4.1. How to use punctuation marks
4.2. Punctuation in greetings and closings
5.1. Grammatical and Lexical Registers
1. Post-edition at Unbabel
At Unbabel we have a unique approach to translation: each text submitted by a customer is translated by our Machine Translation system, and then corrected by our community of editors in an online platform. By editing the output of the software, the editors ensure the quality of the translations and confirm that the message is accurate (i.e., has the same meaning as the original), fluent (i.e., can be easily understood and sounds natural) and is in line with the style requested by the clients (i.e. respects their register and terminology). In order to help editors do the best job possible, we provide various types of information:
- Customer instructions, which include the identification of the client and his requests to personalize the translation, such as the register that must be used to address the recipient of the message. Following these instructions is vital to deliver translations that match the client’s expectations.
- Glossaries, which correspond to specific vocabulary and expressions used by the client, and that must be respected by the editors.
- Translation Memories, which correspond to stored segments (expressions, sentences or paragraphs) that have previously been translated and accepted for customer usage. They are useful for ensuring consistency across translations.
We also have Smartcheck, which is an application that checks the grammar, morphology, orthography and style of the translations while being edited. By using a large set of rules, Smartcheck flags words or groups of words that may present some kind of issue.
Finally, in order to deliver the best possible translation, we also provide these guidelines about your language specifications. Please, read them carefully and always follow these instructions in your editions.
2. Grammar
2.1. Agreement
Indonesian is an isolating language. Thus, its verbs are not marked for tense, aspect or mood, and its nouns are not marked for case, gender or number. This also means that there is no agreement or cross-referencing.
2.2. Determiners
Similar to English, Indonesian also has the following category of determiners:
- Articles
sebuah ‘a’, -nya ‘the’
Examples
Source text: a chair
✓ sebuah kursi
Source text: Please eat the cake.
✓ Silakan makan kuenya.
- Possessive pronouns
-nya ‘her/his’, -mu ‘your’, -ku ‘my’, saya ‘my’ (formal), Anda ‘your’ (formal), kalian ‘your’ (plural), mereka ‘their’, kita ‘our’ (inclusive), kami ‘our’ (exclusive), etc.
Examples
Source text: my book
✓ buku saya
Source text: your computer
✓ komputer Anda
- Quantifiers
beberapa ‘several, some’, banyak ‘many, a lot, much’, sebagian ‘part of, some’, semua ‘all’, sedikit ‘a little, few’ etc. (unlike in English, there is no different use of quantifiers for count nouns or non-count nouns).
Example
Source text: Can I have some of your food?
✓ Bolehkah saya minta sebagian makananmu?
- Demonstrative pronouns
ini ‘this’, itu ‘that’, tersebut ‘already mentioned’, and tadi ‘recently mentioned’.
Example
Source text: This is the book that Paul bought yesterday.
✓ Ini buku yang Paul beli kemarin.
2.3. Prepositions
The basic prepositions in Indonesian are di ‘in, at’, ke ‘to’ and dari ‘from’. These prepositions should be written separately from the following word.
Example
Source text: Emily meets Mike on the bus.
✘ Emily berjumpa Mike didalam bus.
✓ Emily berjumpa Mike di dalam bus.
In addition, sometimes, these three prepositions can be followed by locative pronouns (e.g. sini ‘near speaker’, situ ‘not far off’ and sana ‘far off’) or locative prepositions (e.g. atas ‘top, above’, dalam ‘inside’, antara ‘between’, etc.). However, di can be omitted if it precedes a locative noun which refers to a figurative space.
Example
Source text: the character in the story
✘ tokoh di dalam cerita itu
✓ tokoh dalam cerita itu
If the following noun refers to a person, the preposition ke is used in informal registers, and kepada ‘to’/ pada ‘to, at, in, on’ is used in formal registers.
Example
Source text: He gives me the book.
✓ Dia ngasih buku itu ke saya. [informal]
✓ Dia memberikan buku tersebut kepada saya. [formal]
The preposition pada is preferred than di when the location in time is referred.
