p-ISSN: 2252-6323 

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 RAINBOW Vol. 9 (1) 2020 

Journal of Literature, Linguistics and  

Cultural Studies 
https://journal.unnes.ac.id/sju/index.php/rainbow 

 

The Use Of Newmark’s Translation Methods in Translating Forman’s Novel “I 

Was Here” From English into Indonesian 

Wulan Shabitah 🖂, Rudi Hartono 

English Department, Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Indonesia 

Article Info Abstract  

Article History: 

Received  

3 March 2020 

Approved  

16 March 2020  

Published  

30 April 2020  

 

This research is aimed to find out and describe the use of Newmark’s translation 

methods in translating Gayle Forman’s novel I Was Here from English into 

Indonesian. Qualitative approach is applied because the data of this research are 

in the form of words, phrases, and sentences. The data of this research are taken 

from Gayle Forman’s novel I Was Here and its Indonesian translation by Poppy 

D. Chusfani. There are 1629 dialogue sentences data taken from the novel. In 

this research, the researcher collects and analyzes the data through examining 

documents. The data are collected by marking the dialogue sentences in both 

novels and put them into a table of observation. In doing the analysis, the 

researcher compares the dialogue sentences in both novels. The analysis of the 

translation methods is based on Pieter Newmark’s classification of translation 

methods. The findings of the research show that there are seven out of eight 

translation methods proposed by Newmark used. They are word-for-word 

translation method, literal translation method, faithful translation method, 

semantic translation method, free translation method, idiomatic translation 

method, and communicative translation method. Based on the frequency of the 

translation method used in translating the dialogue sentences of the novel which 

is free translation method shows that the translator wants to make the content 

and language of the translated text are acceptable and understandable for the 

target language (Indonesian) readers.  

© 2020 Universitas Negeri Semarang 

Keywords: dialogue sentences, I 

Was Here, novel, translation 

methods 

🖂 E-mail:  wulanshaa97@gmail.com 

 

mailto:devitanormalisa3@gmail.com


 
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INTRODUCTION 

One of the most important aspects in 

human’s life is language. Banga and Suri (2015) 

say, “language is man’s finest asset.” (p.181) 

Reddy (2016) states that human beings use 

language as the means of communication. 

Language is the medium by which a person 

communicates his thoughts and feelings to his 

fellow men. It is the tool with which he conducts 

his business in society. It is a vehicle by which 

different subject matters are transmitted. 

Language and communication are two 

aspects that are interrelated. Sirbu (2015) states, 

“the significance of communication between 

people equates the significance of language.” 

(p.405) Language as our first means of 

communication helps us to interact, cooperate, 

and get along with one another to do our 

activities and get our needs. Without language we 

cannot communicate with people.  

There are many languages in the world. 

Language barrier is the most common 

communication barrier which causes 

misunderstanding and misinterpretation between 

people. According to Kumbakonam (2016) 

communication barrier is anything that prevents 

us from receiving and understanding the 

messages others use to convey their information, 

ideas, and thoughts. Language barrier occurs 

when people do not speak the same language or 

do not have the same level of ability in a 

language. The fact that each region has its own 

language is one of the barriers which causes 

communication process becomes ineffective. 

Communication becomes difficult when two 

people speak two different languages so that they 

do not understand each other. The ignorance 

toward the language used during the 

communication causes communication process 

becomes ineffective. If the sender and the receiver 

of the message use different language that is not 

understood by the receiver of the message, the 

messages or information that is being conveyed 

cannot be received clearly and accurately. This 

inaccuracy can sometimes cause 

misunderstandings and misinterpretations that 

lead to conflict. Therefore, a mediator is needed 

to connect multilingual communication.  

Translation is a very effective solution in 

overcoming language barrier. The variety of 

language with different culture and necessity of 

communication in human life causes translation 

to be a very effective factor in communication, 

exchanging culture, and knowledge (Abbasi et 

al., 2012). According to Hatim and Ian (2005) 

translation is an act of communication which 

attempts to relay, across cultural and linguistic 

boundaries, another act of communication 

(which may have been intended for different 

purposes and different readers/hearers).  

Translation plays an important role in crossing 

different cultures and communication. 

Translation acts as a bridge to communicate all 

kinds of languages especially those similar to each 

other considering their linguistic features and 

cultural customs in all parts of the world (Abbasi 

et al., 2012). Translation can be used as an 

alternative way if we do not master a foreign 

language. We can understand everything in a 

foreign language through its translation without 

having to refer to the original language. 

Translation can be a moderator in multilingual 

communication by converting one language into 

another. 

According to Larson (1998) translation is 

transferring the meaning of the source language 

into the receptor language. This is done by going 

form to form of the first language to the form of a 

second language by way of semantic structure. It 

is meaning which is being transferred and must be 

held constant. This means that translation is not 

only an activity of changing the form of language 

but also a process of transferring messages or 

information contained in a language into another 

language. The job of translators is not only 

converting the language but also delivering 

message or information from the source language 

into the target language. In this case, translators 

become the agent that allows the message or 

information of a source language text to be well 

understood by the readers in the target language.  



