444 
 

 

Vol. 22 No. 2, October 2022, pp. 444 – 457 
DOI: 10.24071/joll.v22i2.4194 

Available at https://e-journal.usd.ac.id/index.php/JOLL/index 
 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 
 

 
The Translation of Indonesian Cultural Terms  
into English of the Battle of Surabaya Movie 
 
Bagus Yogi Martendi, Teguh Setiawan, Ashadi 
bagusyogi.2020@student.uny.ac.id, teguh_setiawan@uny.ac.id, ashadi@uny.ac.id 
Faculty of Language and Arts, Yogyakarta State University, INDONESIA 
 
 

Abstract 
Article 

information 

 
This study aims to identify and describe the translation of Indonesian cultural 

terms in the film Battle of Surabaya. It did not intend to pinpoint the exact 
translation technique used. The animated history of Indonesia and the variety of 
the language used in the movie, such as Dutch, English, Japanese, Indonesian, and 
local, motivated the researcher to conduct the research. The research method used 
mixed-method and translation theory as a ground theory for analyzing the data. 
The analysis found that 24 vocabularies contain Indonesian culture-each cultural 
terms spread in every aspect. Socio-culture found 17 data or 71% of the total 
existing data; Material culture only found 1 data, Ecology 3 data, Organization 2 
data, Gesture or habits also 1 data. The difference in translating cultural terms was 
only to equate equivalence in meaning between ST and TT. Bringing cultural 
aspects in various ways is the same as appreciating a culture, but the way to show 
it and transfer it becomes a challenge for the translator. The true meaning of a 
cultural term may not be fully conveyed due to a lack of data or only communicated 
to each other in a cultural group. It can be solved if the cultural term has a glossary 
and the translator uses it. This study also found that foreign cultures that have been 
in the local culture for too long can grow and become part of the local culture itself. 

 

 
Keywords: movie, dubbing, culture, translation, Battle of Surabaya 

 
Received: 

15 January 
2022 

 
Revised: 

19 June 2022 
 

Accepted: 
28 June 2022 

 
 

Introduction  
 
Translating cultural terms is one of the 

biggest challenges in translation studies(Putri 
& Rachmaputri, 2020). The challenges come 
from various factors. It seems like translating  

 
 

the cultural elements that have great 
significance to translate. It would be used in 
the popular media such as movies, novels, 
short stories, or other things (Souzandehfar & 

https://e-journal.usd.ac.id/index.php/JOLL/index
mailto:bagusyogi.2020@student.uny.ac.id,%20teguh_setiawan@uny.ac.id
mailto:ashadi@uny.ac.id


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Mehr, 2019). Some studies showed that the 
cultural vocabularies would be lost or 
generalized by translators which can have an 
impact on the points to be translated (Ruilli & 
Jing, 2020). However, the difference in 
language culture is also the most significant 
challenge in translation studies(Nyandwi, 
Bazimaziki, & Murwanyi, 2020). That is why 
mistranslations can produce ambiguities or 
even spoil the original message(Slavina, 2020). 
As a medium into a culture, a movie is known 
as a window showing the highlights of several 
sectors, representing society from cultural life 
in general(Yalcin, 2013).  

 
The translation process is known as 

rendering the meaning of a text from one 
language to another in line with the author's 
intention of the text, but it is not always the 
same but must be simple (Newmark, 1987).  In 
this case, translation is a process that brings 
text from a language that characterizes a 
culture which is then conveyed into other 
languages and cultures (Nyandwi, Bazimaziki, 
& Murwanyi, 2020). In the case of translating 
cultural terms, it depends on the purpose. For 
example, translating the cultural components 
in the expressive or definitive text tends to be 
fully transferred; it should be transferred or 
described for informative text; for vocative 
text, it should be replaced by cultural 
equivalence(Newmark, 1987). 

 
On the other hand, translation is always 

related to equality, both equalities from the 
semantic or the pragmatics side, but 
equivalence between the two languages is 
difficult to achieve(Jacobson, 1959). On the 
other side, Nida and Taber(1969)provide a 
categorization to find an equivalence of 
translation results:  (1) The equivalence can be 
adjusted by aligning the grammatical aspects 
and the vocabulary used in adding 
information. (2) Prioritizing the equivalence of 
meaning over the equivalence of the sentence 
form or grammatical form used. (3) The 
selection of the most appropriate meaning to 
the socio-cultural target of the language. In 
addition, the matching of meaning is 
prioritized compared to the writing style, 
which tends to influence the meaning by 
finding translations that follow the reader's 
needs. However, to provide meaning 
equivalence of a translation product, various 

ways are born in the translation process, such 
as the method used, implementation of the 
translation strategies, or other ways. 

 
The translation technique is the 

implementation of the strategy used by the 
translator as the practical method 
(Tardzenyuy, 2016). In other words, the 
translation technique embodies the strategy 
chosen by the translator. The use of the term 
translation strategy itself was introduced by 
Baker(1992)as a solution to solving problems 
in the translation process and as an initial step 
before starting the translation process. Either 
in terms of equivalence or matters relating to 
the translation process and products, which 
are related to the process of matching words, 
phrases, sentences, or context, so that the 
translation results seem natural. Lucia Molina 
and Amparo Hurtado Albir(2002)summarize 
the translation technique that was compiled by 
reputable translation scholars such as Vinay 
and Dalbernet 1958, Nida (1964), Margot 
(1979), Vázquez Ayora (1977), Delisle (1993), 
and Newmark(1987), which also developed 
from Mallblanc (1968) and Intravaia and 
Scavée (1979). The summary yields eighteen 
translation techniques that can make it easier 
for translators to select the translation 
techniques. 

