Problems and Solutions in English Translations of Malay Short Stories

Abstract

The Malay stories of Pelanduk yang Bijak, Peniup Seruling and Seuncang Padi were translated to English, and analysed to identify the translation problems. The procedures were also investigated to find solutions for the problems using translation procedures as the framework for data analysis. After the translation of the stories, the source and target texts were analysed to identify problems and procedures. The findings of the study indicated two types of problems in the Malay-English translations of the stories; structural or semantic problems, and problems arising from cultural differences. Among various translation procedures used in the translations, literal translation was the most common procedure in the translation of the Malay stories. The findings from translations and the analyses in this study could be utilised in translator and interpreter training classrooms. Finding solutions to the translation problems could improve translators ability to better theorise while translating, and thus produce "good" translations, particularly in the translation of literary works from Malay to English. This study could have pedagogical significance, as the Malay short stories contain moral lessons by which Malay culture could be further introduced and "exported" to the English-speaking audience through literature.