Negotiating Cultural Meaning: Translation Strategies for Cultural Expressions in The English Subtitles of Tenggelamnya Kapal Van Der Wijck

The purpose of this study is to investigate how cultural meaning is negotiated between Indonesian and English and to assess the translation techniques used for cultural expressions in the English subtitles of the movie “Tenggelamnya Kapal Van der Wijck”. Using data that included cultural expressions from the Indonesian dialog and their English subtitles, a descriptive-qualitative method was used. Based on the translation methods used, these cultural expressions were identified, categorized, and compared as part of the analysis. Molina and Hurtado Albir's translation strategies such as borrowing, generalization, proven equivalent, description, and reduction, are incorporated into the analytical framework. The findings show that both retention and adaptation techniques are used when translating cultural expressions. To maintain the identity of the source culture, expressions associated with ethnic and geographic identities such as Minang, Batipuh, and Padang Panjang, tend to be preserved. On the other hand, terminology pertaining to kinship, traditions, and social structures frequently undergo reduction, paraphrase, or generalization. These results show that the process of translating subtitles involves balancing the preservation of cultural meaning with the comprehension of the intended audience. As a result, translation techniques affect how the source culture is portrayed in a cross-cultural setting in addition to determining linguistic equivalency.