 
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Translation is done to make us easy in 

understanding the message or information 

contained in foreign language texts, thus 

translators should produce clear and accurate 

translation so that the message or information 

contained in the source language can be received 

well by target language users. It is not easy to 

produce clear and accurate translations because 

in translation process translators must find 

difficulties. According to Siregar (2016) 

translation involves at least two languages known 

as source language and target language. The 

source language is the language used in the 

material (text) to be translated, while the target 

language is the language in which the meaning is 

transferred (p.3). The differences between the 

source language system and the target language 

system can cause difficulties in translation. 

Soemarno (1991) as cited in Shifa (2013) states 

that the difficulties that are often faced by 

translators are difficulties in the analyzing and 

understanding the source language, difficulties in 

the process of transferring, difficulties in finding 

the target language equivalents, and difficulties in 

restructuring the transferred material to get the 

best result of the translation.  

According to Hartono (2017) finding the 

equivalent meanings is the main difficulty in 

doing translation. The general problems in 

translation are choosing the appropriate words 

and finding the equivalent meaning of 

expressions from the source language into the 

target language. In translation process, 

translators have to deal with two different 

languages which have different structure and 

translators must concern themselves to find the 

target language equivalents. Soemarno (2003) in 

Fienso (2005) says that finding the equivalent 

meanings is not easy because sometimes there are 

expressions in source language that are difficult to 

translate or even untranslatable. This means 

translators must have a special skill and method 

to find the terms of the source language that fits 

and equivalent with the context, purpose, and the 

culture of the target language users.  

To produce a good translation, translators 

must have good translation methods. Molina and 

Albir (2002) cited in Nafisah et al. (2018) state 

that translation method refers to the way of a 

particular translation process that is carried out in 

terms of the translator’s objective, i’e., a global 

option that affects the whole texts. Translation 

method is a method used by the translator in the 

translation process in accordance with its 

purpose. It means that the result of the translation 

is largely determined by the translation method 

adopted by the translator because the intent and 

purpose of the translator will influence the result 

of the overall translation result. It is necessary to 

decide what method will be used during 

translation process since the result of the 

translation is affected by the translation methods 

used by the translator. 

Considering the importance of translation 

methods in doing translation, the researcher is 

interested to conduct a research about translation 

methods used in translating English novels into 

Indonesian. 

The researcher is interested to conduct a 

research about translation methods used in 

translating English novels into Indonesian 

because nowadays translated novels are 

increasing prevalently in Indonesia. Nowadays 

many English novels have been translated into 

Indonesian and vice versa. Translating novel is 

different from translating other texts. Translating 

novel is more difficult than translating other texts. 

This is because the language used in novel is 

different from the language used in other texts. 

Novel as a literary work contain literary devices 

and idiomatic expressions that are not easy to 

translate. Translated novel is the imitation 

product of the original novel, thus translating 

novel must be like retelling the content of the 

original novel. Translating novel is aimed to 

make the readers who cannot understand English 

can read and enjoy the content of the novel 

through its translation. The result of translation 

should not be rigid, but flexible so that it is easy 

and interesting to read. 

In relation with the analysis of translation 

methods in translating English novels into 

Indonesian, the researcher finds some researches 

about translation method that have been 



 
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conducted by several researchers, those are: 

Susain (2013) who conducts a research which is 

aimed at finding the translation methods used to 

translate the idioms in Kinney’s comic novel 

Diary of A Wimpy Kid, Dewi (2019) who conducts 

a research which is focused in analyzing the use 

of translation methods to translate idioms and 

personification in Carroll’s novel Alice’s 

Adventures in Wonderland, and Hasanah (2019) 

who conducts a research which is aimed to 

identify the translation methods used in 

translating the utterances in Steel’s novel Daddy. 

In general these previous researches talk 

about the translation methods used in translating 

English novels into Indonesian. The differences 

between these previous researches lie on the 

object and focus of the research. They use novels 

from different titles and authors as the object of 

the research.  

The difference between the previous 

researches and this research lies on the object and 

focus of the research. This research deals with the 

analysis of translation methods used by Poppy D. 

Chusfani in translating Gayle Forman’s novel I 

Was Here from English into Indonesian and it is 

focused on the translation of the dialogues 

sentences in the novel. 

I Was Here is one of popular English young 

adult novels that have been translated into 

Indonesian. I Was Here is an English novel written 

by an American author Gayle Forman. The novel 

was first published on January 27th, 2015 by 

Viking, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA). 