Example
Source text: He/she comes at three o’clock.
✘ Dia datang di jam tiga.
✓ Dia datang pada jam tiga.
The prepositions pada, akan, dengan, terhadap follow some intransitive verbs.
Examples
cinta akan/pada [love]
percaya akan/pada [believe in]
curiga akan/pada/terhadap [be suspicious of]
2.4. Pronouns
Indonesian pronouns can be arranged according to:
- person (first, second and third);
- singular/plural;
- the degree of formality.
These pronouns can be seen below:
|
|
English |
Non-formal |
Neutral |
Formal |
|
First person |
I |
aku |
saya |
saya |
|
|
we (inclusive) |
kita |
kita |
kita |
|
|
we (exclusive) |
kami |
kami |
kami |
|
Second person |
you |
kamu |
Anda |
saudara |
|
|
you |
engkau |
Anda |
Anda |
|
|
you (plural |
kalian |
kalian |
kalian |
|
Third person |
he, she, it |
dia |
dia |
beliau |
|
|
they |
meréka |
meréka |
meréka |
It is important to note that the pronoun Anda is written with capital A. Also, if in English the pronoun they refers to a non-human entity, then it is more suitable to translate it to the noun to which it refers in Indonesian.
Example
Source text: We will send you the list of documents that you need to upload. Please upload them soon.
✘ Kami akan mengirimkan kepada Anda daftar dokumen yang bisa Anda unggah. Mohon untuk segera mengunggah mereka.
✓ Kami akan mengirimkan kepada Anda daftar dokumen yang bisa Anda unggah. Mohon untuk segera mengunggah dokumen tersebut.
Furthermore, one common mistake of translating English pronouns into Indonesian is when the translator uses wrong Indonesian 1st plural pronoun for the English pronoun ‘we’.
Example
Source text: We will contact you again.
✘ Kita akan menghubungi Anda lagi.
✓ Kami akan menghubungi Anda lagi.
2.5. Verbs
Verbs are the most important and the most complex part of Indonesian. They are almost exclusively derivational. Simple verbs without affixes are most likely to be intransitive. However, some verbs can be formed by prefixes:
- intransitive verbs can be formed by the prefixe ber-;
- exclusively intransitive, by the prefix meN-;
- mostly transitive by the prefix ter-.
Examples
berenang [to swim]
menangis [to cry]
tertawa [to laugh]
In forming transitive verbs, prefix meN- is mostly used, and is sometimes combined with suffix -kan or -i. Suffix -kan has an applicative marking function (e.g. causative, benefactive, etc.) and suffix -i marks a verb as a transitive and also has a locative and repetitive function.
Example
Source text: We will contact you again.
✘ Kami akan menghubungkan Anda lagi.
✓ Kami akan menghubungi Anda lagi.
Regarding prefix meN-, the capital N stands for a sound which changes depending on the initial letter of the base-word. The table below shows the nasalization process of verbs with the prefix meN-.
|
Initial letter of the base-word |
Form of the prefix meN- |
|
any vowel, h, g, kh |
meng- |
|
r, l, y, w |
me- |
|
m, n, ny, ng |
me- |
|
k |
me-, ng replaces k |
|
p |
me-, m replaces p |
|
s |
me-, ny replaces s |
|
t |
me- n replaces t |
|
d, c, j, z |
men- |
|
b, f, v |
mem- |
Example
Source text: Please reply to this email to confirm your membership.
✘ Mohon balas email ini untuk mengkonfirmasi keanggotaan Anda.
✓ Mohon balas email ini untuk mengonfirmasi keanggotaan Anda.
3. Orthography
3.1. Abbreviations
Below, we present the rules of abbreviations in Indonesian.
- a) The abbreviations of a person name, degree, term of address, rank tittle, or position tittle should be followed by a period after each of the abbreviated element.
Example
A.H. Nasution [Abdul Haris Nasution]
M.A. [Master of Arts]
- b) The abbreviations that consist of the initial letter of each word of the name of a government and constitution agency, an educational institution, an organization, and a document, should be written in capital letter without a period.