 
Vocabulary knew as a collection of words 

or phrases (Merriam-Webster.com, 2021).In 
line with this definition, cultural vocabulary in 
this study has the meaning of vocabulary that 
contains cultural elements of societies. The 
vocabulary that carries the cultural context has 
a different sense when translated so that the 
value of these culturally-laden words has 
different values in each culture (Fatmawati & 
Setiawan, 2019). That is why the Translation of 
vocabulary with cultural concepts seems much 
slower in the process because it requires 
various considerations so that the translation 
results can be considered excellent. The use or 
insertion of certain words that are used and 
only understood by certain communities is a 
marker of the identity of a culture(Kramsch, 
2014),so in order to make it simple, Peter 
Newmark(1987) has categorized the cultural 
terms, including (1) Ecology: Animal, plants, 
local winds, mountains, plains, and other 
(example: komodo: Indonesian fauna). (2) 
Material culture (artifacts): Food, clothes, 



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housing, transport, and communications 
(example: pecel lele of Indonesian food). (3) 
Socio culture: work and leisure. (4) 
Organisations: Political, social, legal, religious, 
artistic. (5) Gestures and habits (often 
described in 'non-cultural' language). 

 
Translating cultural terms phenomenon 

also happens in the Battle of Surabaya movie. 
The Indonesian version was released on 
August 20, 2015(IMDb, 2015),but the English 
version (Dubbing) has just released in 2020 on 
YouTube channels. This film is based on a true 
story, which describes one of Indonesia's 
history, specifically the struggle of the people 
of Surabaya. Even though this movie is a 
historical movie, it is packaged as an animated 
series. In general, animated movies are 
intended as entertainment movies intended 
for children. However, the Battle of Surabaya 
film contains historical content, making it a 
form of children's entertainment and an 
educational medium conveying historical 
information. 

 
Moreover, it contains many languages 

uses, seems like the Netherlands, England, 
Japan, Indonesia, and the regional language 
used in the movie. The researcher watched the 
Indonesian version of the Battle of Surabaya 
movie on the YouTube channel The 
Moenandirs(2020), one of the channels for 
watching together events held by the Ministry 
of Education and Culture Research and 
Technology. Then watched the Translated 
(English Dubbing) version on the YouTube 
channel Nurhadi Ramadhan (2020), which was 
the only channel that uploaded the English 
version of the movie on YouTube. The 
researcher found that there were differences 
between the Indonesian and English versions. 
Some information in the English version is 
missing, including generalizations about some 
of the translated cultural terms and giving the 
equivalent meaning that adapts to the target 
language's culture. 

 
Furthermore, movies containing many 

languages or have translated versions are part 
of the audiovisual translation product.The 
audiovisual translation itself is the mode of 
translation characterized by the transmission 
of audiovisual texts between different 
languages and cultures (interlingual) or within 

the same language and culture (intralingual) 
(Chaume, 2013). It transfers linguistic and 
semiotic aspects like dubbing, subtitling, audio 
subtitling, voice-over, respeaking, 
simultaneous interpreting, free-commentary, 
audio-description, fan-subbing, and fan-
dubbing. In addition, there are two main macro 
modes in audiovisual translation, namely 
captioning and revoicing (Chaume, 2013). 
These two things are now generally known as 
subtitles and dubbing, although both have 
different limitations and scope.Dubbing is an 
audio-based(voice) translation product that 
replaces all speech in a video from SL into TL, 
intending to obtain natural results or follow 
the SL language's culture and style (Federico, 
2020).On the other hand, the term 'surtitling,' 
is a more complex version of subtitling 
because it can be either interlingual or 
intralingual (Chaume, 2013).In the surtitling 
function, the dubbing text is displayed on the 
screen so the audience can read 
(subtitle/surtitle) the translation or dialog 
transcript while watching the film. 

 
On the other hand, the cultural term that 

appears in the Battle of Surabaya movie is 
difficult to find in bilingual dictionary, both 
online or printed. There are terms like phrase 
or idiom that only telling mounth by mouth in 
common. According to Wibowo 
(2020)language is used as a form of discourse 
that reflects a life value contextualized in the 
language users' community. So that a word, 
phrase, or sentence that is spoken does not 
necessarily have the same meaning as 
recorded in the dictionary. People generally do 
not use standard sentences in every 
conversation but adjust them to the flow, 
situation, and context of the conversation. So 
that the public commonly uses the use of 
terms, language mixing, or abbreviating 
words.From this emerged terms that were 
only known by a group of people and were not 
formally recorded. It also explains that 
language use is not static, so various things can 
affect changes in meaning, one of which is 
caused by diction.It makes a term narrowed or 
expanded in meaning when used by someone. 

