





































181 

 

 
ELT FORUM 9 (2) (2020) 

 

Journal of English Language Teaching 

 
http://journal.unnes.ac.id/sju/index.php/elt 

 

Representing translation procedures in translated Indonesian-English cultural 

terms of online news media 

Siti Rodiyah
 

 
Faculty of Teacher’s Training and Education, Universitas Tama Jagakarsa 

 

Article Info 
________________  
Article History: 

Received in 16 June 

2020  
Approved in 29 

November 2020 

Published in 30 

November 2020 

________________  
Keywords; cultural 

terms; translation; 

procedure;The Jakarta 

Post                       
____________________ 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Abstract 
___________________________________________________________________ 
Translating cultural terms needs proper procedures since each culture has linguistics 

elements to be expressed between one language to other ones. Problems then may appear 
in understanding cultures. However, it should not be a big deal, because understanding 

cultures of one language to other ones can be easily resolved by translation and its proper 

procedures. The present study uses qualitative approach with content analysis which is 
aimed to observe (1) The translated Indonesian-English cultural terms on The Jakarta 

Post’s (TJP) Online News and (2) The translation procedures using in replacing the 
Indonesian cultural terms into English. The 21 cultural terms of five texts in TJP were 

found as the data and they were analyzed based on the adaptation of Newmark’s 
categorisation of cultural terms and a combination view of Newmark’s and Baker’s 

translation procedures. The results of this study were; First, the translated Indonesian 

cultural terms into English on TJP’s Online News were categorized into social-religious 
activities cultural terms which reached the most 48%, ecological cultural terms found 

28%, and material cultural terms obtained the lowest 24%. Second, the translation 
procedures used in replacing Indonesian cultural terms found in this study are four types 

of procedures; couplets obtained the highest percentage 48%; literal translation gained 
19%, transference or loan word and loan word plus explanation reached 24%, and 

cultural equivalent or cultural substitution obtained the lowest 9%. This study applied to 

observe Indonesian-English cultural terms and their translation procedures of online 
media to acknowledge Indonesian cultures through news widely. 
 

  

 © 2020 Universitas Negeri Semarang 

  

Correspondent Address: p-ISSN 2252-6706| e-ISSN 2721-4532 
FKIP Universitas Tama Jagakarsa   

Jl. TB. Simatupang No. 152, Jakarta, 12530  

E-mail: sitirodiyahhs@gmail.com  

http://issn.pdii.lipi.go.id/issn.cgi?daftar&1333515478&1&&
http://issn.pdii.lipi.go.id/issn.cgi?daftar&1576658845&1&&
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Siti Rodiyah/ ELT Forum 9 (2) (2020) 

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INTRODUCTION 

Human beings think and act differently toward their lives through variety of ways which called  

culture. Hoopes  (in Pusch, 1979) states his terminology on culture that it is the sum total of ways of 

living which developed by a group of people. Moreover it concluded that through a particular 

phsyical and human environment to survive, people have their own ways about values, beliefs, 

aesthetic standard, and pattern of thinking, behavioral norms, linguistics expression, and style of 

communication. Newmark (1988) emphasizes that it is a community uses a specific language as its 

tool to express the way of life as their culture. Thus, every culture has its particular characteristics 

whether type of culture and language to express it. 

The nature of culture is different from one community to others and Rodiyah (2014) noted 

that it is each culture has its own virtue due to its function in each group of lives. For those people 

who live with their own ways from generation to next generation, they do understand the importance 

and the historical background of their cultures which other communities can catch them through 

deep explanation. That it is every culture has its own linguistics forms whether stuctures or systems, 

so problems may appear in understanding cultures which those have own linguistics elements to 

express between one language to other ones. It means that cultural terms related to language issues.  

Eventhough understanding cultures of a source language (SL) to a target language (TL) is  

challenging, the problems that appear then can be easily resolved by translation and its proper 

procedures. Thus, to translate should learn knowledge of culture, and vice versa, to recognize culture 

should learn its language. As it has been decided by Al-Hassan (2013) that the domain of translation 

studies has expanded beyond the limit of language to include the cultures of the SL and TL. In other 

words, Durdureanu (2011) states culture and translation have been integrated each other. Translation 

and culture are interrelated, so that translator can no longer ignore cultural elements in text.  