This novel has been translated into Indonesian 

Aku Pernah di Sini by Poppy D. Chusfani and 

published by PT. Gramedia Pustaka Utama in 

February 2016. The novel is interesting to discuss 

because it is a young adult novel. The characters 

of the novel are young adults and the story deals 

with the lives of city teenagers. The sentences 

used in the dialogue of the novel also use 

colloquialism and slang which are usually used 

by young adults. The researcher sees that there 

are various translation methods used by the 

translator to translate the novel. According to that 

fact, the researcher is interested in finding out the 

translation methods used in translating the 

dialogue sentences of the novel. 

METHODS  

This research is a descriptive-qualitative 

research. According to Mujiyanto (2011) 

qualitative research tries to reveal a phenomenon 

comprehensively and appropriate with the 

context through natural data collection 

employing the researcher as the key instrument of 

the research. Ezeah (2004) cited in Nwankwo 

(2010) sees qualitative research as basically 

involving data in the form of words, pictures, 

descriptions, or narratives which are collected 

where few cases are involved. According to 

Creswell (2014) qualitative researchers typically 

gather multiple forms of data such as interviews, 

observations, documents, and audiovisual 

information rather than rely on a single data 

source.  

This research is classified to be a 

qualitative research because the data for this 

research are in the form of words, phrases, and 

sentences. In this research, the researcher collects 

and analyzes the data through examining 

documents. The data for this research are 

dialogue sentences taken directly from I Was Here 

novel by Gayle Forman and its Indonesian 

translation Aku Pernah di Sini by Poppy D. 

Chusfani. There are 1629 dialogue sentences data 

taken from the novel. The data are collected by 

marking the dialogue sentence in both novels and 

put them into a table of observation. In doing the 

analysis, the researcher compares the source 

language text version with the text in target 

language version. The researcher compares the 

dialogue sentences in I Was Here novel and Aku 

Pernah di Sini novel. 

The analysis of the translation methods is 

based on Pieter Newmark’s classification of 

translation methods. According to Newmark 

(1988) there are eight translation methods which 

are divided into two groups. First is translation 

methods that are emphasized to the source 

language and second is translation methods that 

are emphasized to the target language. 



 
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Translation methods that are emphasized to the 

source language are word-for-word translation, 

literal translation, faithful translation and 

semantic translation, while four methods that are 

emphasized to the target language are adaptation, 

free translation, idiomatic translation, and 

communicative translation.  

In this research the researcher applies 

descriptive method. The descriptive method is 

used because the finding and discussion of this 

research are explained using descriptive 

explanation. Descriptive method is used to 

explain the reasons why the sentences are 

included into each translation method. 

Library research method is also applied in 

this research. Library research is a research in 

which the way of collecting data is taken from a 

variety of literatures such as books, articles, and 

internet websites. Library research method is 

used to support the researcher in finding the data 

from secondary source.  

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS  

The findings of the analysis show that there 

are seven out of eight translation methods 

proposed by Newmark used in translating the 

dialogue sentences in I Was Here novel from 

English into Indonesian. They are word-for-word 

translation, literal translation, faithful translation, 

semantic translation, free translation, idiomatic 

translation, and communicative translation.  

After finding translation methods, the 

reason why the sentences are included into each 

translation method will be explained 

descriptively. The explanation is based on the 

result of the analysis and the theory used in the 

research. Below are the explanations of the 

reason why the sentences are included into each 

translation method. 

 

Word-for-word Translation Method 

According to Newmark (1988) in word-

for-word translation method the target language 

words are immediately put below the source 

language words. The source language word order 

is preserved and the words are translated singly 

by their most common meanings, out of context. 

Cultural words are translated literally (p.45). 

Below are some examples of dialogue sentences 

in the novel which are translated using word-for-

word translation method. 

SL: “Can you stay?” 

TL: “Bisakah kau tinggal?” 

BT: “Can you stay?” 

(Datum 31) 

The source language sentence above is 

translated using word-for-word translation 

method because the words in the sentence above 

are translated singly by their most common 

meanings and the target language words are 

immediately put below the source language 

words so that the words in the target language 

have the same grammatical construction with the 

source language. For more details, the 

explanation of datum above can be illustrated as 

below: 

Can you stay? 

Bisakah kau tinggal? 

The word ‘can’ is translated to ‘bisa’ but 

since the sentence is an interrogative sentence, the 

word is then translated to ‘bisakah’ which means 

questioning if someone is able to do something. 

The word ‘you’ is translated to ‘kamu’ and the 

word ‘stay’ is translated to ‘tinggal’. The result of 

the translation is acceptable and understandable 

because it fits Indonesian grammatical structure. 

SL: “Except for herself.” 

TL: “Kecuali untuk dirinya sendiri.” 

BT: “Except for herself.” 

(Datum 234) 

The source language sentence above is 

translated using word-for-word translation 

method because the words in the sentence above 

are translated singly by their most common 

meanings and the target language words are 

immediately put below the source language 

words so that the words in the target language 

have the same grammatical construction with the 

source language. For more details, the 

explanation of datum above can be illustrated as 

below: 



 
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Except For herself. 