 
Based on the cases presented in the Battle 

of Surabaya movie, the researcher is motivated 
to investigate the translation of Indonesian 
cultural terms in the movie. Several studies on 



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translating cultural terms have a different 
focus, such as exploring the cultural aspect of 
romance language(Nyandwi, Bazimaziki, & 
Murwanyi, 2020), strategies to translate the 
taboo words (Slavina, 2020), translating 
cultural bounds items (Souzandehfar & Mehr, 
2019), translating cultural word-plays(Putri & 
Rachmaputri, 2020)and also the use of a movie 
to introduce a culture(Yalcin, 2013).This study 
aims to identify and describe how the cultural 
terms in the Battle of Surabaya movie are 
translated.Hopefully, the findings and 
conclusion of this research will provide 
solutions for the problematic translation of 
cultural terms.Moreover, by discussing the 
process of translating cultural terms and 
describing the meaning of the term historically 
by information from the environment and 
community customs, it will be possible to 
determine which parts of the term are 
problematic or appropriate. If a similar 
problem arises when translating cultural 
terms, these results can use as a solution. 
Similarly, the correct meaning can be applied 
when two things are similar. 

 

Methodology 
 

This study used mixed-method research. 
Mixed methods are described by Creswell & 
Plano Clark (2011) as a research procedure 
used to collect, analyze and combine 
quantitative methods and qualitative methods 
in one study to understand the research 
problem(Creswell, 2012). Thisstudy used two 
kinds of data. The first data was Indonesian 
dubbing taken from the YouTube channel of 
The Moenandirs(2020), as the SL and the 
source of ST. The second data was the English 
Dubbing version taken from the Nurhadi 
Ramadhan (2020)YouTube channel as the TL 
and the source of TT. The Indonesian cultural 
terms refer to the terms conveyed in Javanese 
(Surabaya) as ST, and TT is the translation of 
these terms.There was various language in 
Battle of Surabaya movies. However, these 
studies only focussed on Indonesian cultural 
terms and the translation, without taking care 
of other languages used in the movie. As 
evidence of the data's veracity, the researcher 
employs a source triangulation, and links to 
both film versions are included in the 
reference. 

In collecting data, the researcher used the 
Converge Parallel and observation approach. 
Converge Parallel is an approach used to 
simultaneously understand research problems 
by collecting and combining qualitative and 
quantitative data(Creswell, 2012). The 
observation approach was implemented at 
once with the note-taking and the data found. 
The use of these data acted as a support for 
each approach.Quantitative data provides a 
generalization of information, while 
qualitative data provides more detailed 
information related to the context under study. 

  
The researcher registered the translation 

(dubbing) of cultural terms in the movie, 
comparing the translation of cultural aspects 
with the original dub for analysis and 
categorizing it using the theory of cultural 
categories by Newmark(1987)theories and 
the translation technique theories by Molina 
and Albir(2002).In this study, dubbing is the 
object of research, but in the research process, 
researchers do surtitling on the dubbing.The 
researcher watched the SL movie and the 
translation movie in the first step. The 
researcher then underlined and noted all 
instances of cultural term words and phrases 
in the source language and their translations in 
the target language, then took them as data for 
the analysis (surtitling as the notes). The 
emergence of these cultural terms is then 
classified based on cultural categories as 
proposed by Newmark (1987).The research 
data involved a detailed description of the 
situation, events, people, interactions, and 
observed behavior(Patton, 1980). The 
researcher uses it to explain the construction 
of the cultural term. The data in this research 
consisted of words, phrases, or clauses in the 
Battle of Surabaya movie, which contained any 
cultural terms belong Indonesian culture. 

 

Results and Discussion 
  

Based on the Battle of Surabaya movie 
analysis, the researchers found 24 Indonesian 
cultural vocabularies translated into English in 
the Battle of Surabaya Movie. Each cultural 
terms spread in every aspect that follows 
cultural categories of Newmark's 
(1987)theories like socio culture, material 
culture, ecology, organization, and gestures or 



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habits. The types of cultural vocabulary found 
are shown in the table below. 

 
Table 1. The distribution of Indonesian Cultural Terms 

 
No Categories Types Data Found Total Percentage % 

1 
Socio 

Culture 

Swearing 5 

17 71% 
Greeting 5 

Chumminess 3 
Concept 4 

2 
Material 
Culture 

Food 1 1 4% 

3 Ecology 
Fauna 1 

3 13% 
River 2 

4 Organization 
Art 1 

2 8% 
Institution 1 

5 
Gestures & 

Habits 
Habits 1 1 4% 

Total 24 100% 
 

The table above shows the distribution of 
Indonesian cultural terms in the film Battle of 
Surabaya in each category. The most 
surprising aspect of the data is the Social 
Culture. This aspect found as many as 17 data, 
or 71% of the total existing data, and is the 
type of cultural vocabulary that appears the 
most and became the most widely used in the 
film. Cultural terms of social culture appear in 
several types, such as swearing, found 5 data, 
greetings 5 data, familiarity 3 data, and 
concept 4 data. However, on the Ecology 
aspect, there are 6 data found, representing 
13% of the total data. The data appears in 
several types of Ecology terms, such as plant 1 
data and river 2 data. Continuing to 
Organization, there are two types of data: arts 
and institutions. Each of these aspects only 
appears in 1 data, so the total data found in this 
category is only two and accounts for 8% of the 
total data. 

 
Furthermore, the discussion about the 

data findings continued in each category. The 
single data also found on gestures and habits 
aspect, making them the least dominant 
category among the other categories. Both 
categories represent 4% of the data for each 
aspect, or the combined will represent 8% of 
the total data. 