The nature of translation is varied among linguists, scholars, and professionals in translation 

studies, though it generally assumed that translation included process and product. As process, 

translator applied any levels and categories in transferring SL into TL. While  translation product 

provided by translator after having completed the process of translation. Catford (1965) defines 

translation as replacing textual material of an SL by equivalent textual material into TL. Nida and 

Taber (1982) naturally define that translation is a reproduction of whether the closest message 

meanings or terms of style from SL to TL. 

Since understanding cultural items may bring problems, it has been interesting to be observed 

through many studies about culture and translation . As it is been studied by Hapsari & Setyaningsih 

(2013) on Cultural words and the translation in Twilight; Thriveni (2016) who found cultural element in 

translation the Indian Perspective; Nitisari (2016) with her The Translation Strategies of Cultural Words 

in Ahmad Tohari’s Dancer: Permatahati & Rosyidi (2017) with their Translation Techniques and 

Readability of The Culture Specific Items in the 2007 Indonesian Translation of Alice’s;  Suhardi and 

Setiawan (2019) studied about equivalence of proper names which included cultural items, in foreign 

languages into the Indonesian language; Rodiyah’s (2019) about Translation strategies of cultural terms 

in booklet Warisan Budaya Jakarta–Jakarta Cultural Heritage; Indryany (2019) by her Strategi 

Penerjemahan Kata-Kata Berkonsep Budaya dalam Novel Terjemahan The Great Gatsby. These mentioned 

studies observed translation and cultural terms which are based on literary works and any other 

objects unless using news media as the object. To accomplish those studies, so this current study 

observes representation of using particular translation procedures to replace Indonesian cultural 

terms into English of the JP’s online news text which is used as both the object and the data in this 

study.  

In relation between translation and culture, Newmark (1988) classified cultures into five 

categories; the first is ecology; the second is material culture; the third is social culture – work and 

leisure; the fourth is organisations, customs, ideas-political, social, legal, religious and artistic; the 

fifth is gestures and habits. Based on those categorization, the researcher then has adapted and 

interpreted them into three categorization as follows; the first is ecology which associated with 

everything related to environment. The sub-categories can be animal, plants, wind, proper names of 

geographical area (including name of street, sub-district, province and capital city of province), zone, 

mountains, land, etc. The second is material cultures which related to human creativity in optimizing 

God’s creation to be food or culinary, clothes, houses or historical buildings, and artworks. The third 

is social-religious activities cultural terms which it is a combined of the third and fourth Newmark’s 

categorization. It can be sub-categorized into religious festivals, artistic, and seasonal activities which 

these sub-categories are mostly manifested by Indonesian people through festivals and ceremonial to 



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celebrating holydays or holy days which are the manifestation of human’s thought in doing their 

daily activities.  

To translate those categories of cultural terms, it can be applied by Newmark’s procedures 

(1988) which it is developed into 16 procedures that possibly used by translator. Here they are four 

procedures which mostly applied in translating cultural words whether in single or couplet used as it 

is the main objective of this study: (1) Literal translation is one of the easiest used procedures in 

translating cultural words which it can only take equivalent meaning lexically from dictionary. This 

procedure used as the very first way by translator to find equivalent meaning, (2) Cultural equivalent 

can be used as a procedure to translate cultural word by replacing source cultural words into target 

cultural words which they have similarity in meaning, (3) Transference as same as borrowing that 

used by translator with only using the source language without any replacement, (4). Couplets used 

two or more procedures in one translation text. 

 Procedures of translation sometimes used regarding problems of non-equivalence. 

Professional translators will deal with various types of non-equivalence by using strategies. Baker 

(2011) delivered at least six procedures which can be used to be strategies in dealing with non-

equivalence problems; (1) translation by a more general word (super ordinate), (2) translation by a 

more neutral/less expressive word, (3) translation by cultural substitution, (4) translation using a loan 

word or loan word plus explanation, (5) translation by paraphrase using a related word, (6) 

translation by paraphrase using unrelated words. 

Indonesia is home to tons of cultures of many ethnics in this archipelago country. Those 

cultures have their own uniqueness as well as other cultures all over the world. So every culture has 

its own name of language to be expressed using particular words. There are many literatures 

provided to acknowledge Indonesian cultures; government manuscripts, textbooks, booklet of 

cultures or tourism, media, etc.   

Thus, any media plays important roles to acknowledge cultural terms to other people 

worldwide. Daily news using foreign language whether paper edition or online is one of media that 

can provide cultural terms from one language to others. For general rules, media has also its own 

language to deliver information, either it has own way to translate local language to foreign ones, 

and vice versa. 

