An Analysis of Similes Translation in The Scarlet Letter Novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Abstract

This study aims to identify the similes used in The Scarlet Letter novel, analyze the translation strategies applied by the translator based on Pierini’s (2007) theory of simile translation, and evaluate the acceptability of the simile translations among the target readers. It employs qualitative methods to analyze the phenomenon of simile translation as a type of figurative language in The Scarlet Letter novel. The presence of various markers such as like, as, as if, and resemble demonstrates the richness of imagery in literature. The results reveal that 32 data points are classified as similes based on the simile marker words according to Pierini's theory that is preposition like (17 data), followed by as (9 data), as if (5 data), and the verb resemble (1 datum). In other words, the author prefers to use like simile markers in the source language, which are mostly translated into seperti in the target language. Only three out of six simile translation strategies were found in this study: literal translation (27 data), replacement of vehicle with a different vehicle (3 data), and reduction of the simile to its sense (2 data). The survey on the acceptability of simile translations shows that 29 out of 32 data points are acceptable, while 3 translations are deemed less acceptable. In conclusion, the translation of the simile in The Scarlet Letter novel often uses a literal translation strategy and produces good acceptability from the perspective of Indonesian target readers.