 
 
 

Socio Culture 
 
Socio-culture is the most dominant aspect 

of its emergence, related to the socio-cultural 
of the Indonesian culture, which has various 
cultures and diversity. On the other hand, 
language means of communication often 
represent a particular culture. It happens 
because between socio-cultural of a language 
with another language have differences. On the 
other side, the familiarity factor also influences 
the more familiar a socio circle, the more the 
socio-cultural differences(Fatmawati & 
Setiawan, 2019). For example, variations in the 
language used in socializing and specific 
vocabulary when joking or greeting each 
culture have their way, finally making 
language a tool of cultural exchange and 
becoming part of the culture itself. 

 

Swearing 
 
Fatmawati & Setiawan(2019) stated that 

every language has words or expressions that 
are claimed as 'bad language' in the form of 
swearing/cursing, so translating the 
vocabulary is not easy because it contains 
elements of cultural views. Swearing itself 
arises because there are causes that trigger it. 
It has various diverse meanings, and 
sometimes it is unclear why someone is 
swearing, but in general, swearing appears 
because someone is upset, as a form of 



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intimacy, or because someone is happy. Here 
are some swear words found in the Battle of 
Surabaya movie. 
 

(1) ST : Dan kamu, kamu anak ingusan. 
TT : And you, you're just a child. 

 
The phraseanak ingusanmeans a snotty 

child or a child with the flu and mucus coming 
out of his nose. Nevertheless, even though it 
has a negative connotation, the context in 
which the word is intended to convince the 
little boy not to worry about anything and 
focus on the task assigned to him. Moreover, 
make that the ridicule has a value of familiarity 
in its use. So it leads us to say, anakingusan has 
the means of a child who does not know 
anything or has no experience. Nevertheless, 
the English version is translated into 'just a 
child', which has a more general meaning and 
a different sense. According to the 
classification of translation techniques, a 
possible translation technique is used to 
translate the phrase, namely 
generalization(Molina & Albir, 2002), which 
allows us to translate a term for a more general 
one. 

 
In contrast to data 1, data 2 is much more 

different in translation. The word Sukur in SL 
means a form of gratitude to God or is spoken 
as a form that describes a sense of relief and 
not a negative connotation. In Javanese 
culture, the word Sukur is occasionally used as 
a personal name. For example, an Indonesian 
comedian named Cak Sukur. However, in the 
conversation context above, the word Sukur is 
described as swearing because of something 
the person receiving the curse did. Still the 
same as sample number one, the swearing 
context does not give a negative impression 
but as a form of expression spoken between 
two who have a close relationship. 

 
(2) ST : Sukur. 

TT : Serves you right.  
 

The term Sukur is rendered into another 
idiom on TL as 'serves you right', which has a 
similar meaning because it has no literal 
meaning. It serves you right on TL uses when 
something unpleasant happens, and we decide 
to blame them because something that 
happened is their fault, and youhave no 

sympathy for them (YourDictionary, 2021). It 
means that if we look at the translation results 
from the sentence form or the semantic side, it 
is clear that there is a clear difference between 
the two idioms. Nevertheless, if we look at it 
from a pragmatic point of view, we can see the 
similarity of meaning in the two idioms. The 
possible technique for translating this idiom is 
the adaptation technique. It gives the shift in 
the cultural environment to express the 
message using a different situation, and it is 
more agreeable to be used to translate the 
idiom.The difference is that it gives the shift in 
the cultural environment to express the 
message using a different situation, and it is 
possible to be used in the translation of data 2. 

 
Turning discussion into data 3, which the 

swearing culture uses object animals to 
express. In Indonesian culture, many ethnic 
groups use animals to express their swearing, 
one of which is Javanese culture, mainly 
Surabaya culture represented in the Battle of 
Surabaya movie. The sociality of Surabaya 
culture often uses innocent animals to express 
their peeved. 

 
(3) ST : Lha kok iso njawab? Ooo 

djangkrik. 
TT : Why you can answer me? Ooo, 
bulloks. 

 
Djangkrik itself, known as cricket, crickets 

are animals that live on the ground, have two 
wings, and have a distinctive onomatopoeic 
sound, namely Krik KrikKrik, in SL culture. 
However, in Javanese culture, the word cricket 
is a derivative form of the word Jancuk. At the 
same time, Jancuk itself has several other 
derivative words, such as dancuk, ancuk, 
jancik, ancik, cuk, jamput, and 
damput(Fatmawati & Setiawan, 2019). So 
when it uses in some conditions in SL culture, 
the word has a negative connotation. In data 
number three, the word djancuk is not 
translated literally but is given another 
equivalence about the negative sense. The 
technique used could be the same as data 3, 
namely adaptation, modulation, or establish 
equivalence, to provide a more natural sense in 
describing the situation in SL. The negative 
side is that the Javanese socializing culture is 
not fully transferred. On the other side, the 
translator is quite good at giving an 



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informative impression of the SL so that the 
translation received by the audience has a 
natural impression. 

 
Furthermore, data 4 and 5 are not given 

the same view between SL and TL, not even 
transferred to SL. In data 4, two swear words 
are spoken simultaneously in a single 
situation, namely sontoloyo and djangkrik. We 
have talked about djangkrik. Now let us 
continue with Sontoloyo. 
 

(4) ST : Sontoloyo, Djangkrik, yowes po 
iki, Gimana mau menang perang? 
TT : What is this? How do we win this 
war? Huh? 