Example
WHO [World Health Organization]
NKRI [Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia]
- c) The abbreviations that consist of three letters or more should be followed by a period in the end.
Example
dll. [dan lain-lain]
dkk. [dan kawan-kawan]
- d) The abbreviations that only consist of two letters, however, should be followed by a period after each letter.
Example
a.n. [atas nama]
s.d. [sampai dengan]
- e) The abbreviations of chemical symbols, measurement units, scales and currencies are not followed by a period.
Example
kg [kilogram]
Rp [rupiah]
3.2. Capitalization
In Indonesian, capitalization is used in the following cases:
- a) Capital letters are used in the initial letter of a sentence.
Example
Source text: I’m sorry that you can’t access your account.
✘ saya menyesal Anda tidak dapat mengakses akun Anda.
✓ Saya menyesal Anda tidak dapat mengakses akun Anda.
- b) Capital letters are used in the initial letter of proper names and nicknames, including religion names, religious scripture names and God’s names and pronouns, nation names, ethnic names, language names and geographical names.
Examples
Amir Hamzah
Wage Rudolf Supratman
Andre-Marie Ampere
Allah
Tuhan
Allah mencintai semua makhluk-Nya.
Kecamatan Cicadas
However, capitalization is not used in the initial letter of proper names that are a type name or a unit of measure, as well as in the initial letter of a preposition or words that mean ‘son/daughter of’ (e.g. bin, binti, boru, van, etc.).
Examples
ikan lele
2 ampere
Siti Fatimah binti Salim
Charles van Ophuijsen
Mutiara dari Selatan
- c) Capital letters are used in the initial letter of a direct quotation.
Example
Source text: The sister asks “When do we go home?”
✘ Adik bertanya, “kapan kita pulang?”
✓ Adik bertanya, “Kapan kita pulang?”
- d) Capital letters are used in the initial letter of a person’s title (i.e. honorary, religious, academic, profession, kinship), including when this title is used as greetings.
Examples
Kiai Agus Salim
Laksamana Muda Udara Husein Sastranegara
Terima kasih, Kiai.
“Kapan Bapak berangkat?” tanya Hasan.
- e) Capital letters are used in the initial letter of the name of year, month, day, holiday and historical event.
Examples
tahun Masehi
hari Natal
Perang Dunia II
- f) Capital letters are used in the initial letter of each word in a country, institution, agency, organization or document name, excluding the prepositions (e.g.
di, ke, dari, dan, yang
- , and
untuk
- ).
Examples
Republik Indonesia
Perserikatan Bangsa-Bangsa
- g) Capital letters are used in the initial letter of each word in a book, article, journal, magazine and newspaper tittle, excluding the prepositions (e.g.
di, ke, dari, dan, yang,
- and
untuk
- ), which are only capitalized in initial position.
Example
Dia agen surat kabar Sinar Pembangunan.
- h) Capital letters are used in the initial letter of the abbreviation element of a tittle, a degree and a rank.
Examples
M.A. [master of arts]
Prof. [profesor]
Ny. [nyonya]
3.3. Compounds
In Indonesian, compounds are written according to the following rules:
- a) Most of the Indonesian compounds, including special terms, are written separately, with a whitespace.
Examples
orang tua
persegi panjang
- b) The Indonesian compounds which can cause misunderstanding, however, are written by adding a hyphen (-) between the elements.
Examples
anak-istri pejabat anak istri-pejabat
buku-sejarah baru buku sejarah-baru
This type of word combination in English, particularly, would not be considered as a compound, which further could pose a challenge for translating it into Indonesian.
Example
Source text: I read the new history book.
✘ Saya membaca buku sejarah baru.
✓ Saya membaca buku-sejarah baru.
✓ Saya membaca buku sejarah-baru.
- c) The Indonesian compounds that are written separately should be kept written separately when they get either a prefix or a suffix.