That it is one of the media, The Jakarta Post, which it used to be only a paper based, but now 

it is also online English news based in Jakarta, Indonesia. That it was very first paper edition 

appeared on 25 April 1983. In Indonesian perspective, The Post established to improve the standard 

of English language media and to produce a quality newspapers to its reader in deepening their 

insight into the very workings of this vast archipelago, its people and its government, as members of 

the great family of nations (The Post, 2011). In other words, from these objectives implied that how 

Indonesians apply the way of life presented to the public by The Post using journalism standard, so 

people can understand Indonesian cultures.  

The Post has important roles as well as other publication in representing Indonesian cultural 

terms through any kinds of news. There are many studies applied to observe translation and cultures 

on artworks of literature or cultural terms in any object from English into Indonesian language. 

While this study concerns on both issues, culture and translation, it also represents Indonesian 

cultural erms translated into English and the translation procedures used in replacing the Indonesian 

cultural terms into English on TJP’s Online News.   

 

METHODS 

This study uses qualitative approach with content analysis to observe; (1) The translated Indonesian 

cultural terms into English on the Jakarta Post’s (JP) Online News and (2) The translation 

procedures using in replacing the Indonesian cultural terms into English. The data were taken from 

five articles which consist of Indonesian cultural terms translated into English on the Jakarta Post’s 

Online News. The five articles entitled: (1) 'Kerak telor', grilled octopus spice up Cap Go Meh in Jakarta 

published on Saturday, February 8, 2020, (2) From religious rituals to festive attractions: Indonesians 

prepare to celebrate Chinese New Year on Friday, January 24, 2020, (3) Jakarta celebrates Cap Go Meh with 

festival, performances on Sat, February 8, 2020, (4) Seven interactive installations to enjoy at Bandung’s 

Gedung Sate on Sunday, January 26, 2020, (5) Toba Lake Festival fails to bring in tourists on December 

16, 2019.  

The data gathered by collecting the categorization of each cultural terms and classifying their 

translation procedures on the Jakarta Post’ five texts which they were analyzed using qualitative data 



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analysis. The evidence provided in tables and percentage to facilitate readers easier to sum up the 

research. The theoritical framework used to analyze the first problem were Newmark’s definition of 

cultural terms  which are have been adapted and interpreted by the researcher into three 

categorization as follows; the first is ecology which associated with everything related to 

environment. The sub-categories can be animal, plants, wind, proper names of geographical area 

(including name of street, sub-district, province and capital city of province), zone, mountains, land, 

etc. The second is material cultures which related to human creativity in optimizing God’s creation 

to be food or culinary, clothes, houses or historical buildings, and artworks. The third is social-

religious activities cultural terms which it is a combined of the third and fourth Newmark’s 

categorization. It can be sub-categorized into religious festivals, artistic, and seasonal activities which 

these sub-categories are mostly manifested by Indonesian people through festivals and ceremonial to 

celebrating holydays or holy days which are the manifestation of human’s thought in doing their 

daily activities. And to answer and analyze the second aim of this study, it also based on Newmark’s 

(1988) and Baker’s (2011) translation procedure. The result found 21 cultural terms of some 

categorizations answering two formulated problems; First, the translated Indonesian cultural terms 

into English on the JP’s Online News which were categorized into social-religious activities  ecology, 

and material. Second, the translation procedures used in replacing Indonesian cultural terms found in 

this study were four types of procedures; couplets which it is using more than one procedures in 

translating one cultural term such a combination of cultural equivalent and transference or loan word 

plus explanation, couplets of transference and translation by paraphrase using a related word, and 

couplets of transference and literal translation. There are also single procedures that have been used; 

literal translation, transference and loan word or loan word plus explanation, and cultural equivalent 

or cultural substitution.  

 

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 

Based on the data analysis of 21 cultural terms, the study obtained two objects which are formulated 

as problems. First, the translated Indonesian cultural terms into English on the JP’s Online News are 

categorized into social-religious activities cultural terms which reached the most 48%, ecological 

cultural terms found 28%, and material cultural terms obtained the lowest 24%. Second, the 

translation procedures used in replacing Indonesian cultural terms found in this study are four types 

of procedures; couplets obtained the highest percentage 48% for 10 cultural terms which it is a using 

more than one procedures in one cultural term such a combination of cultural equivalent and 

transference or loan word plus explanation, couplets of transference and translation by paraphrase 

using a related word in bracket, and couplets of transference and literal translation. There are also 

single procedures that have been used; literal translation gained 19% to translating five cultural terms, 

transference or loan word  and loan word plus explanation reached 24% to retain four cultural terms, 

and cultural equivalent or cultural substitution obtained the lowest 9% to replace two cultural terms. 

