Za'ba's Approach in the Translation of Anak Raja dengan Anak Papa

Abstract

One important figure in the history of translation in Malaysia is Zainal Abidin bin Ahmad or Za‘ba. He is the translator of Anak Raja dengan Anak Papa (1958), the first translated novel published by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka after its establishment in 1956. Za‘ba’s talent as a translator, however, is rarely discussed. Taking this into account, this article focuses on Za‘ba, specifically to discuss how he dealt with the translation of Anak Raja dengan Anak Papa, which was translated based on the English novel The Prince and the Pauper. To achieve this objective, a comparison is carried out between the translation, Anak Raja dengan Anak Papa (1958), and its source text, The Prince and the Pauper (1882). The changes that occur in the translated text are determined based on Nida’s (1964) framework of techniques of adjustment in translation. The analysis points to the fact that Za‘ba attempted to accommodate his translation for his target readers through the use of addition and alteration. Through this target-oriented approach, the conveyed meaning is clearer, and the resulting text is more reader-friendly. In view of the importance of this translation in the context of the history of publishing in Malaysia, this study hopes to contribute to the documentation of the history of translation in Malaysia, particularly involving translation into Malay in the early years after independence.