EJI (English Journal of Indragiri) : Studies in Education, Literature, and Linguistics
Vol. 10 No. 2 (2026): EJI (English Journal of Indragiri): Studies in Education, Literature, and Ling

Translating Batak Toba Cultural Terms in Toba Dreams:Domestication and Foreignization in English Subtitles

Ucok simamora (Universitas Internasional Jakarta - Indonesia)
Daniel Sbastian (Universitas Internasional Jakarta - Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
10 Jul 2026

Abstract

As Indonesian films increasingly reach international audiences through global streaming platforms, subtitle translation plays an important role in representing local cultural identity across languages. However, limited studies have examined how subtitle translation strategies shape the representation of indigenous cultural identity in audiovisual media. This study investigates the domestication and foreignization strategies used in translating Batak Toba culturally specific items (CSIs) in the English subtitles of Toba Dreams (2015). Guided by Venuti's (1995) domestication and foreignization framework and Newmark's (1988) cultural taxonomy, this study employed a descriptive qualitative approach using the official Netflix subtitle corpus. The findings identified 26 culturally specific items distributed across five cultural categories. Domestication was the dominant strategy (77%), particularly for Social Culture items, while foreignization (23%) was mainly applied to Material Culture items supported by visual context. Although domestication improved subtitle readability, it also reduced the representation of Batak Toba social hierarchy, especially the Dalihan Na Tolu kinship system. This study contributes to audiovisual translation research by demonstrating how subtitle translation strategies influence the representation of indigenous cultural identity while balancing cultural preservation and audience accessibility.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

eji

Publisher

Subject

Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media

Description

EJI (English Journal of Indragiri): Studies in Education, Literature, and Linguistics is a scientific journal issued by the English Study Program FKIP Islamic University of Indragiri Tembilahan Riau. It includes authentic studies, conceptual, and best work articles in English education, literature, ...