A Historical Analysis of Cultural Representation in Home by Leila S. Chudori

Translation strategies for cultural terms have been extensively discussed in previous studies, as they play a crucial role in conveying culture-specific meanings across languages. Nevertheless, research that combines the exploration of cultural categories, translation strategies, and ideological orientation in the translation of cultural terms has been limited, mainly in the translation of Indonesian historical novels. Therefore, this study investigates how Indonesian culture-specific items (CSIs) in Pulang are translated into Home by John H. McGlynn. Using a descriptive qualitative method and historical analysis, this study examines CSIs within the socio historical context of the 1965 political events and the New Order period. The originality of this study lies in its integrated analytical framework that connects cultural categorization, micro-level translation procedures, and macro-level ideological orientation in the translation of Indonesian historical fiction. This research integrates Newmark’s cultural categories, Vinay and Darbelnet’s translation procedures, and Venuti’s concepts of domestication and foreignization to provide a more comprehensive analysis of cultural translation. The findings reveal 90 CSIs across five categories, with Material Culture accounting for 48% of the data. Borrowing emerged as the most frequently used translation procedure (36%), while domestication (56%) was more dominant than foreignization (44%). These findings indicate that the translation of CSIs in the Home tends to prioritize comprehensibility for the target readers through domestication while maintaining certain elements of the source culture. This study also provides insights for translators on balancing the preservation of source culture with the accessibility of the target language in the translation of Indonesian historical fiction.