THE STRATEGY OF TRANSLATING BATAK CULTURAL TERMS IN THE ENGLISH SUBTITLE OF THE FILM NGERI-NGERI SEDAP

Abstract

This study addresses the critical challenge of preserving cultural identity in audiovisual translation, specifically focusing on the English subtitles of the film Ngeri-Ngeri Sedap. The research aims to identify the translation techniques applied to Batak cultural terms and evaluatetheir impact on audience acceptability. Using a qualitative case study approach, the researcher analyzed 20 data occurrences of Batak cultural terms within the film's dialogue. The data were classified according to Molina and Albir’s (2002) framework and assessed based on their ability to maintain sociocultural accuracy. The findings reveal that Adaptation is the most dominant technique (55%), followed by Borrowing (20%). While these strategies prioritize reading fluency, the analysis highlights a significant loss of cultural depth. Specifically, the overuse of Adaptation for kinship terms like Tulang and Oppung erodes the complex Batak social system by reducing it to generic English equivalents. This study concludes that the use of the Amplification technique is an essential obligation rather than a mere choice to prevent the loss of sociocultural foundations. These results contribute to the field of translation studies by providing guidelines for more culturally responsible subtitling of regional languages.