mercy of the language that has become the medium of expression for their society. Experience, he asserts, is largely determined by the language habits of the community, and each separate structure represents a separate reality. 3. Types of Translation Jakobson (1959) distinguishes three types of translation : 1) Intralingual translation, or rewording (an interpretation of verbal signs by means of other signs in the same language). 2) Interlingual translation or translation proper (an interpretation of verbal signs by means of some other language). 3) Intersemiotic translation or transmutation (an interpretation of verbal signs by means of signs of nonverbal sign systems) In the case of the translation of the word hello, the standard English form of friendly greeting when meeting, the problems are multiplied. English does not distinguish between the word used when answering the telephone, French, German and Italian all make the distinction. The Italian pronto can only be used as a telephone greeting, like the German hallo. The question of semiotic transformation is further extended when considering the translation of a simple noun, such as the English word butter. When translating butter into Italian there is a straight-forward word-for-word substitution: butter-burro. Both butter and burro describe the product made from milk and marketed as a creamy-coloured slab of edible grease for human consumption. In Italy, burro, normally light coloured and unsalted, is used for cooking, whilst in Britain, most often bright yellow and salted, it is used for spreading on bread and less frequently in cooking. Because of the high status of butter, the phrase bread and butter in the accepted usage is actually margarine. So there is a distinction between the objects signified by butter and burro and between the function value of those objects in their cultural context. Here the problem of equivalence involves the utilization and perception of the object in a given context. In the Batak language, the word dekke means fish in general, the accompaniment of rice or a meal, but it could also mean ikan mas or gold fish which is commonly served when Batak people are having a cultural ceremony. Dekke is usually offered to people hoping for success and symbolizing togetherness because this kind of fish never lives alone but always swims in a large group. The words inang and amang are also an illustration: inang can mean mother but it could also be used to address a daughter in a loving way. And the same way with the term of address amang to the son, which could have the same meaning. Levy, the great translation scholar, insisted that any contracting or omitting of difficult expression in translating was immoral. The translator, he believed, had the responsibility of finding a solution to the most daunting of problems and the functional view must be adopted with regard not only to the meaning but also to style and form. The wealth of studies on Bible translation and the documentation of the way in which individual

translators of the Bible attempt to solve their problems through ingenious solution in a particularly rich source of exampes of semiotic transformation. 4. Problems of Equivalence According to Bassnett McGuire (1980), in the process of interlingual translation, one idiom is substituted for another. The substitution is made not on the basis of the linguistic elements in the phrase but on the function of the idiom where the SL phrase serves the same purpose in the TL culture. In his definition of translation equivalence, Popovic (1976) distinguishes four types: 1. Linguistic equivalence, where there is homogeneity on the linguistic level of both SL and TL texts, i.e. word for word translation. 2. Paradigmatic equivalence, where there is equivalence of the elements of paradigmatic expressive axis, i.e. the elements of grammar, which Popovic sees as being of a higher category than lexical equivalence. 3. Stylistic (syntacmatic) equivalence, where there is functional equivalence of elements in both original and translation aiming at an expressive identity with an invariant of identical meaning. 4. Textual (syntagmatic) equivalence, where there is equivalence of the syntagmatic structuring of a text, i.e. equivalence of form and shape.

Eugene Nida (1964) distinguishes two types of equivalence, formal and dynamic. Formal equivalence focuses attention on the message itself, in both form and content. In such a translation, one is concerned with such correspondences as poetry to poetry, sentence to sentence, and concept to concept. Nida calls this type of translation a gloss translation, which aims to allow the reader to understand as much of the SL context as possible. Dynamic equivalence is based on the principle of equivalence effect, i.e. that the relationship between the receiver and message should aim at being the same as that between the original receivers and the SL message. As an example of this type of equivalence, he quotes J.B. Philips rendering of Romans 16;16, where the idea of greeting with a holy kiss is translated as give one another a hearty handshake all round. With this example of what seems to be a piece of inadequate translation in poor taste, the weakness of Nidas loosely defined types can clearly be seen. In trying to solve the problem of translation equivalence, Neubert (1967) postulates that from the point of view of a theory of text, translation equivalence must be considered a semiotic category, comprising a syntactic, semantic and pragmatic component.

5. Untranslatability When such difficulties are encountered by the translator, the whole issue of the translatability of the text is raised. Catford (1965) distinguishes two types of untranslatability, which he terms linguistic and cultural.

- On the linguistic level, untranslatability occurs when there is no lexical or syntactical substitute in the TL for an SL item. - Cultural untranslatability is due to the absence in the TL culture of a relevant situational feature for the SL text. He quotes the example of the different concepts of the term bathroom in an English, Finnish, or Japanese contexts, where both the object and the use made of that object are not at all alike. But Catford also claims that more abstract lexical items such as the English term home or democracy cannot be described as untranslatable, and argues that the English phrases Im going home can readily be provided with translation equivalents in most languages whilst the term democracy is international.

