Reinterpreting Calon Arang: A Translation Analysis of Balinese Folklore Across Language and Culture

Abstract

Translation is widely regarded as both an art and a science that involves the transference of meaning from a source language (SL) into a target language (TL). It is not merely a process of linguistic substitution, but an interpretative act requiring sensitivity to cultural, contextual, and semantic nuances. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, folklore encompasses the traditional beliefs, customs, legends, and narratives of a community that are transmitted orally across generations. In this context, folklore represents a vital medium through which collective identity and cultural heritage are expressed and preserved. This study focuses on the translation shifts identified in the Balinese folklore Calon Arang, translated from Indonesian (SL) into English (TL). Employing a qualitative research design, the study analyzes the linguistic and structural transformations that occur in the process of translation. The analysis particularly examines types of translation shifts, including formal correspondence, grammatical addition, and modulation, as categorized within Catford’s theory of translation shifts. The findings reveal that while certain linguistic adjustments are inevitable to maintain grammatical and stylistic naturalness in the target language, these shifts do not compromise the semantic integrity of the original text. Overall, the translated version of Calon Arang demonstrates an appropriate degree of equivalence, effectively preserving both the narrative essence and cultural significance of the original folklore. The study contributes to the broader understanding of translation studies, particularly in the context of cultural texts and interlingual transfer within Indonesian literature.

Keywords: Translation Shift, Folklore, Cultural Equivalence