Here they are the discussion of results: 

 

The Indonesian Cultural Terms in Categorizations 

 

  
Figure 1. Categorization and total of cultural terms 



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This part began with a figure above containing percentage of cultural terms in each category and then 

continued by description of each formulated problem. Based on the data analysis, there are 21 

Indonesian cultural terms which found in five articles of the Jakarta Post News with different 

categories. Social-religious activities cultural terms stand for the highest percentage 48%, ecology 

found 28%, and material obtained the lowest 24%.  The types of articles on the news decided as 

travel, culture, and life styles. Here the description of cultural terms in each categorisation: 

 

Social-religious activities cultural terms  

 

Table 1. Social-Religious activities cultural terms 

No 

Language Kinds of Social-
religious 

activities cultural 

terms 

Percentage 
SL TL 

1 Barongsai  lion dance 

Artistic  50% 

2 Ondel-Ondel   giant Betawi effigies 

3 Gambang Kromong  (traditional Betawi 
musical ensemble) 

4 Wayang Potehi   (Chinese glove puppet) 

5 Tanjidor (traditional Betawi 
musical ensemble) 

6 Cap Go Meh the fifteenth night of 

Chinese New Year 
festivities 

(15th day of the first 
month of the lunar 

calendar) 

Religious 

festivals   
20% 

7 Imlek the Chinese New Year, 
locally known 

  

8 Pesta kembang api fireworks display 

Seasonal 
activities 

30% 
9 Festival Danau Toba Toba Lake Festival 

10 Hari Bebas Kendaraan the Car Free Day 

   

 

Indonesia is home to hundreds of ethnics with many different cultures. People from all over 

Indonesia are born from many kinds of ethnic groups. So they live in many ways of living. Through 

social-religious activities which are varied, they do rituals and celebration. As this study adapted 

theoritical framework by Newmark (1988), this study determined three sub-categorizations of this 

cultural terms as the results which are artistics reached 50%, religious festivals stand for 20%, and 

seasonal activities gained 30%. 

Festival is one of cultural products that is related to how Indonesians to do worship, to 

celebrate happiness of holy days, and to show people’s feel and locals sources. So, it is easy for the 

journalist to write social-religious activities in every corner of Indonesia due to the richness of 

cultures of this archipelago country. Like social-religious activities cultural terms easily found in 

articles which are taken as the data of this study. There are 10 of 21 Indonesian translated social-

religious activities cultural terms into English in the data which taken from one of five articles 

entitled “Jakarta celebrates Cap Go Meh with festival performances”. 

After analysing the data that were taken from paragraphs consisting words and phrases, this 

study then found religious terms which some of them are Imlek and Cap Go Meh. These two words 

have close relation to an ethnic called Chinese-Indonesian people who live in Indonesia since long 

time ago. They have established particular cultures based on the root of culture from their descent, 

Chinese, which can be referred not only in Indonesia but also all over the world with different names 

as Chinese people live in every corner in the world. Imlek is a term among locals in Indonesia, 

especially chinese of mixed Indonesian descent, to replace Chinese New Year which people all over 

the world known it universally. According to Hermina (as cited in Kompas.com, 2020), Imlek has 

been celebrated through series acitivities which originally was a celebration of the beginning of spring 

and it by philosophers then been integrated to morality and spiritual values.  

Imlek usually celebrated within 15 days which finally completed with festivites on its 

fifthteenth day of the month. It is Cap Go Meh which translated to the fifteenth night, a popular word 



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among Indonesians as one of series religious rituals. Cap Go Meh is a part of Imlek which shown up 

by festive attractions. In this study, this word found as one of subcategory which it is a religious day 

as implied in example 6 in Table 1 above. Here the word appeared in two paragraphs from TJP’s 

article entitled “Jakarta celebrates Cap Go Meh with festival, performances”: 

The Jakarta administration has organized Cap Go Meh celebrations that will last until Sunday. 

Also known as the “happy day”, Cap Go Meh, which translates to the fifteenth night, is what closes 15 

days of Chinese New Year festivities. This year, Cap Go Meh falls on Saturday.  

