THE STRATEGIES USED IN TRANSLATING CULTURAL TERMS FROM THAI TO ENGLISH: A CASE STUDY OF A THAI NOVEL TITLED “BRIGHT”

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the translation strategies in word level and their application in rendering cultural terms from Thai to English from the novel "Chang Samran" and its translated version titled “Bright” by Lertlah Poopoksakul. This is a qualitative study. The primary data utilized in this study are from the 2003 S.E.A Write Awarded novel, "Chang Samran," by Duanwad Pimwana (Pimjai Juklin), and its English translation titled "Bright," by Lertlah Poopoksakul. The theoretical framework proposed by Newmark, which categorizes cultural words into five groups, including ecology, material culture, social culture, organization, customs, and ideas, gestures and habits, serves as the basis for this study. The study found that the translation strategies used in rendering cultural terms from Thai to English from the novel "Chang Samran" and its translated version titled "Bright" by Lertlah Poopoksakul involved six strategies, according to the conceptual framework of translation strategies of cultural terms proposed by Newmark and Baker. The study found that the translation strategies employed in the rendering of cultural terms from Thai to English in "Chang Samran" involved six strategies. The most frequently used strategy was cultural substitution, which was used 40 times (25%). The use of more generic words was found 37 times (24%), followed by paraphrasing with related words, which was found 36 times (23%). Additionally, the use of loan words was found 24 times (15%), followed by paraphrasing with unrelated words, which was found 16 times (10%), and direct translations, which was found 5 times (3%). These translation strategies can be utilized as a guide for translating cultural words in various contexts and can also serve as a useful tool for teaching and learning translation.