Kecuali untuk 
dirinya 

sendiri. 

The word ‘except’ is translated to ‘kecuali’, 

the word ‘for’ is translated to ’untuk’, and the 

word ‘herself’ is translated to ‘dirinya sendiri’. The 

result of the translation is acceptable and 

understandable because it fits Indonesian 

grammatical structure. 

SL: “We can play solitaire,” 

TL: “Kita bisa main solitaire,” 

BT: “We can play solitaire,” 

(Datum 332) 

The source language sentence above is 

translated using word-for-word translation 

method because the words in the sentence above 

are translated singly by their most common 

meanings and the target language words are 

immediately put below the source language 

words so that the words in the target language 

have the same grammatical construction with the 

source language. For more details, the 

explanation of datum above can be illustrated as 

below: 

We can Play solitaire. 

Kita bisa Main solitaire. 

The word ‘we’ is translated to ‘kita’, the 

word ‘can’ is translated to ‘bisa’, the word ‘play’ 

is translated to ‘main’, and the word ‘solitaire’ is 

kept translated to ‘solitaire’ because it is a name of 

game. The result of the translation is acceptable 

and understandable because it fits Indonesian 

grammatical structure. 

SL: “We could watch TV,” 

TL: “Kita bisa nonton TV,” 

BT: "We could watch TV," 

(Datum 453) 

The source language sentence above is 

translated using word-for-word translation 

method because the words in the sentence above 

are translated singly by their most common 

meanings and the target language words are 

immediately put below the source language 

words so that the words in the target language 

have the same grammatical construction with the 

source language. For more details, the 

explanation of datum above can be illustrated as 

below: 

We could watch TV. 

Kita bisa nonton TV. 

The word ‘we’ is translated to ‘kita’, the 

word ‘could’ is translated to ‘bisa’, the word 

‘watch’ is translated to ‘nonton’, and the word 

‘TV’ is translated to ‘TV’. The result of the 

translation is acceptable and understandable 

because it fits Indonesian grammatical structure. 

SL: “Live fast, die young.” 

TL: “Hidup cepat, mati muda.” 

BT: “Live fast, die young.” 

(Datum 467) 

The source language sentence above is 

translated using word-for-word translation 

method because the words in the sentence above 

are translated singly by their most common 

meanings and the target language words are 

immediately put below the source language 

words so that the words in the target language 

have the same grammatical construction with the 

source language. For more details, the 

explanation of datum above can be illustrated as 

below: 

Live fast, die young. 

Hidup cepat, mati muda. 

The word ‘live’ is translated to ‘hidup’, the 

word ‘fast’ is translated to ‘cepat’, the word ‘die’ is 

translated to ‘mati’, and the word ‘young’ is 

translated to ‘muda’. The result of the translation 

is acceptable and understandable because it fits 

Indonesian grammatical structure. 

 
Literal Translation Method 

According to Newmark (1988) in literal 

translation method the source language 

grammatical constructions are converted to their 

nearest target language equivalents but the lexical 

words are again translated singly out of context 

(p.45). Below are some examples of dialogue 

sentences in the novel which are translated using 

literal translation method. 

SL: “All my nice clothes are dirty.” 

TL: ”Semua bajuku yang bagus kotor.” 

BT: “All my nice clothes are dirty.” 



 
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(Datum 5) 

The source language text above is 

translated using literal translation method since 

the translator translates the words in the text 

singly and literally from the source language into 

the target language and then she converts the 

grammatical structure of the sentence into 

Indonesian grammatical structure.  

The phrase ‘all my nice clothes’ are 

translated literally to ‘semua bajuku yang bagus’ 

according to Indonesian grammatical structure 

that is noun followed by modifier. The result of 

the translation is acceptable, understandable, and 

natural since it fits Indonesian grammatical 

structure. 

SL: “Yeah. Horses can smell fear.” 

TL: ”Yeah. Kuda bisa mengendus rasa takut.” 

BT: “Yeah. Horses can smell fear.” 

(Datum 145) 

The source language text above is 

translated using literal translation method since 

the translator translates the words in the text 

singly and literally from the source language into 

the target language and then she converts the 

grammatical structure of the sentence into 

Indonesian grammatical structure.  

The words ‘horses’ and ‘fear’ are translated 

literally to ‘kuda’ and ‘rasa takut’ so that they are 

natural. The result of the translation is acceptable, 

understandable, and natural since it fits 

Indonesian grammatical structure. 

SL: “You obviously don’t know what 

you’re talking about.” 

TL: ”Jelas sekali kau tidak tahu apa yang kau 

bicarakan.” 

BT: "Obviously you don't know what 

you're talking about." 

(Datum 201) 

The source language text above is 

translated using literal translation method since 

the translator translates the words in the text 

singly and literally from the source language into 

the target language and then she converts the 

grammatical structure of the sentence into 

Indonesian grammatical structure.  