 
Sontoloyo is a term used by Javanese to call 

someone who herds ducks. The 
word Badjingan is also described as a person 
driving a cart and a cow as a substitute for a 
horse pulling the cart. The term's meaning 
shifts with the value of its function in society, 
so it is often considered harmful and a word for 
silly things, something wrong, or stupid things 
that someone does. As in data 4, Sontoloyo was 
used as a curse to express annoyance. 
However, in the TT translation, the phrase is 
not conveyed in any form or intentionally 
omitted.  

 
Similarly, in data number 5, the 

expressionmbahmu meaning is s omitted on 
TT. Mbahmu itself has many connotations in ST 
culture; in a general context, the 
phrase mbahmu has the meaning of your 
grandma. It becomes harmful words when the 
term uses to swear at someone. However, on 
the data below, mbahmu was pronounced to 
show an expression of annoyance. In TT 
swearing culture, the phrase mbahmu has a 
similar meaning to the expression of mother-
father. The term itself is not born with a 
negative connotation, but how people use it 
could change the meaning to negative. 

 
(5) ST : Sabar Mbahmu. 

TT : Patient! 
 

Two possible techniques from a 
translation studies perspective are reduction 
and linguistic compression(Molina & Albir, 
2002). Reduction is known as a way to 
suppress information from ST to TT. It gives a 

pragmatic sense than a semantic sense, so the 
purpose is to make the information more 
focused and implicit rather than explain the 
information itself. Besides that, Linguistic 
Compression means synthesizing linguistic 
elements in the TT. The technique is often 
simultaneous interpreting and subtitling, 
which is, it is more like changing the 
description to become the intended point. 

 

Greeting 
 
Indonesia has a culture of politeness in 

calling someone, either because of the 
different ages or mutual respect. Greeting 
words become a marker and appreciation for a 
person's degree and dignity in social life and 
become a part of cultural language politeness. 
Different ethnic and cultures have different 
ways of greeting. Additionally, the 
term pak appears at the beginning of the Battle 
of Surabaya movie, which shows the 
interactions employ polite greetings. 

 
(6) ST : Tuan Yoshimura. Selamat pagi 

tuan. 
TT : Mr. Yoshimura. Good morning, 
sir. 
 

(7) ST : Pesan untuk Pak. Mustopo 
TT : The letter for Mr. Moestopo. 
 

(8) ST : Ngih, Paklik. 
TT : Yes, Uncle. 
 

(9) ST : Mas danu, ada apa dengan 
Musa? 
TT : Danu. What? What is it with 
Musa.  
 

(10) ST : Dek Nowo, dari TKR, siapa yang 
giliran jaga disini? 
TT : Arnowo, whose turn from TKR 
is it to guard here? 

 
In data number 6, the word Tuan has a 

literal meaning as ‘Sir’, but in data 6, the 
translator renders it into ‘Mr’. Uniquely, if the 
word Tuan continuously uses ‘Mr’ as a 
meaning equivalence, what happens with data 
number 7. The word Pak in ST has a naturally 
meaning equivalence with ‘Mr’ in TT. The 
reason is the differences in context. In data 6, 
the term Tuan uses as a greeting word for 



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foreign men by local people. While the 
term Pak refers to adult men, it is frequently 
used to refer to a man older than the caller. 
Both data also have differences in the 
translation process. On data 6, meaning 
equivalence is transferred based on the 
context and word uses and did not transfer or 
describe the cultural elements of ST to TT. It is 
identically to the generalization technique. 
While data 7 can be translated directly with 
literal translation due to its fixed meaning 
reference across languages.  

 
According to Molina and Albir's 

(2002)categorization, data 8 to 10 are 
translated differently. In data 8, the translation 
technique is similar to adaptation, and the 
reason is TT has not an equal meaning to ST, 
then the translator changed it to personal 
names. In data 9, the translation technique is 
similar to generalization. The reason is that TT 
has not an equal meaning to ST, then the 
translator gives common meaning in TT by 
changing it to personal names. However, the 
word Mas itself refers to the older brother 
(man) and the word Dek refers to the younger 
brother, whether male or female. These three 
data have the same function: mention, show 
respect, appreciate, and substitute 
interlocutor's names. However, in foreign 
cultures, such as western culture, that terms 
are similar to 'bro, dude, sir, or pal', 
considering the situational context.  

 

Chumminess 
 
The impression of familiarity calls in 

Indonesian culture is very diverse, and several 
other Asian countries have this culture. 
However, western culture tends not to be 
familiar with this particular phrase. In 
the Battle of Surabaya movie, calls for 
familiarity appears in several forms, such as 
calls for familiarity based on gender, social 
strata, or based age.  
 

(11) ST : Cak soleh, dadi guru ki sing 
sabar. 
TT : Chuck Sole, as a teacher, 
you've gotta be patient. 

 
(12) ST : Oleh bung Tomo adalah 

dengan lagu-lagu keroncong yang 
menjadi kuncinya. 

TT : The translation codes that are 
used to coordinate through the 
radio by Mr. Sutomo and the 
Kirong Chong Songs are the key. 
 

(13) ST : Silahkan Nduk, Silahkan 
duduk. 
TT : Please, Yumna, have a seat.  