Examples
bertepuk tangan
garis bawahi
However, if the compounds get both a prefix and a suffix, they should be written together, without hyphen.
Examples
menggarisbawahi
pertanggungjawaban
3.4. Foreign words
Foreign word, in Indonesian, can be translated, absorbed or absorbed and translated at the same time.
- a) In translating a foreign word, it is best to avoid a one-to-one translation, and focus more on the meaning equality.
Examples
ipar laki-laki [brother-in-law]
jaringan [network]
- b) If there is no equal translation of a foreign word in Indonesian, or if the absorbed version is simpler than the translated version, then the absorbed version with or without spelling and pronunciation adjustments should be chosen.
|
Foreign word |
Absorbed |
Translated |
|
horizon |
✓horizon |
✘ kaki langit |
|
amputation |
✓amputasi |
✘ pemotongan anggota badan |
It is important to note, however, that a foreign word that is internationally used without spelling adjustment in many languages should be kept in the original language, and written in italic.
- c) Some foreign words are both absorbed and translated at the same time.
Examples
morfem terikat [bound morpheme]
subbagian [subdivision]
3.5. Numerals
Regarding numerals format (written in numbers or words), you must always respect the source text: if they are written as digits in the source text, this should be maintained in the translation; on the other hand, if they are written as words, they should be translated to the target language.
Please note that there is a difference between English and Indonesian numeral writing system.
- a) Indonesian uses a period to indicate groups of thousands, while English uses a comma.
Example
Source text: There were 100,000 people in Guns ‘n Roses concert.
✘ Ada 100,000 orang hadir di konser Guns ‘n Roses.
✓ Ada 100.000 orang hadir di konser Guns ‘n Roses.
However, a period is not used to indicate group of thousands when the number does not refer to a quantity.
Example
Source text: The word sila can be found in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia page 1305.
✘ Kata sila terdapat dalam Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia halaman 1.305.
✓ Kata sila terdapat dalam Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia halaman 1305.
- b) Indonesian uses a comma to indicate the decimal place, while English uses a period.
Example
Source text: Her weight is 50.5 kg.
✘ Berat badannya 50.5 kg.
✓ Berat badannya 50,5 kg.
- c) It is also important to note that English terms for large numbers are different than the ones used in Indonesian.
|
Number notation |
English |
Indonesian |
|
1,000,000 |
million |
juta |
|
1,000,000,000 |
billion |
miliar |
|
1,000,000,000,000 |
trillion |
biliun |
|
1,000,000,000,000,000 |
quadrillion |
triliun |
Example
Source text: He receives two billion worth of inheritance.
✘ Dia menerima warisan sebesar dua biliun.
✓ Dia menerima warisan sebesar dua miliar.
3.6. Symbols
In Indonesian, the following symbols %, /, |, are written without a whitespace preceding them.
Example
✘ 97 %
✓ 97%
4. Punctuation
4.1. How to use punctuation marks
The following is the rules of using the punctuation marks in Indonesian.
-
Period | .
- Used in the end of a declarative sentence (e.g. Mereka duduk di sana.).
- Used after a number or letter in a chart, overview, or a list, excluding a number or letter which is already followed by a bracket.
- Examples
- Kedudukan
- Fungsi
- Kedudukan
- Fungsi
- Used to separate hours, minutes and seconds, which indicate time or timeframe (e.g. pukul 01.35.20).
- Used to indicate group of thousands (e.g. Indonesia memiliki lebih dari 000 pulau.).
- Used after an abbreviation which consists of three letters or more (e.g. (for dan sebagainya)).
- Used after each of the abbreviation element of a person name, degree, term of address, rank tittle, or position tittle (e.g. W. Bush).
-
Comma | ,
- Used after each element in an enumeration (e.g. Buku, majalah, dan jurnal termasuk sumber kepustakaan.).
- Used before a conjunction in a compound sentence (e.g. Ini bukan milik saya, melainkan milik ayah saya.).
- Used to separate the subordinate clauses (e.g. Kalau diundang, saya akan datang.).