The festivities began Thursday and celebrations are currently being held in five areas: in front of the 

Grand Hyatt hotel, Dukuh Atas, the Kendal Tunnel, in front of the FX Sudirman shopping mall and the 

Thamrin City shopping mall.  

As Newmark (1988) notes that one of cultural terms categorization is associated to 

organisations, customs, ideas-political, social, legal, religious and artistic, this study found the most 

cultural terms on this categorisation. It implied human being can not be separated of activities, 

especially on religious, seasonal and artistics terms in their daily activities. So, in translation as a 

product it also can be easily found through studies e.g. that it is a study by Hapsari and Setyaningsih 

(2013) found the third  highest (18%) of this categorisastion which subcategorized on terms of artistic 

and religion. It implied that human’s ways of live can be easily identified through religious rituals 

and festives attracations.  

 

Ecological Cultural Terms 

Table 2: Ecological cultural terms  

No 
Language Kinds of 

Ecological terms 
Percentage SL TL 

1 Jl. Pancoran, 

Kelurahan 
Pinangsia, Jakarta 

Barat 

Jl. Pancoran in Pinangsia 

subdistrict, West Jakarta 

Street, subdistrict 

and city 
16.7% 

2 Petak Sembilan 
Glodok 

Not translated but before 
already described as one 

of three Little Chinatown 
points in the city  

Zone 

16.7% 

3 Sumatera Utara North Sumatra Province 16.7% 

4 Bandung, Ibu Kota 
Jawa Barat, 

Bandung, the capital of 
West Java, 

Capital city of 
province 

16.7% 

5 Jakarta Timur East Jakarta 
City  

33.33% 

6 Jakarta Barat West Jakarta  

 

Basically this study depends on Newmark’s (1988) framework especially on categorization of 

ecological terms in translation. Through this present study then it determined additional more 

subcategories due to the variety of cultural terms found from the news texts such as names of street, 

sub-district, zone, province and capital city of province which are not literally mentioned by 

Newmark. It is similar to the prior research by Indriyani (2019) that she found ecological terms in her 

study which it were geographical terms. There are six ecological terms of 21 of Indonesian translated 

cultural terms as the data found in this study. This category of cultural terms appeared in form of 

words and phrases. Based on the sentence analysis data which consists of words and phrases, it can be 

seen through the following paraghraph from an article entitled “’Kerak telor’, grilled octopus spice up Cap 

Go Meh in Jakarta”: 

Forty-five food stalls serving a variety of delicacies were displayed at a culinary festival on Jl. Pancoran in 

Pinangsia subdistrict, West Jakarta, to celebrate Cap Go Meh on Saturday. 

The two lines paragraph above consists of ecological terms such as Jl. Pancoran in Pinangsia 

subdistrict, West Jakarta. To locals in Jakarta or Indonesia at general, it is common to write or mention 

their own address completely which included name of street with name of subdistrict (kelurahan) and 

city (kotamadya). As product of cultures, those ecological terms cannot be fully replaced by other 

words in foreign language unless using additional information like Jl. means street before Pancoran, 

subdistrict after Pinangsia and end up by name of city West Jakarta. 

 

 

 



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Material Cultural Terms 

 

Table 3. Material Cultural Terms 

No 
Language Kinds of 

Material Terms 
Percentage 

SL TL 

1 Kerak telor Grilled octopus, 

Betawi-style omelet made 
of duck eggs and rice Food 40% 

2 Dodol Betawi  a traditional toffee-like 

sweets made of palm 
sugar 

3 Taman Dukuh Atas the Dukuh Atas Park Public place 20% 

4 Vihara Gunung 

Timur 
Gunung Timur Temple Religious 

building 
20% 

5 Gedung Sate Gedung Sate, a Dutch 

East Indies heritage 
building built in 1920. 

Historical 

building 
20% 

 

Material cultural terms found the lowest in this study which it is 24%. There are 5 of 21 

Indonesian translated cultural terms into English in the data which taken from five articles of The 

Post’s online News. Material cultural terms appeared in form of words and phrases as listed in Table 

3 above. The sub-categories of this term are food, historical buildings, religious buildings, and public 

place. It considered that material cultural terms also important among Indonesian, even in some 

studies it found the most.   

Based on the sentences analysis data which consist of words and phrases, this study found five 

material terms in five articles. Food is one of some sub-categories as implied in example 1 and 2. 