The phrase ‘what you’re talking about’ is 

translated literally to ‘apa yang kau bicarakan’ to 

make it more natural. The translator moves the 

adverb ‘jelas sekali’ in the beginning of the 

sentence to emphasize the meaning that one of 

the dialogue speakers does not really know what 

he or she is talking about. The result of the 

translation is acceptable, understandable, and 

natural since it fits Indonesian grammatical 

structure. 

SL: “We discussed it, and we want you to 

have it.” 

TL: ”Kami sudah mendiskusikannya, dan 

kami ingin kau memilikinya.” 

BT: “We discussed it, and we want you to 

have it.” 

(Datum 301) 

The source language text above is 

translated using literal translation method since 

the translator translates the words in the text 

singly and literally from the source language into 

the target language and then she converts the 

grammatical structure of the sentence into 

Indonesian grammatical structure.  

The phrase ‘discussed it’ is translated 

literally to ‘sudah mendiskusikannya’. The word 

‘discussed’ indicates past tense which means it 

has already happened or done so that it is 

translated into Indonesian becomes ‘sudah 

mendiskusikannya’. The phrase ‘to have it’ is 

translated literally to ‘memilikinya’ not ‘untuk 

memilikinya’ to make it more natural. The result 

of the translation is acceptable, understandable 

and natural since it fits Indonesian grammatical 

structure. 

SL: “I know. We talked last week.” 

TL: ”Aku tahu. Kami bicara minggu lalu.” 

BT: "I know. We talked last week." 

(Datum 1628) 

The source language text above is 

translated using literal translation method since 

the translator translates the words in the text 

singly and literally from the source language into 

the target language and then she converts the 

grammatical structure of the sentence into 

Indonesian grammatical structure.  

The phrase ‘last week’ in the source 

language text above is translated literally to 

‘minggu lalu’. The grammatical construction of 



 
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the source language text above has been changed 

into Indonesian grammatical structure that is 

noun followed by modifier. The result of the 

translation is acceptable and understandable 

since it fits Indonesian grammatical structure. 

 
Faithful Translation Method 

According to Newmark (1988) faithful 

translation attempts to reproduce the precise 

contextual meaning of the original within the 

constraints of the target language grammatical 

structures. It transfers cultural words and 

preserves the degree of grammatical and lexical 

abnormality (deviation from source language 

norms) in the translation. It attempts to be 

completely faithful to the intentions and the text-

realisation of the source language writer (p.45). 

Below are some examples of dialogue sentences 

in the novel which are translated using faithful 

translation method. 

SL: “Sue? Are you joking? That woman is 

floating in space on a good day,” 

TL: “Sue? Kau bercanda? Di hari-hari biasa 

saja perempuan itu  kelihatan di awang-awang,” 

BT: “Sue? Are you joking? On normal days 

that woman is floating in space,” 

(Datum 18) 

The sentence above is translated using 

faithful translation method since the translator 

preserves the phrase ‘floating in space’. The 

phrase is translated faithfully to ‘kelihatan di 

awang-awang’ which is rigid and weird. The result 

of the translation is unacceptable and the 

meaning cannot be understood so that it needs to 

be fixed. 

SL: “We’ve been holding weekly support 

groups for those impacted by Megan’s death. If 

you’d care to join us for one, there’s another 

gathering coming up.” 

TL: ”Kami mengadakan kelompok dukungan 

seminggu sekali bagi orang-orang yang terkena 

dampak atas kematian Megan. Kalau kau ingin ikut, 

akan ada acara kumpul kumpul lagi.” 

BT: “We hold once a week support groups 

for people impacted by Megan’s death. If you 

want to join, there will be a gathering again.” 

(Datum 53) 

The sentence above is translated using 

faithful translation method since the translator 

preserves the phrase ‘weekly support groups’. The 

phrase is translated to ‘kelompok dukungan 

seminggu sekali’. Even though it is understandable, 

but it is rigid and ineffective. The phrase can be 

translated literally to ‘kelompok dukungan 

mingguan’ so that it will be more natural and 

effective. 

 
Semantic Translation Method 

According to Newmark (1988) semantic 

translation takes more account of the aesthetic 

value (that is, the beautiful and natural sounds of 

the source language text, compromising on 

meaning where appropriate so that no assonance, 

word-play or repetition jars in the finished 

version). Further, it may translate less important 

cultural words by culturally neutral third or 

functional terms but not by cultural equivalents 

and it may make other small concessions to the 

readership (p.45). Below are some examples of 

dialogue sentences in the novel which are 

translated using semantic translation method. 

SL: “And if you can get the time off work.” 

TL: ”Dan kalau kau bisa cuti dari pekerjaan.” 

BT: “And if you can leave the work.” 

(Datum 45) 

The phrase ‘get the time off work’ is 

translated to ‘cuti dari pekerjaan’ because they have 

equivalent meaning. The phrase ‘get off’ means 

stop doing something so that the phrase ‘get the 

time off work’ has meaning to stop from working. 