- Used after an inter-clause conjunction (e.g. Pendaftaran akan ditutup dalam dua hari. Oleh karena itu, kami mohon agar Anda segera mendaftar.).
- Used to separate a direct quotation (declarative quotation) from other parts of the sentence (e.g. “Kita harus berbagi dalam hidup ini,” kata nenek saya,).
- Used between a person’s name and the abbreviation of his/her academic degree (e.g. Ratulangi, S.E.).
- Used to enclose additional information (e.g. Soekarno, Presiden I RI, merupakan salah seorang pendiri Gerakan Nonblok.).
- Used after a prepositional phrase in the beginning of a sentence (e.g. Atas perhatian Saudara, kami ucapkan terima kasih.).
-
Colon | :
- Used to introduce an enumeration or explanation (e.g. Mereka memerlukan perabot rumah tangga: kursi, meja, dan lemari.).
- Used after a word or phrase which requires description (e.g. Ketua : Ahmad Wijaya).
-
Semicolon | ;
- Used as a substitution of a conjunction in a compound sentence (e.g. Hari sudah malam; anak-anak masih membaca buku.).
- Used in the end of each clause in numbered lists.
- Example
- Agenda rapat ini meliputi:
- pemilihan ketua, sekretaris, dan bendahara;
- penyusunan anggaran dasar, anggaran rumah tangga, dan program kerja; dan
- pendataan anggota, dokumentasi, dan aset organisasi.
-
Exclamation point | !
- Used in the end of an expression or statement which is in the form of exclamation or command (e.g. Bayarlah pajak tepat pada waktunya! Alangkah indahnya taman laut di Bunaken!).
-
Question mark | ?
- Used in the end of interrogative sentences (e.g. Siapa pencipta lagu “Indonesia Raya”?).
- Used to mark parts of sentences that are doubtful or questionable (e.g. Di Indonesia terdapat 740 (?) bahasa daerah.).
-
Hyphen | -
- Used to connect reduplication (e.g. anak-anak; berulang-ulang).
- Used to connect day, month and year when written in numbers (e.g. 11-11-2013).
- Used to connect Indonesian element with local language or foreign language element in a word (e.g. di-sowan-i; me-recall).
- Used to connect:
- (i) se- with the following word when is initiated by a capital letter (e.g. Se-Indonesia);
- (ii) ke- with a number (e.g. Peringkat ke-2);
- (iii) a number with -an (e.g. Tahun 1950-an);
- (iv) a prefix or a word with the abbreviation using capital letters (e.g. Hari-H);
- (v) a word with God’s possessive pronoun (e.g. Ciptaan-Nya);
- (vi) a letter with a number (e.g. D-3, S-1).
- Dash | —
In Indonesian, there is only one type of dash, which is two times hyphen.
- Used to mark the insertion of words or sentences that gives additional information (e.g. Keberhasilan itu—kita sependapat—dapat dicapai jika kita mau berusaha keras.).
- Used to assert the apposition (e.g. Gerakan Pengutamaan Bahasa Indonesia—amanat Sumpah Pemuda—harus terus digelorakan.).
- Used between numbers, dates or places to represent the meaning of ‘to’ (e.g. Tahun 2010—2013; Tanggal 5—10 April 2013; Jakarta—Bandung).
-
Double quotation marks | “ ”
- Used to enclose a direct quotation (e.g. “Merdeka atau mati!” seru Bung Tomo dalam pidatonya.).
- Used to enclose the tittle of a song, poem, film, drama, article, etc., when it’s used within a sentence (e.g. Film “Ainun dan Habibie” merupakan kisah nyata yang diangkat dari sebuah novel.).
- Used to enclose a less popular term or a special word (e.g. “Tetikus” komputer ini sudah tidak berfungsi.).
-
Single quotation marks | ‘ ’
- Used to enclose a quotation within a quotation (e.g. Tanya dia, “Kaudengar bunyi ‘kring-kring’ tadi?”).