 
The word Cak data 11 is equivalent to the 

'older brother'. However, the translator 
naturalized and transferred into 'Chuck'.Cak is 
delivered from Cacak, an older 
brother (Fatmawati & Setiawan, 2019). It is 
similar to data 12. The word Bung is translated 
as 'Mr', but it is equivalent to 'Dude or Man 
(slang)' in American culture. 
Additionally, Bung is often used by the people 
of Surabaya, and it has the same meaning 
as Mas in Javanese culture in common. 
However, the context of data 12 is formal, and 
the uses of the word are addressed to the Vice 
President, which is probably the reason the 
translator transferred it to 'Mr' on TT. On the 
other hand, the word nduk on data 13 means 'a 
little sister', but the translator omitted it and 
rendered it into the girl's nickname. 

 

According to Molina and Albir's (2002) 
categorization,the three data are translated 
differently. In data 11, the translation 
technique is similar to naturalization, marked 
by borrowing words which are then adjusted 
according to the pronunciation of the TT 
culture. In data 12, the translator adapts 
meanings to the TT culture and replaces an ST 
cultural element with one from the target 
culture, which is similar to the adaptation 
translation technique. While in data 13, the 
translation technique used leads to omission 
or linguistic compression. Implementation of 
the technique on data above is intended to 
solve the ST and TT cultural differences 
problem in mentioning personal pronouns 
without changing the meaning of the ST 
utterance. Theoretically, the translation study 
for this case sample has its steps and 
discussion, which leads to the translation of 
pronouns and proper names. 

 
 
 
 



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Concept 
 
The concept, in this case, is the culture of a 

society in comparing things, which it has very 
closely related to the culture of the Indonesian 
people who like to give equality of things, even 
sometimes the analogy does not make sense at 
all. 

 
(14) ST :  Ooo ancek arek gak mangan 

bangku sekolah! 
TT : Didn't you ever go to 
school?! 

 
The diction of 8 literally means ‘did not eat 

a school chair’. However, it has a negative 
connotation for someone who acts foolishly 
and with bad manners and is labelled 
uneducated. It is usually about morality and 
attitude. However, the delivery of the phrases 
subtly conveys satire, but it has humorous 
effects when someone states it in a 
conversation.  
 

(15) ST : Delo’en ta, plurune dudu 
jodone. 
TT : Look, the bullet doesn't 
match. 

 
The expression plurunedudujodone has 

the same meaning as a ‘bullet does not 
match’. Pluru has a literal meaning as ‘a bullet’, 
and it is how Javanese culture mentions it. 
Moreover, dudujodone itself is an analogized 
interpretation of a couple who failed in a love 
relationship or failed to reach the level of 
marriage. Thus, Indonesian people generally 
use this phrase to describe something that has 
nothing in common or does not match. 
 

(16) ST : Keceplukan paling itu. 
TT : Must've been an explosion. 

 
Keceplukanhas a literal meaning of 

‘explosion’, but the terms explain the voice 
effect; it refers to someone who got hit by an 
explosion and gets ear noises. It is a form of 
concern or empathy for someone, but the 
communicative value does not transfer, so the 
sense obtained in ST is very different from ST. 
The same thing also happened to data 17. The 
word Digombali means equivalent to 'teased', 
but the translator transfers it as 
'pranked'. Digombali itself has a mocking 

impression conveyed in the form of jokes in 
the social culture of the Javanese society. The 
ridicule is a form of intimacy in social 
interaction, and it is an act of seduction carried 
out by someone. It shows that the translator 
uses pragmatic equivalence to transfer the SL 
element.  

 
(17) ST : Digombali anak kecil. 

TT : Pranked by a kid. 
 

All translated versions of the data 14 to 17 
have a distinctive sound and meaning 
compared to the ST. The data 14 and 17, the 
translation emphasizes the equivalence of 
meaning. According to the classification of 
translation techniques by Molina and Albir 
(2002), there are two possibilities of 
techniques in translating the data 14 and 17, 
namely discursive creation or variation. The 
translator tries to emphasize the stylistic 
changes within a translation caused by 
unpredictable equivalence from the ST. 
Therefore, some linguistic elements and other 
necessary elements were changed to make the 
translation natural.  

On the other hand, in data 15 and 16, the 
translation technique may be literal or 
substitution. The translator changes the 
sentence structure without changing the 
words and language style but the 
paralinguistic elements (intonation or 
annunciation). It is characterized by the lexical 
equivalent given, so the translation feels more 
literal on TT. 

 

Material Culture 
 

According to the categorization of 
material culture by Newmark (1987), there is 
something that represents the material 
culture, such as clothes, housing, transport, 
and communications tools. The material 
culture found in the Battle of Surabaya movie is 
a staple food. 
 

(18) ST : Aku kembali ke desa kita, dan 
membantu nenek berjualan nasi 
tiwul. 
TT : I returned to our village, and 
helped grandmother help sell 
teawool. 

 



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The term nasi tiwul did not have meaning 
equivalence or literal meaning in TT, but the 
translator rendered it as Teawool. In 
Indonesian and Javanese culture, nasi tiwul is 
a dish made from processed cassava as a 
substitute for rice, typically made from grains 
(in Indonesian, it is called padi). The translator 
made an effort to convey the phrase's cultural 
significance before adapting it to the TT 
language style. The translator attempts to take 
a word or expression directly from another 
language and adapt it to the TT's spelling rules, 
similar to what Newmark (1987)does. 
However, this affects the translation results, 
and the similarities are more apparent in 
pronunciation than in meaning. Nevertheless, 
when attempting to translate tea wool to the 
ST again, the word becomes untranslatable.  

