CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION
This chapter consists of background of the study, problems of the study,
objectives of the study, and definition of key terms.

1.1 Background of the Study

Language is the most important aspect in our life. Language enables
people to communicate with each other. If there is no language, there will be
miscommunication between people and it will be difficult to interact with each
other. The use of communication between people not only for the transmission of
informative message to understand each other, but also for developing
relationships and allowing us to communicate our problems, suggestions and
plans. Therefore, information exchanges through communication are needed
among people around the world by using a certain language that can be
understood by people from many different countries.
English is the most commonly used language among speakers from
different countries. English as international language enables people from around
the world to interact to others. Furthermore, aside from being a media of
communication, English is also the language of the industry media.
English is also the language of the media industry. In recent years, there
are many books published in English. Especially for literary works such as novels,
drama, stories, and films are written in English. However, not all people in the
world master English well, including people from Indonesia. It will be difficult for
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them to understand the information in English. In that case, one of the ways to
solve the problem is by translating English written materials into Bahasa
Indonesia.
Translation can bridge the problem across language interactions.
Moreover, by translating the English into Indonesian can help people in getting
information from the increasing number of books or other information that are
presented in English. Thus, translation plays a very important role.
Translation is a process of transferring the message from the source
language (SL) to the target language (TL). Catford (1965, p.20) defines translation
as the replacement of textual material in one language (SL) by equivalent textual
material in another language (TL). Moreover, Nida (1975, p.20) states that
translating consist of producing in the receptor language the closest natural
equivalent to the message of the source language, first in the meaning and
secondly in style. That means that the aim of translation is to communicate the
meaning of a source language text by means of an equivalent target language text.
In translating the meaning of source language to target language, the translator
must use appropriate strategy of translating because the result depends on the
strategy that is used by the translator.
Some experts say translation strategies as methods of translation and
translation procedures. Molina and Albir (2002, p.57) say that translation method
refers to the way of a particular translation process that is carried out in terms of
the translators objective, i.e. a global option that affects the whole texts. From
the explanation above, translating must aim primarily at reproducing message. It

means that a translator has to figure the message out first and then find the
equivalent message in the target language.
In translating literary works, however, the problems become more
complicated. There are some problematic factors that will be faced by the
translator while translating an English text, book or novel, such as style, meaning,
proverbs and idioms. Among the problematic factors involved in translation, the
present paper concentrates on translating idioms in general and on the strategies of
translating idioms in particular.
Idioms are part of our everyday language and most people have a large
repertoire upon which to draw for daily interactions (Vicker, 2000). The term
idiom is generally used in a variety of different senses. Idioms can be considered
an integral part of language, they give information about conceptions of the world
considered by linguistic communities (Carine, 2005, p. 495). Thus, an idiom
which is specific to a specific language conveys a distinct meaning. Larson (1984,
p. 143) stresses the importance of the ability to use target language idioms
naturally; because that ensures that the translator can produce smooth target
language text as well as preserve the stylistic features of the source text.
Understanding idiomatical expression is essential for professional
translation. Many believe that they cannot be translated literally and can be
substituted by a similar idiom in the target language. Baker (1992) stated that the
main problems posed by idiomatic and fixed expressions for translators relate to
two principal areas: the ability to recognize and interpret an idiom correctly; and
the difficulties involved in rendering the various aspects of meaning that an idiom

or a fixed expression conveys into the TL (p. 65). She also mentions, The first
difficulty that a translator comes across in being able to recognize that s/he is
dealing with an idiomatic expression (1992, p. 6). She further states the more
difficult an expression is to understand and the less sense it makes in a given
context, the more likely a translator will recognize it as an idiom (Baker, p. 65).
Idiomatic expressions are often found in novels, because idiomatic
expressions are used in a wide variety of contexts and situations. A good translator
should be able to transfer the idiomatic expressions equivalently to maintain the
style and naturalness of the original text. Therefore, a translator should determine
what kind of translation strategy should be used to translate the idiomatic
expression. By means for that reasons, the writer interested in analyzing idiomatic
expression in translated novel as the focus on this research.
The writer will focus on a novel entitled And Then There Were None
and its Indonesian translation by Mareta. It is a mystery novel by Agatha Christie
published for the first time in 1939 and widely considered her masterpiece and
described by her as the most difficult of her books to have written (Harpercollins,
2009). The writer chooses this novel because the novel consists of two languages,
English and Indonesian versions so it can be use as the object of the research.
Besides, it contains a lot of idiomatic expressions which become the data of this
research and also because this novel is the worlds best-selling mystery ever, and
one of the best-selling books of all time (Davies et al., 2007).
The writer will use the theory from Seidl and McMordie (1980) to classify
the types of idiomatical expression and the theory from Baker (1992) to analyze

the translation strategies of idiomatical expression. Thus, the writer proposes to

analyze the translation strategies in translating idiomatic expression in Agatha
Christies novel entitled And Then There Were None. The writer hopes that this
research can give further information about translation strategies in idiomatic
expression and also it can be a reference for the future researchers who want to
conduct a research about translation strategies for idiomatic expression. Therefore,
the writer will conduct a study entitled Translation Analysis Used in Translating
Idiomatic Expression in Agatha Christies Novel Entitled And Then There Were
None

1.2 Problems of the Study

Based on the background of the study, the problems of the study are:
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What are the types of idiomatical expression found in Agatha Christies novel
entitled And Then There Were None?

What are the strategies used by the translator in translating idiomatic

expressions in Agatha Christies novel entitled And Then There Were
None?

1.3 Objectives of the Study

Based on the problems of the study, the objects of the study are:
1 To find out types of idiomatical expression found in Agatha Christies novel
entitled And Then There Were None?
2

To find out the strategies used by the translator in translating idiomatic

expressions in Agatha Christies novel entitled And Then There Were None.

1.4 Definition of the Key Terms

1. Translation
: translation is a craft consisting in the attempt to replace a
written message and/or statement in another language. Each exercise involves
some kind of loss of meaning, due to a number of factors. (Newmark, 1981,
p.7)
2. Idioms

: idiom is frozen patterns of language which allow little or no

variation in form and often carry meanings which cannot be deduced from
their individual components. (Baker, 1992, p.63)
3. Translation Strategies : a potentially conscious procedure for solving a
problem faced in translating a text, or any segment of it. (Loescher, 1991:8)
4. And Then There Were None Novel
: And Then There Were None is a
mystery novel by Agatha Christie written in 1939, it ranks as one of Christies
most popular and critically acclaimed novels and was made into a stage play,
and several film versions. (www.sparknotes.com)