- Used to enclose a definition, translation, or explanation of a word or expression (e.g. wisdom ‘kebijaksanaan’; noken ‘tas khas Papua’).
-
Brackets | ( )
- Used to enclose an additional information or explanation (e.g. Sajak Tranggono yang berjudul “Ubud” (nama tempat yang terkenal di Bali) ditulis pada tahun 1962.).
- Used to enclose a letter or number used for an enumeration listing (e.g. Faktor produksi menyangkut (a) bahan baku, (b) biaya produksi, dan (c) tenaga kerja.).
4.2. Punctuation in greetings and closings
In Indonesian. both greetings and closings should be followed by a comma. After the greeting, the next sentence should be initiated with a capital letter.
Examples
Source text: With respect
We thank you for your input.
✘ Dengan hormat
kami mengucapkan terima kasih atas masukan Anda.
✓ Dengan hormat,
Kami mengucapkan terima kasih atas masukan Anda.
Source text: Best regards,
Soekarno
✘Hormat saya
Soekarno
✓ Hormat saya,
Soekarno
5. Register
5.1. Grammatical and Lexical Registers
Register refers to the level of formality used in the text. It shows how our clients address their customers and contributes to the voice of the brand itself. Register may vary depending on the company, the brand, the service they offer, the customers, and the target language.
We make a first main distinction between grammatical and lexical register: the first one regards the use of pronouns and verb person (for the languages to which this morphological feature is applied), while the latter is related to lexical choices, since some words and expressions also have a degree of formality or colloquialism.
Both these registers are also divided into formal and informal, as shown below.
5.2. Formal Register
The formal register in Indonesian is characterized by the use of the following elements:
a) Personal and possessive pronouns
|
Personal pronouns |
Possessive pronouns |
English |
|
saya |
saya |
I, my |
|
Anda |
Anda |
you, your |
|
saudara |
saudara |
you, your |
|
beliau |
beliau |
she/he, her/his |
|
kami |
kami |
we (exclusive), our |
|
kita |
kita |
we (inclusive), our |
|
mereka |
mereka |
they, their |
b) Verbs
The formal verbs in Indonesian should retain its affixes except in an imperative sentence.
Examples
memakai (meN- pakai) [to use something]
menurunkan (meN- turun -kan) [to put something down]
mengurangi (meN- kurang -i) [to reduce something]
c) Sentence structure
The sentence structure in formal register should be complete. Thus, omitting a subject, an object, a conjunction, or a preposition should be avoided.
d) Greetings and closings
|
Greetings |
Closings |
|
Dengan hormat, Salam sejahtera, Bapak/Ibu yang terhormat, Yth. Anwar Zahid, |
Hormat saya, Hormat kami, Salam hormat, Salam kami, |
In a customer service correspondence texts, sometimes greetings such as Halo (Hello) can be used too.
e) Lexical selection
The formal register should be free from colloquial or dialectical lexicon. When using imperative sentences, the words tolong (please), coba (please, try) and harap (would you please) must always occur to make the structure sounding more polite.
More elaborate examples can be seen below:
|
Category |
Examples |
Type of Register |
|
Personal and possessive pronouns
|
(EN): Thank you for your participation. (ID): Saya berterima kasih atas partisipasi Anda. |
Grammatical |
|
Verbs |
(EN): The following is the step-by-step guide on how to use the oven for the first time. (ID): Berikut adalah panduan langkah-demi-langkah cara menggunakan oven untuk pertama kalinya. |
Grammatical |
|
Sentence structure |
(EN): Is the problem still present after update? (ID): Apakah masalah tersebut masih ada setelah pembaruan? |
Grammatical |
|
Greetings and closings |
(EN): Dear Soekarno, (ID): Bapak Soekarno yang terhormat,
(EN): Best regards, (ID): Salam hormat, |
Lexical |
|
Lexical selection |
(EN): I have not received the shoes that I bought from your shop. (ID): Saya masih belum menerima sepatu yang saya beli dari toko Anda. |
Lexical |
5.3. Informal Register
The informal register in Indonesian is characterized by the use of the following elements:
a) Personal and possessive pronouns
|
Personal pronouns |
Possessive pronouns |
English |
|
aku |
-ku |
I, my |
|
gue |
gue |
I, my |
|
kamu |
-mu |
you, your |
|
dia |
-nya |
she/he, her/his |
|
kami |
kami |
we (exclusive), our |
|
kita |
kita |
we (inclusive), our |
|
mereka |
mereka |
they, their |
b) Verbs
In informal register, omitting verb affixes is possible.