 

Ecology 
 

According to the categorization by 
Newmark (1987), something represents the 
Ecology, such as animals, plants, local winds, 
mountains, plains, etc. Ecological data found in 
this research are fauna and the local river. 

 

Fauna 
 

Plants will always have a place as a 
cultural characteristic. Regional differences 
and conditions enable a plant to only grow in a 
specific location and become iconic. As a 
maritime country, Indonesia has various types 
of fauna, one of which is also mentioned in 
the Battle of Surabaya movie. 

 
(19) ST : Ew, Musa, what is that?  

TT: Ew, bau apa ini ?  
ST : Daun Luntas. 
TL : Kalapani Leaf. 
 

The termsLuntas is a habitual Javanese 
culture in mentioning the Beluntas plant. 
Therefore, daun Luntas has a literal meaning as 
Beluntas leaf, or it could be described as the 
leaf of the Beluntas plant. However, in the 
Battle of Surabaya Movie, the translator 
translated the term daun Luntas as Kalapani 
leaf. Theoretically, the translation is similar to 
the adaptation technique, which provides an 
insight into the ST cultural elements alongside 
the TT cultural elements (Molina & Albir, 
2002).Meanwhile, in terms of the translation 

results, the researcher cannot confirm 
whether the translation results have been 
equivalence or not. When the researcher tried 
to trace the term, the researcher did not find 
any information regarding the Kalapani leaf 
referred to in the TT.  

 
On the other hand, Beluntas has the Latin 

name Pluchea Indica(KBBI Daring, 
2021).Another possibility, in this case, is the 
translator's attempt to show a perspective 
where a non-Indonesian person usually 
mentions the plant in the SL cultural 
environment.However, the translator's job is 
to provide additional information for 
unconfirmed terms either in ST or TT. 

 

River 
 

The river has become one of the iconic 
cultures of a nation. Some countries even have 
very famous rivers, such as the Ganges in India, 
which gives the characteristic of the Hindu 
religious culture there. However, in this study, 
the data found are local rivers that 
characterize a region. 
 

(20) ST : Jalanan menuju Kaliasin dan 
beberapa tempat di jaga ketat. 
TT : The roads to Kaliasin and 
other places are strictly guarded. 
 

(21) ST : Pihak sekutu selain di Kalisoso 
mereka juga memaksa 
membebaskan tahanan di 
wonokitri. 
TT : The allied forces who freed 
prisoners from Kalisoso have also 
broken into Huano Kitri Prison. 

 
Kalasin and Kalisoso in the data above 

refer to a river located in the Surabaya area, 
Indonesia. The names of the two rivers 
themselves are used as location markers and 
conditions around the river area. Referring to 
the categorization of the translation 
techniques of Molina and Albir(2002), the 
words of Kalasin and Kalisoso are rendered 
using the pure borrowing technique. In the SL 
grammatical rules, the term consists of two 
words. For example, the 
word Kaliasin consists of kali (river) 
and asin (salty), but the word is pronounced as 
one word. In general, the translator can also 



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provide a view of meaning as the salty river, 
but the translation will feel stiff if it is done. 

 

Organization 
 

The category of social organization is a 
classification of cultural categories consisting 
of regional organizational terms such as 
political, religious, artistic, and 
other(Newmark, 1987). There are two types of 
data that the researchers found in this aspect, 
namely Art and Institution. 
 

Art 
 

Art is generally born from a certain 
community environment that provides an 
overview of the culture of a society. 
Researchers found data in films categorized by 
Newmark (1987) as Traditional Musical Arts. 

 
(22) ST : …oleh bung Tomo adalah 

dengan lagu-lagu keroncong yang 
menjadi kuncinya. 
TT : ...  by Mr. Sutomo and the 
Kirong Chong Songs are the key. 

 
Keroncong is a traditional musical art that 

combines several musical elements such as big 
guitar and small guitar, flute, and vocals. In 
the Battle of Surabaya movie itself, the role of 
the keroncong song uses as a code for military 
activity. The term Keroncong was translated 
into Kirong Chong, implementing the loan-
word style and some lexical changes. The 
translation style with borrowed words is a 
method that several well-known translators, 
such as Vinay &Dalbernet(1969),called 
borrowing. On the other hand, 
Newmark(1987) called it naturalization, the 
simple changes of the words to give the 
equivalence of spelling in TT culture. It shows 
that every culture has different problematic 
pronunciations when spelling some 
vocabularies. 

 
In contrast to the case of river names, 

when two words were made into one word, in 
this case, one word was made into two words. 
As the solution, the translator adjusts how the 
word is pronounced by foreigners when 
pronouncing these terms. The modifications 
made by the translator demonstrate that the 
context beyond the conversation is also 

important to them. Different cultures and how 
the foreign culture develops in the SL cultural 
environment are considered by the translator. 

 

Institution 
 
During the colonial period, there were so 

many institutions in Indonesia represented in 
the Battle of Surabaya movie itself that 
researchers found data identified as a foreign 
organization that was speaking with a sense of 
the local language. 
 

(23) ST : Tuan dibunuh Kenil. 
TT : He was killed by Kinil. 

