Translation Strategies of Culture-Specific Items in Ratih Kumala's Gadis Kretek Into Cigarette Girl

Dianida Chandra Wiharta Way Mra Mra, Dr. Aris Munandar, M.Hum.

2026 | Skripsi | SASTRA INGGRIS

Di antara berbagai tantangan yang dihadapi penerjemah, penerjemahan istilah-istilah khas budaya merupakan salah satu persoalan yang kompleks dan terus menarik perhatian para peneliti. Seiring dengan meningkatnya karya sastra Indonesia yang diterjemahkan ke bahasa asing, terutama bahasa Inggris, penelitian mengenai bagaimana unsur-unsur budaya Indonesia dialihkan ke dalam bahasa Inggris menjadi semakin relevan bagi pengembangan studi penerjemahan. Menanggapi kebutuhan tersebut, penelitian ini bertujuan mengkaji istilah-istilah khas budaya Indonesia dalam novel Gadis Kretek karya Ratih Kumala serta strategi penerjemahannya ke dalam bahasa Inggris pada versi Inggris-mya, Cigarette Girl. Identifikasi istilah khas budaya dilakukan dengan menggunakan kategorisasi budaya yang dikemukakan oleh Peter Newmark (1988), sedangkan analisis strategi penerjemahan mengacu pada teori yang diusulkan Mona Baker (1992). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan adanya 11 istilah budaya kategori ecology (5,12%), 85 istilah budaya kategori material (39,53%), 44 istilah budaya kategori social (20,47%), 70 istilah budaya kategori social organizations (32,56%), dan 5 istilah terkait gestures and habits (2,33%). Penelitian ini juga menemukan penggunaan strategi translation by a more general word sebanyak 22 kasus (8,91%), translation by a more neutral/less expressive word sebanyak 5 kasus (2,02%), translation by cultural substitution sebanyak 79 kasus (31,98%), translation using a loan word or loan word plus explanation sebanyak 79 kasus (31,98%), translation by paraphrase using a related word sebanyak 10 kasus (4,05%), translation by paraphrase using unrelated words sebanyak 47 kasus (19,03%), dan translation by omission sebanyak 5 kasus (2,02%). Temuan ini menunjukkan bahwa istilah budaya kategori material merupakan kategori yang paling dominan, terutama karena banyaknya istilah terkait kretek dan produk buatan manusia lainnya yang tergolong ke dalam kategori ini. Kategori social organizations menjadi kategori terbesar kedua, selaras dengan latar sejarah dan sosial-politik yang kuat dalam novel tersebut. Dua strategi penerjemahan yang paling sering digunakan—translation using a loan word or loan word plus explanation dan translation by cultural substitution—menunjukkan bahwa penerjemah berupaya mempertahankan serta memperkenalkan istilah-istilah dari bahasa sumber yang penting untuk memahami narasi budaya teks sumber, namun pada saat yang sama tetap berusaha menciptakan teks terjemahan yang terasa akrab bagi pembaca bahasa sasaran dengan mengganti istilah-istilah lain yang tidak akan merubah inti cerita bila diganti ke istilah bahasa target.

Among the various challenges faced by translators, accurately rendering culturally specific items remains particularly problematic and continues to draw scholarly attention. As Indonesian literary works gain increasing visibility in the global publishing landscape, research examining how Indonesian cultural elements are translated into English becomes essential to advancing translation studies. Responding to this scholarly need, the present study aims to investigate Indonesian culture-specific items in Ratih Kumala’s Gadis Kretek and the strategies used to translate them into English in the English version of the novel, Cigarette Girl. The cultural terms are identified using Peter Newmark's (1988) cultural categorization, and the translation strategies are analyzed using Mona Baker's (1992) theory. The study identifies 11 (5.12%) ecology items, 85 (39.53%) material culture items, 44 (20.47%) social culture items, 70 (32.56%) social organizations items, and 5 (2.33%) items related to gestures and habits. This study reveals the use of translation by a more general word in 22 cases (8.91%), translation by a more neutral/less expressive word in 5 cases (2.02%), translation by cultural substitution in 79 cases (31.98%), translation using a loan word or loan word plus explanation in 79 cases (31.98%), translation by paraphrase using a related word in 10 cases (4.05%), translation by paraphrase using unrelated words in 47 cases (19.03%), and translation by omission in 5 cases (2.02%). The findings indicate that material culture is the most frequent, primarily because the novel features numerous kretek-related items and other human-made products, which are classified as material culture. Social organizations is the second-largest category, reflecting the novel’s historical and socio-political setting. The most commonly used strategies—Translation Using a Loan Word or Loan Word Plus Explanation and Translation by Cultural Substitution—indicate that the translator seeks to preserve and introduce source-language terms that are essential to understanding the narrative, while substituting certain cultural terms whose replacement does not significantly diminish the cultural core or meaning of the story, thereby maintaining both cultural authenticity and reader accessibility.

Kata Kunci : culture-specific items, cultural category, Gadis Kretek, translation, translation strategy