Here it is the sentence: 
“The culinary festival will last during the weekend, offering food and beverages ranging from 

traditional favorites of Jakarta’s Betawi people, such as kerak telor (Betawi-style omelet made 

of duck eggs and rice) and dodol betawi (a traditional toffee-like sweets made of palm 

sugar) to Chinese staples like dumplings and fried meatballs.” 

Kerak telor is one of popular local foods among Jakarta’s Betawi people. It can be literally 

translated as egg crust. It called Betawi omellet but little bit different from common omellet. As 

common omellet, Kerak telor also made of egg, chicken or duck, and many spices. This food to be 

crust because of it consisted of sticky rice which cooked until fried looked. Serundeng (roasted 

shredded coconut), fried shallots and fried shrimp put as toping. Dodol Betawi which recognized in the 

bracket as a traditional toffee-like sweets made of palm sugar is also very popular among locals in 

Jakarta. Sweet dominated the taste of Dodol Betawi. It is rubbery like marshmallow but the ingredients 

so much different which it puts palm sugar and milk squeezed from coconut. 

Many studies obtained material as one of cultural terms categorisation. Rodiyah (2019) found 

similar subcategory to the current study which highlighted on historical buildings, clothes, and 

transportations. This study found one more thing related to material culture which it is religious 

building Vihara Gunung Timur or Gunung Timur Temple. That it is a subcategory can be easily found 

around Indonesian’s environment, religious buildings, as Indonesia is a country that have six 

religions; Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. So, people in 

Indonesia are allowed and facilitated to do worship in religious buildings which are opened publicly 

such as mosques, temples, and churchs.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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Translation Procedures  

 
Figure 2. Translation Procedures  

 

This part describes the translation procedures used in translating the 21 Indonesian cultural 

terms found in this study based on the data analysis of five articles of the Jakarta Post News. There 

are four types of procedures used due to the way how journalists replace the 21 Indonesian cultural 

terms into English.  

The four procedures are: (1) couplets obtained 48% which it is a using more than one 

procedures in one cultural term such a combination of cultural equivalent and transference or loan 

word plus explanation, couplets of transference and translation by paraphrase using a related word in 

bracket, and couplets of transference and literal translation. There are also single procedures that have 

been used such as (2) literal translation gained 19%, (3) Transference or loan word reached and loan 

word plus explanation 24%, and (4) Cultural Equivalent or Cultural Substition obtained the lowest 

9%. 

Couplets 

Table 4. Couplet Procedure 

No 
Language 

Translation Procedures 
SL TL 

1 Kerak telor Grilled octopus, 

Betawi-style omelet 
made of duck eggs and 

rice 

Couplets: Cultural 

Equivalent, Transference or 
loan word plus explanation 

2 Barongsai  (lion dance) Couplet: transference and 
translation by paraphrase 

using a related word 
3 Ondel-Ondel   (giant Betawi effigies) Couplet: transference and 

translation by paraphrase 
using a related word in 

bracket 

4 Tanjidor  (traditional Betawi 
musical ensemble) 

Couplet: transference and 
translation by paraphrase 

using a related word in 
bracket 

5 Wayang Potehi   (Chinese glove puppet) Couplet: transference and 
translation by paraphrase 

using a related word in 

bracket 
6 Taman Dukuh Atas the Dukuh Atas Park Couplet: Transference and 

Literal translation  
7 Festival Danau Toba Toba Lake Festival Couplet: transference and 

literal translation 

8 Vihara Gunung Timur Gunung Timur Temple 
Vihara Gunung Timur 

Temple 

Couplet: Transference and 
Literal translation 



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9 Jl. Pancoran, 

Kelurahan Pinangsia, 
Jakarta Barat 

Jl. Pancoran in 

Pinangsia subdistrict, 
West Jakarta 

Couplet: Transference and 

Literal translation 

10  Dodol Betawi  a traditional toffee-like 

sweets made of palm 
sugar 

Couplet: transference or word 

plus explanation and cultural 
equivalent  

 

In process of translating cultural terms, translators should adopt different procedures. It 

commonly recognized that it is not easy to keep source language (SL) into target language (TL) 

which is functionally equivalent. It sometimes can not be solved by only one procedure for 

translating a cultural term. This is a such problem when translator need to use and to apply couplet, 

one of procedures addressed by translation scholars. Nasser (2018) emphasizes to solve a problem in 

one translation unit need to apply couplet which is a use of two procedures or more.  

