Journal of Social Science
Vol 5 No 2 (2026): Journal of Social Science

More Than Words: Multimodal Transcreation in the Indonesian Localization of "Janice Goes to Chinatown"

Faiz Akbar Leksananda (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
Sajarwa Sajarwa (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
Adi Sutrisno (Universitas Gadjah Mada)



Article Info

Publish Date
26 Feb 2026

Abstract

This research analyzes picturebook translation as multimodal transcreation, where text–image interplay (intersemiosis) serves as the central unit of analysis. It presents a case study of Janice Goes to Chinatown (Source Text, ST), set in Kolkata, India, and its Indonesian localization, Perjalanan Janice ke Pasar Pecinan (Target Text, TT). The TT publisher adapted and transmuted the work, commissioning a complete visual re-creation alongside the verbal translation. This research argues that the deliberate verbal domestication—systematically changing the setting from “Kolkata” to “Singkawang” and “rickshaws” to “delman” (a horse cart)—created an intersemiotic rupture with the original illustrations. This rupture necessitated new visuals to restore narrative coherence. Using a dual framework of Klingberg’s Cultural-Specific Items (CSIs) for the text and Kress and van Leeuwen’s Visual Grammar for the images, the analysis demonstrates how the TT achieves a new intersemiotic synergy. The visual mode, for instance, shifts from an observational “Offer” to an interactive “Demand” gaze. This act of systemic compensation exemplifies a holistic translation process, made possible by the ST’s open-source StoryWeaver platform.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

js

Publisher

Subject

Social Sciences

Description

The Journal of Social Science (JoSS) is a double blind peer-reviewed academic journal and open access to social and scientific fields. The journal is published monthly once by Al-Makki Publisher. The Journal of Social Science (JoSS) provides a means for sustained discussion of relevant issues that ...