I will now turn to looking at an example of attempting to translate a prayer for rain in Batak culture.

6. Lake Toba: Batak culture Danau Toba or Lake Toba as we know it, is the largest lake in Southeast Asia. It was created by the eruption of a super volcano 75 thousand years ago. It was still surrounded by the crater edge of that volcano, and in the middle of the lake, volcanic activity created Samosir, an island as big as Singapore. Attached to that island is a small peninsula, with the village of Tuktuk on it. This is the tourist destination of the area, where we enjoy the cool air, a dive in the lake, the relaxed atmosphere, and the local Batak culture.

7. Asking for rain in Batak Toba Culture This ceremony is called mangido udan. Mangido means asking for; udan means rain. So mangido udan is a ceremony which is asking for rain. Another expression for this ceremony is mangido miak ni Ompunta. Literally it means asking for Gods oil. In this case udan (rain) is symbolized by miak (oil). So in the same context, mangido miak means asking for a rainfall. This ceremony consists of some steps, i.e : (1) Marsungkun, that is a consultation which is held by Raja Purbaringin to determine the time of the ceremony. On this occasion the propitious time (maniti ari) to hold the ceremony is determined, (2) Mamele, to give the offering to the Mula Jadi na Bolon (The Almighty God) and the other Gods, (3) Manortor, that is dancing together which is done by Raja Parbaringin together with forgiving one each other, (4) Maridi, bathing together.

Hutanggo ma, hu pio, hupangalualui Boras Pati ni Tano Tano liat, tano donda, tano marlopi-lopi Panarsaran ni na marpira, panerarahan ni na marlundu

I invite, I call, I inform the god of land ruler Clay, black soil, various kinds of coloured land The place where to cultivate and fruitful and to sow

Asa hu tonggo pe hamu ompung na mangelek, mangido, asa lehonon mu miak muna i Asa gabean taon, sinur na pinahan, gabean na ni ula di hami da ompung, angka hami siminik mu i

I invite you God is for begging, asking you to give me your water In order that the harvest is overflowing, the cattle is reproducing, the production of our plant is overflowing your grandchildren

Hu tonggo muse ma daompung Boru Saniang Naga

I also invite the grandmother the God of the water ruler,

Saniang Naga Laut, Saniang nahupatogu

The God of the sea water ruler, God whom I respect

Par aek tambok siminong-inong par aek simonang-monang

The owner of the overflowing water, the owner

of the victorious water Asa lehonon Mu da ompung miak mi Asa manghorasi ho, mandingini di hami, asa gabe na ni ula, sinur na pinahan, tu sehat ni hajolma on God, give us your water Save us, freshen us, a good harvest, an overflowing cattle, hopefully people will be healthier Olooooo.i.da ompung Fulfill it.God

8. Some Problems in Translating It is quite difficult for me to translate the text because some of the expressions being used are old language which are not used any longer by common Bataknese people, such as: - In the first line Boras Pati ni Tano which means God of Land Ruler. If it is translated literally it would mean something very different, boras means rice, pati means extract, tano means soil, so it could mean rice extract of the soil. - In line three, panarsaran ni na marpira, panerahan ni na marlundu means the place where to cultivate and fruitful and to sow. Literally, it means the place to spawn and the spreading of tree top. - In line four, asa lehonon mu miak muna i means so that you give us water, the word miak means oil, but according to the context it means water not oil. - In line six, Boru Saniang Naga means God of Water Ruler. Literally, boru means daughter, naga means dragon. So a very different meaning.

9. Conclusion To solve the problem in translating the difficult expression, I should find the equivalence in the same language first, and then in the target language. So it is suggested that a translator should really master the techniques of translation and the context of the material being translated. . References Bassnett McGuire, S. (1980). Translation studies. London and New York: Methuen. Bolinger, D. (1968). Aspects of language. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Catford, J.C. (1965). A linguistic theory of translation, London: Oxford University Press. Holmes, J. (1970). The nature of translation. The Hague: Mouton. Jakobson, R. (1959). On linguistic aspects of translation. Cambridge: Harvard UP. Neubert, A. (1967). Elemente einer allgemeinen Theorie der Traslation, Bucarest II.

Newmark, P. (1988). A textbook of translation, London: Prentice-Hall. Nida, E. (1964). Toward a science of translating. Leiden: E.J. Brill. Popofic, A. (1976). Dictionary for the analysis of literary translation, Dept. of Comparative Literature. University of Alberta Sapir, E. (1956). Culture, language and personality. University of California Press, Berkeley: Los Angeles.