Indonesian EFL Journal
Vol. 12 No. 1 (2026)

TRANSLATING JAVANESE CULTURAL TERMS IN THE NOVEL PENGAKUAN PARIYEM: IDEOLOGY AND STRATEGIES

Srisna J. Lahay (English Literature Study Program, Universitas Kristen Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia)
Jannes Freddy Pardede (English Literature Study Program, Universitas Kristen Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia)
Frisca Teresya Malau (English Literature Study Program, Universitas Kristen Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
05 Feb 2026

Abstract

This study investigates the translation ideologies and strategies applied in the English translation of Pengakuan Pariyem, originally written by Linus Suryadi in 1981 and translated into Pariyem’s Confession by Jennifer Lindsay in 2018. The research focuses on Javanese cultural terms and how they are rendered into English, aiming to uncover the translator’s ideological stance and strategic choices. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, this study identifies 114 Javanese cultural terms, classified according to Newmark’s (1988) five cultural categories: ecology, material culture, social culture, social organization, and gestures and habits. Translation ideologies are examined using Venuti’s (1995) framework, which distinguishes between foreignization and domestication. Strategies are analyzed following Davies’ (2003) taxonomy, which includes preservation, addition, omission, globalization, localization, transformation, and creation. The findings reveal a clear tendency toward domestication, with 76 instances, compared to 38 instances of foreignization. This suggests that the translator prioritizes target reader accessibility by adapting cultural elements to the target language norms. In terms of strategies, localization emerges as the most frequently used method, appearing in 41 cases, followed by preservation (27), globalization (23), addition (11), transformation (5), and omission (7), with no instances of creation. These results indicate a deliberate effort to maintain cultural meaning while ensuring comprehensibility for English-language readers. This study contributes to the understanding of cultural translation in literary texts and highlights the translator’s role in negotiating meaning between source and target cultures.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

pub

Publisher

Subject

Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media

Description

The scopes of the journal include critical issues of educational practices in primary, secondary and tertiary education as well as in university level surrounding: English Language Pedagogy Language Acquisition Bilingualism and Multilingualism English language Literacy English for Specific Purposes ...