 
Kenil is a Javanese call addressed to 

the KNIL soldiers during the colonial period in 
Indonesia. The word kenil is translated to kinil. 
The translator gives a perspective on how the 
foreign spell it to give the impression of 
naturalness in the TT. It is similar to 
Newmark's (1987)naturalization technique, 
whereas the translator provides word views 
with cultural elements. However, translation 
results still show that the sense of culture 
refers to SL rather than TT. The translator 
intends this to provide a situational sense 
when the conversation is carried out so that 
viewers can feel the same sense as consumers 
of the SL in understanding the conversation. 

 

Gestures and Habbits 
 

This category is closely related to the 
socio-cultural context in the ST and TT because 
every part of the human body has a function to 
communicate various meanings. In this aspect, 
the researcher finds data related to a habit. 
 

(24) ST : Musa, kamu ngintip. 
TT : Musa, you're peeping. 

 
Ngintip is habitual Javanese culture to say 

peeping. In Indonesian, the word ngintip is 
mengintip (KBBI Daring, 2021), while its legal 
translation in TT is peeping(Oxford Learners 
Dictionaries, 2021). In this instance, the 
selected meaning is accompanied by a formal 
reference. Nida & Taber (1969)referred to this 
translation as a formal equivalent, which 
describes the appropriateness of the function 
and meaning of words. If two words or phrases 
have been legalized in both languages, it is 



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455 

 

customary to use a dictionary to determine 
their equivalence. 

 

Conclusion 
 

This research has a limited scope and 
provides an overview of the translation 
process of the Indonesian cultural terms in 
the Battle of Surabaya movie.The researcher 
uses translation theory as an analytical tool 
and a reference in describing the results. 
Analysis result of the Battle of Surabaya movie 
revealed that 24 vocabularies comprise 
Indonesianculture.Each cultural term spread 
in every aspect, such as Socio culture found 17 
data or 71% of the total existing data, Material 
culture only found 1 data, Ecology 3 data, 
Organization 2 data, Gesture or habits also 1 
data.These results indicate that the socio-
cultural aspect is the aspect that appears the 
most in the Battle of Surabaya movie; it shows 
that a socio-culturecontinues to grow and 
develop.It becomes the translator's duty to 
show on the TT how the cultural nuances of ST. 
. 

This study found that foreign cultures can 
grow in local culture and even become part of 
the local culture. It happens because foreign 
cultures have been in the local culture for a 
long time and have become a part of the local 
culture itself. It can be indicated by the 
emergence of several loanwords that appear in 
foreign language cultures, such as in the 
pronunciation of place names, mention of an 
organization, traditional arts, calling someone, 
or other things. The emergence of these 
loanwords begins with cultural differences 
that do not have a defined meaning. However, 
in their pronunciation, the words or phrases 
are difficult to pronounce correctly, so in 
dealing with these problems, loanwords 
appear, and the pronunciation is adapted to 
foreign cultures. The translator may 
intentionally translate the term by using the 
naturalization technique. Then the dubber can 
show as naturally as possible how a foreigner 
pronounces the term, even though the term's 
pronunciation is not correct as in local 
pronunciation. It shows that the translator 
tried to bring out the ST culture that could be 
understandable in TT culture.Besides, the 
translator's different ways of translating 
cultural terms are a form to provide meanings 
equivalence between ST and TT.It shows that 

each culture has its way of conveying it, and it 
is the translator’s job to bridge that gap. 

 
In addition, the researcher discovered that 

not all terms were translated into TT, both 
textually and semantically. However, in terms 
of context or the essence of the terms 
themselves, they are still conveyed in more 
general words or sentences. Some terms that 
are not given an equivalent outside of the text 
and sense tend to have negative connotations, 
and the text or sense is omitted from the 
cultural term itself. The non-translation of 
terms has a negative connotation and makes 
the text straightforward, which the purpose of 
the movie itself can cause. In addition to 
containing cultural content, the Battle of 
Surabaya movie is a historical struggle of the 
Indonesian people, which is intended for 
consumption by children. It is feared that 
children tend to focus on the negative context 
rather than cultural values and messages of 
struggle. That may be the translator's 
consideration not to transfer the negative 
culture. 

 
Researchers discovered additional 

findings regarding the meaning of the cultural 
term outside the translation context. 
Generally, a cultural term at the word or 
phrase level can be found in bilingual 
dictionaries, whereas cultural terms in idioms 
are frequently challenging to locate. It could 
occur because the term may only be known 
and passed down orally from one generation 
to the next within a culture. Therefore, from 
the researcher's perspective, it is necessary to 
have a glossary of cultural terms for culture, 
especially in Indonesia, which is rich in 
cultural diversity. In addition to assisting the 
translator in providing the equivalent meaning 
of cultural terms, the glossary could also use by 
language and culture students as a learning 
tool. 

 
This research opens the gate for further 

research for researchers interested in 
exploring the history of cultural terms. The 
terms that contribute to the development of 
regional language culture or cultural term that 
is disappearing along with the transition to an 
increasingly modern era or eroded by foreign 
cultures.Language culture or socio-culture can 
have a positive or negative effect, determined 



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by the community’s attitude and the 
environment itself. Further research can also 
dig deeper into this matter or the history of 
cultural vocabularies used as equivalent 
meanings. In terms of meaning, translators can 
also use and study so that mistakes such as 
losing track of the view of meaning can be 
avoided (for example, case number 19). 

 
 
 
 
 

 
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