In the context of the sentence above the phrase 

‘get the time off work’ is translated to ‘cuti dari 

pekerjaan’. 

SL: “I’ve got to be up in the morning,” 

TL: ”Aku harus bangun pagi,” 

BT: "I’ve to wake up in the morning," 

(Datum 159) 

The phrase ‘be up in the morning’ the 

source language sentence above is translated to 

‘bangun pagi’ because the phrase semantically 

means wake up from sleep in the morning.  

SL: “Oh. I’m at work.” 

TL: ”Oh. Aku sedang bekerja.” 

BT: "Oh. I am working." 



 
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(Datum 931) 

The clause ‘I’m at work’ is translated to 

‘aku sedang bekerja’ because they have equivalent 

meaning. The clause ‘I’m at work’ means that we 

are doing our job or busy doing a particular 

activity. Being at work means that we are 

working or engaged in work. 

SL: “When do you have to be back by?” 

TL: ”Kapan kau harus pulang?” 

BT: "When do you have to go home?" 

(Datum 1237) 

The phrase ‘to be back by’ semantically 

means return and it has equivalent meaning with 

‘pulang’ in Indonesian. 

SL: “Here, we’re off the highway now. 

Direct me.” 

TL: ”Nah, kita sudah keluar tol sekarang. 

Arahkan aku.” 

BT: "Now, we have exited the high way 

now. Direct me. " 

(Datum 1268) 

The context of sentence is both speakers 

are moving away from the highway. The clause 

‘we’re off the highway’ is translated to ‘kita sudah 

keluar tol’ because they have equivalent meaning 

that indicates that both speaker have exited and 

are moving away from the highway. 

 
Free Translation Method 

According to Newmark (1988) free 

translation reproduces the matter without the 

manner, or the content without the form of the 

original. Usually it is a paraphrase much longer 

than the original, a so-called intralingual 

translation, often prolix and pretentious, and not 

translation at all (p.45). Below are some examples 

of dialogue sentences in the novel which are 

translated using free translation method. 

SL: “Richard, she has to pack up all that 

stuff. I don’t think she wants to be stoned.” 

TL: ”Richard, dia harus mengepak semua 

barang itu. Kurasa dia tidak kepengin mabuk.” 

BT: "Richard, she has to pack all that 

goods. I think she doesn’t want to get drunk." 

(Datum 78) 

The sentence ‘I don’t think she wants to be 

stoned’ is translated using free translation method 

because the translator paraphrases and only 

transfers the main idea of the sentence. The 

sentence ‘I don’t think she wants to be stoned’ 

means that the speaker of the dialogue thinks that 

someone does not want to get drunk, so that it is 

translated to ‘kurasa dia tidak kepengin mabuk’. 

SL: “You can’t play solitaire with two 

people, that’s why it’s called solitaire.” 

TL: ”Solitaire tidak bisa dimainkan dua orang, 

itulah sebabnya dinamakan solitaire.” 

BT: "Solitaire cannot be played by two 

people, that is why it is called solitaire." 

(Datum 333) 

The sentence ‘I don’t think she wants to be 

stoned’ is translated using free translation method 

because the translator paraphrases and only 

transfers the main idea of the sentence. The 

clause ‘you can’t play solitaire with two people’ 

has the same idea with solitaire cannot be played 

by to people. That is why it is translated to 

‘solitaire tidak bisa dimainkan dua orang’. 

SL: “Hey, Cody. Where you been hiding?” 

TL: ”Hei, Cody. Ke mana saja kau?” 

BT: "Hey, Cody. Where have you been?" 

(Datum 361) 

The source language text above is 

translated using free translation method because 

in translating the clause the translator 

paraphrases and only transfers the main idea of 

the sentence. The clause ‘where you been hiding’ 

is translated freely to ‘ke mana saja kau’ because 

the translator only deliver the idea of the sentence 

that the speaker is asking someone where she or 

he has been. The speaker has not met that person 

as if that person has been hiding. 

SL: “What are you doing Saturday night?” 

TL: ”Kau ada acara Sabtu malam?” 

BT: “Do you have any plan at Saturday 

night?” 

(Datum 1039) 

The source language text above is 

translated using free translation method because 

in translating the sentence the translator 

paraphrases and only transfers the main idea of 

the sentence. The idea of the sentence is the 

speaker of the dialogue asks if someone has any 

plan at Saturday night because he or she wants to 



 
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invite the person to go somewhere. That is why 

the sentence ‘what are you doing Saturday night’ 

is translated to ‘kau ada acara Sabtu malam’. 

SL: “So long as it’s a separate floor from 

McCallister.” 

TL: ”Selama berada di lantai yang berbeda 

dengan McCallister.” 

BT: "As long as in different floor from 

McCallister." 