Translation couplets. The  most common form of translation couplet consists of the translation 

of an institutional term followed by its translation (which may be a literal translation, a cultural 

equivalent or a translation label) in brackets; here one would assume that the SL term would be 

retained for the remainder of the text and in the relevant TL literature. (Newmark, 1981, p. 76).  

The statement above implied that couplet which uses more than one procedure is not only 

provided for resolving problem but also it is such an effort of translator to retain both SL and TL 

terms culturally equivalent. Providing meaning of a cultural term in brackets from SL to TL or vice 

versa combining with other procedures is such a way of applying couplet. 

This study found that couplet as a procedure used to translate ten cultural terms of some 

subcategories. It applied into a combination of cultural equivalent and transference or loan word plus 

explanation, couplets of transference and translation by paraphrase using a related word, and 

couplets of transference and literal translation. Most of them replaced in brackets. The following 

paragraph consists a material cultural word “ondel-ondel” which translated by couplet. 

Visitor can expect to enjoy various forms of art and performances at the celebrations, including ondel-

ondel (giant Betawi effigies), wushu, Chinese lute and film screenings. 

Ondel-ondel written with additional information in bracket after the word ondel-ondel itslef, so it 

called using couplet procedure because it is translated by paraphrase using a related word in bracket 

to giant Betawi effigies. This paraphrase related to its big shape of ondel-ondel, so it looks like a giant 

doll. It sure the word ondel-ondel cannot be replaced by any other word in English unless the 

journalist paraphrase it using related words.  

 

Literal Translation 

Table 5. Literal translation 
N

o 

Language 
Translation Procedures 

SL TL 

1 Jakarta Timur East Jakarta Literal translation 
2 Jakarta Barat West Jakarta Literal translation 

3 Sumatera Utara North Sumatra Literal translation 

4 Bandung, Ibu 
Kota Jawa Barat 

Bandung, the capital 
of West Java 

Literal translation 

 

Anderson (as cited in Suhardi et.al, 2019) explained proper names not only focused on name 

of person, but also included names of city and country, planet, and institution. This study found at 

least four ecological cultural terms as listed in Table 5. Those cultural terms are similar to what 

Suhardi et.al decided as a part of proper names such as Suez Canal to be Terusan Suez and South 

Korea to be Korea Selatan. Those both geographic proper names are reformed through general words 

that found lexically from TL dictionaries. In other word, this such case used literal translation 

procedure.  
At the very first process of translation, literal translation procedure mostly used by translator. 

This procedure relies on general words which are easily can be found lexically in dictionary. In this 

way translator does not need to replace the source word into any other word but they replace word 

literally. As this study implied in this following sentences from TJP’s article entitled “Seven 

interactive installations to enjoy at Bandung”:  

 



Siti Rodiyah/ ELT Forum 9 (2) (2020) 

190 

      

Bandung, the capital of West Java, is home to delicious food, cafes, recreational places and tea 

plantations.5 

But that’s not all. 

Located on Jl. Diponegoro is Gedung Sate, a Dutch East Indies heritage building built in 1920. 

Bandung categorized as a cultural term which is in subcategory of ecology. There is no other 

official name can be used to replace word Bandung as a city as well as a sub-district and even a 

capital city into English terms or any other languages. It is constantly written Bandung as a capital 

city of West Java which replacing literally Jawa Barat. So it can be implied that it used literal 

translation procedure.    

 

Transference or loan word and loan word plus explanation 

 

Table 6: Transference or loan word and loan word plus explanation 

No 
Language 

Translation Procedures 
SL TL 

1 Petak Sembilan 
Glodok 

Not translated but 
before already described 

as one of three Little 
Chinatown points in the 

city  

Transference or Loan word  

2 Gambang Kromong It is a traditional music 
of Betawi’s people 

which is not translated 
in the text.  

Transference or Loan word  

3 Gedung Sate Gedung Sate, a Dutch 
East Indies heritage 

building built in 1920. 

Loan word plus explanation 

4 Cap Go Meh  (15th day of the first 
month of the lunar 

calendar) 

Loan word plus explanation 

5 

 
 

  

Imlek  Not translated but the 

meaning  can be 
understood through 

reading the textin whole 

Transference or loan word  

 

Transference procedure by Newmark (1988) and loan word or loan word plus explanation by 

Baker (1992) almost the most procedures applied by the journalist of The Jakarta Post especially in 

translating the choosen cultural words in this study which are used five times. The five articles consist 

of those four cultural words that are three of them written in source term using Indonesian language 

which are called transference procedures and two more using loan words plus explanation in 

Indonesian with some words in English to get similar understanding of cultural terms meaning. 

Sometimes translators or, in this context is journalist, use this both way of translation to acknowledge 

any specific words of community to be close to the audiences or readers and with more explanation. 

As it implied in lines of sentences below: 

For the peak of the Chinese New Year celebration, the Jakarta administration will also provide 

attractions to celebrate Cap Go Meh (15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar) at three Little 

Chinatown points in the city; Petak Sembilan Glodok in West Jakarta, Jatinegara in East Jakarta and 

Kampung Duri in West Jakarta. 

Petak Sembilan Glodok is an area in Jakarta which is categorized as material cultural in this 

study and it uses transference procedure provided in the text. This procedure used to invite the 

readers to local place closely, eventhough the writer still can explain the place clearer with some 

words followed in English.   

 

Cultural Equivalent or Cultural Substitution 



Siti Rodiyah/ ELT Forum 9 (2) (2020) 

191 

      

Table 7: Cultural Equivalent or Cultural Substitution 

No 
Language 

Translation Procedures 
SL TL 

1 Pesta kembang api fireworks display Cultural Equivalent or 

Cultural Substitution 
2 Hari Bebas 

Kendaraan 
the Car Free Day Cultural Equivalent or 

Cultural Substitution 
 

A language with its own uniqueness is an arbitrary tool for communication which it decided 

and used by a community in daily or certain activties. 

A language with its own uniqueness is an arbitrary tool for communication which it decided 

and used by a community in daily or certain activities.  However, many words of any languages 

have universal meaning. Cultural words are mostly unique but some of them are universal. 

Indonesians people have some similar activities with other civilization all over he world which are 

expressed with different words in different languages but have similar meaning. Newmark (1988) 

and Baker (1992) offer their strategies to retain this such kind of terms using cultural equivalent or 

cultural substition procedure. The following sentence consists of cultural word formed of a phrase 

that has universal meaning. The word is equivalently sustituted from Indonesian into universal 

cultural terms. 
He said the peak of new year celebrations at the temple would fall on Tuesday, however, they would not 

roll out any festive performances, such as the traditional barongsai (lion dance) performance or 

fireworks display. 

Indonesians people celebrate some events by fireworks display which it is called as pertunjukan 

atau pesta kembang api in Indonesian language. The words fireworks display and pertunjukan or pesta 

kembang api referred to particular culture which has similar activities . Thus, in the context of the 

above sentence, it is directly used fireworks display as it is popular among people all over the world.  

 

 

CONCLUSION  

Based on the data analysis, there are 21 Indonesian cultural terms which found in five articles of the 

Jakarta Post news with different categories. Types of article on the news decided as travel, culture, 

and lifestyles. Social-religious activities cultural terms mostly found in this study which there are 10 

of 21 or 48 % appeared in form of words and phrases representing how Indonesians do worship and 

celebrate happiness of holy days as well as festivals which are also the places to show people’s feel 

and local’s sources. Ecological terms found six times in the articles based for this study with some 

subcategories which they are street, sub-district, zone, province and capital city of province. Material 

cultural terms found the lowest in this study which it is 24%. There are 5 of 21 Indonesian translated 

cultural terms into English in the data which taken from five articles of The Post’s online News.  

There are four types of procedures used due to the way how journalists replace the 21 Indonesian 

cultural terms into English. The four procedures are: (1) couplets which it is a using more than one 

procedures in one cultural term such a combination of cultural equivalent and transference or loan 

word plus explanation, couplets of transference and translation by paraphrase using a related word, 

and couplets of transference and literal translation. There are also single procedures that have been 

used such as (2) literal translation, (3) transference or loan word and loan word plus explanation, 

and (4) cultural equivalent or cultural substitution.  

English online news media that based in Indonesia take important roles to acknowledge 

cultures of this archipelago country worldwide. The journalists are the front liners to take roles in 

which they have to recognize Indonesian cultures as well as they have to translate those cultures into 

English through any proper procedures. Thus, Indonesian cultures will be largely known by other 

people whether they are using English as native speakers or as second language in good 

understanding as they feel so close to the Indonesian particular cultures which have been replaced 

naturally or universally.  

 

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