(Datum 1557) 

The source language text above is 

translated using free translation method because 

in translating the sentence the translator 

paraphrases and only transfers the main idea of 

the sentence. The idea of the sentence is the 

speaker of the dialogue does not want to be in the 

same floor as someone, he or she wants to be in 

different floor with someone. The phrase 

‘separate room’ is translated freely to ‘lantai yang 

berbeda’ because they have equivalent meaning. 

 

Idiomatic Translation Method 

According to Newmark (1988) idiomatic 

translation reproduces the message of the original 

but tends to distort nuances of meaning by 

preferring colloquialisms and idioms where these 

do not exist in the original (p.45). Below are some 

examples of dialogue sentences in the novel 

which are translated using idiomatic translation 

method. 

SL: “How are you holding up, 

Runtmeyer?” 

TL: ”Bagaimana keadaanmu, Runtmeyer?” 

BT: "How are you, Runtmeyer?" 

(Datum 21) 

The expression ‘how are you holding up, 

Runtmeyer’ above is translated to ‘bagaimana 

kabarmu, Runtmeyer’ because they have 

equivalent meaning. The expression ‘how are you 

holding up’ is an expression which is usually 

asked to someone who has been going through a 

difficulty. This expression has the same meaning 

as ‘how are you’ and ‘are you okay’. In the 

context of the sentence above it has the same 

meaning as ‘how are you or ‘bagaimana kabarmu’ 

in Indonesian. 

SL: “I’m here to take you up on your offer 

to kick my butt,” 

TL: ”Aku datang ke sini menerima 

tantanganmu untuk menendang bokongku,” 

BT: "I come here to accept your challenge 

to kick my butt," 

(Datum 323) 

 Idiomatic translation reproduces 

messages from the source language into the target 

language with a more natural and familiar 

language so that it's easy to understand. It 

reproduces the message of the original by 

preferring colloquialisms. The phrase ‘to take you 

up on your offer’ is translated to ‘menerima 

tantanganmu’ because the phrase ‘to take up on’ 

means to be contented to receive something. 

SL: “Sorry. You seemed pretty into them. 

Meg was.” 

TL: ”Sori. Kau kelihatannya menyayangi 

mereka. Seperti Meg.” 

BT: "Sorry. You seem to love them. Like 

Meg. " 

(Datum 385) 

Idiomatic translation reproduces messages 

from the source language into the target language 

with a more natural and familiar language so that 

it's easy to understand. It reproduces the message 

of the original by preferring colloquialisms. The 

phrase ‘be into something’ means to like and be 

interested in something. In the context of the 

source language sentence above, the phrase is 

translated to ‘menyayangi’. 

SL: “They’re fine. My housemates are 

looking after them.” 

TL: ”Mereka tidak apa-apa. Teman-teman 

serumahku menjaga mereka.” 

BT: “They’re fine. My housemates are 

taking care of them.” 

(Datum 582) 

Idiomatic translation reproduces messages 

from the source language into the target language 

with a more natural and familiar language so that 

it's easy to understand. It reproduces the message 

of the original by preferring colloquialisms. The 

phrase ‘looking after’ is a phrasal verb which 

means to take care of something or someone. In 

Indonesian the phrase ‘to take care of’ means 



 
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‘menjaga’, that is why the phrase ‘looking after’ is 

translated into ‘menjaga’. 

SL: “You don’t have to bite my head off.” 

TL: ”Kau tidak perlu menyalak begitu.” 

BT: "You don't need to snap like that." 

(Datum 648) 

Idiomatic translation reproduces messages 

from the source language into the target language 

with a more natural and familiar language so that 

it's easy to understand. It reproduces the message 

of the original by preferring colloquialisms. The 

phrase ‘to bite my head off’ means to reply 

sharply and brusquely to someone. In Indonesian 

it is translated to ‘menyalak’. 

 
Communicative Translation Method 

According to Newmark (1988) 

communicative translation attempts to render the 

exact contextual meaning of the original in such 

a way that both content and language are readily 

acceptable and comprehensible to the readership 

(p.45). Below are some examples of dialogue 

sentences in the novel which are translated using 

communicative translation method. 

SL: “What’s your name?” 

TL: ”Siapa namamu?” 

BT: “Who is your name?” 

(Datum 138) 

Communicative translation tries to 

translate the contextual meaning of the source 

language in a such way that the content and 

language can be accepted and understood by the 

readers. Communicative translation requires 

translated text to have the same form, meaning, 

and function with the source text. 

The sentence ‘what’s your name’ is 

translated to ‘siapa namamu’ not ‘apa namamu’ to 

make it fits the context and function of the 

sentence. The sentence above is meant to ask the 

name of someone so that the phrase ‘what is’ in 

the sentence above is translated to ‘siapa’ not 

‘apa’. 

SL: “Cody, Cody, Cody. It’s a cowgirl 

name, where you from, Cowgirl Cody?” 

TL: ”Cody, Cody, Cody. Itu nama 

penggembala sapi, dari mana asalmu Cowgirl Cody?” 

BT: “Cody, Cody, Cody. It’s a cowgirl 

name, where are you from, Cowgirl Cody?” 

(Datum 140) 

Communicative translation tries to 

translate the contextual meaning of the source 

language in a such way that the content and 

language can be accepted and understood by the 

readers. Communicative translation requires 

translated text to have the same form, meaning, 

and function with the source text. 

The context of the source language text 

above is asking someone’s origin that is why the 

sentence ‘where you from’ is translated to ‘dari 

mana asalmu’ not ‘dari mana kamu’. 

SL: “Can I see it?” 

TL: ”Boleh aku lihat?” 

BT: “May I see it?” 

(Datum 337) 

Communicative translation tries to 

translate the contextual meaning of the source 

language in a such way that the content and 

language can be accepted and understood by the 

readers. It also regards the effectivity of the 

translated text. Communicative translation tries 

to get the same effect between the source 

language and target language. 

The context of the source language text 

above is asking someone’s permission not ability 

so that the word ‘can’ is the sentence ‘can I see it’ 

is translated to ‘bolehkah’ not ‘bisakah’. The word 

’can’ in the source language text above is 

translated communicatively and effectively 

according to the context and function of the text. 

SL: “Yeah, that’s a good question. What 

do you do?” 

TL: ”Yeah, pertanyaan bagus. Apa 

pekerjaanmu?” 

BT: “Yeah, that’s a good question. What is 

your job?” 

(Datum 427) 

Communicative translation tries to 

translate the contextual meaning of the source 

language in a such way that the content and 

language can be accepted and understood by the 

readers. Communicative translation tries to get 

the same effect between the source language and 

target language. 



 
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The sentence ‘what do you do’ is not 

translated to ‘apa yang kamu lakukan’ because it is 

inappropriate with the context and function of the 

sentence. The source language text above is an 

interrogative sentence which means asking 

someone’s occupation so that the clause ‘what do 

you do’ is translated to’ apa pekerjaanmu’ not ‘apa 

yang kamu lakukan’ so that it is appropriate with 

the context and intention of the sentence which is 

asking someone’s job. 

SL: “Watch it!” 

TL: “Awas!” 

BT: “Be careful!”  

(Datum 1471) 

Communicative translation tries to 

translate the contextual meaning of the source 

language in a such way that the content and 

language can be accepted and understood by the 

readers. Communicative translation tries to get 

the same effect between the source language and 

target language. 

The context and purpose of the source 

language text above is to give a warning, thus the 

phrase ‘watch it’ is translated to ‘awas’ not “lihat 

itu” according to the context of the text so that the 

target language users can understand the meaning 

of the phase which means reminding someone to 

be careful.  

CONCLUSION  

The conclusions of this research are drawn 

based on the findings of this research. The 

conclusions of this research are explained as 

follows: 

The findings of the analysis show that there 

are seven out of eight translation methods 

proposed by Newmark used in translating the 

dialogue sentences in I Was Here novel from 

English into Indonesian. They are word-for-word 

translation, literal translation, faithful translation, 

semantic translation, free translation, idiomatic 

translation, and communicative translation.  

From the result of the analysis, it is found 

that the most frequently used translation method 

in translating the dialogue sentences of the novel 

is free translation method. The method is 

frequently used because the translator wants to 

make the content and language of the translated 

text are acceptable and understandable for the 

target language (Indonesian) readers. 

Through this researcher, the researcher 

agrees with Molina and Albir (2002) who state 

that translation method refers to the way of a 

particular translation process that is carried out in 

terms of the translator’s objective, i’e., a global 

option that affects the whole texts (cited in 

Nafisah et al., 2018). From the discussion above 

we can conclude that in doing translation, 

translators use various translation methods. The 

use of translation methods is based on the 

purpose of the translation and situation of the 

field.  

Based on the analysis and findings of this 

research, there are still found some translations 

that are less appropriate with the context of the 

text. According to the analysis, the researcher 

intends to give suggestions to translators. The 

researcher suggests translators be more careful in 

choosing and using translation methods when 

they are translating a text. Translator should pay 

attention to the use of the translation methods 

since they determine the result of the translation. 

The misuse of the translation methods will cause 

the meaning in the target language different from 

the meaning in the source language. Translators 

must choose the most appropriate translation 

methods in translating a text so that the result of 

the translation can be understood easily. 

Translators must be sure that the translated text 

has the same equivalent meaning with the source 

text so that the result is acceptable and the 

meaning is understandable. 

Besides choosing the most appropriate 

translation methods, the researcher also suggest 

translators re-read the translated text to make sure 

that it is readable and understandable for the 

target language readers. Translators need to 

evaluate and re-check the translated text before it 

is published to readers so that it can minimize the 

mistakes in the result of the translation. 

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