Examples
makai ( meN- pakai) [to use something]
nurunin ( meN- turun -kan ) [to put something down]
ngurangin ( meN- kurang -i) [to reduce something]
c) Sentence structure
Similarly, omitting one of the elements in a sentence structure is allowed.
d) Greetings and closings
|
Greetings |
Closings |
|
Yang tercinta, Salam manis, Salam rindu, |
Salam hangat, Sahabatmu, |
|
Hai, |
|
e) Lexical selection
The informal register can make use of colloquial or dialectical lexicon (e.g. kenapa ‘why’, enggak ‘no, not’, etc.).
More elaborate examples can be seen below:
|
Category |
Examples |
Type of Register |
|
Personal and possessive pronouns
|
(EN): Thank you for your participation. (ID): Terima kasih atas partisipasimu. |
Grammatical |
|
Verbs |
(EN): The following is the step-by-step guide on how to use the oven for the first time. (ID): Ini adalah panduan langkah-demi-langkah cara makai oven pertama kalinya. |
Grammatical |
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Sentence structure |
(EN): The director is travelling on duty overseas. (ID): Direktur ke luar negeri. |
Grammatical |
|
Greetings and closings |
(EN): Dear Yacinta, (ID): Yacinta yang tercinta,
(EN): Best, (ID): Salam hangat, |
Lexical |
|
Lexical selection |
(EN): I hope you can give me explanation of why the application does not work. (ID): Aku harap kamu bisa njelasin kenapa aplikasinya tidak bekerja. |
Lexical |
6. Localization challenges
6.1. Proper nouns
Proper nouns refer to unique entities, such as persons, places, organizations, brands, events, etc. As foreign proper nouns are concerned, languages may adopt different rules regarding whether they should be translated or kept in the original language. When editing a text, you should follow your languages rules for all different types of proper nouns listed below. However, please note that if there is a glossary provided by the client that includes these types of units, you should always apply the glossary items.
6.1.1. Persons
Foreign names should be kept untranslated. Similarly, a celebrity name should be kept as it is regardless the existence of its equivalent name in Indonesian. However, a person’s tittle can be translated depending on a client request.
Examples
Source text: Her name is Alexandra.
✘ Namanya Aleksandra.
✓ Namanya Alexandra.
Source text: Mr. Smith came this morning.
✓ Mr. Smith sudah datang pagi ini.
✓Tn. Smith sudah datang pagi ini.
6.1.2. Places
If a foreign place name has a conventionalized equivalent name in Indonesian, thus, the Indonesian version should be chosen.
Example
Source text: He lives in the Netherlands.
✘ Dia tinggal di the Netherlands.
✓ Dia tinggal di Belanda.
Sometimes, a foreign place name can be absorbed into Indonesian, accompanied by spelling, pronunciation and word-order adjustments.
Examples
Ekuador à Ecuador
Maroko à Morocco
Praha à Prague
Arab Saudi à Saudi Arabia
6.1.3. Organizations
Similar to how foreign words are handled in Indonesian, an attempt to translate a foreign organization name should be done first. Thus, the English term ‘United Nations’, for instance, should be translated into Indonesian as Persatuan Bangsa-Bangsa.
It is also important to note that in translating foreign governmental organizations, a translator can refer to: (i) the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic Indonesia, (ii) the embassy of the country of which the organization name comes from, or (iii) the mass media.
However, if the translation version of the organization name is less popular, it is suggested to write the name in both languages, i.e. the translated version followed by the foreign name written in italic and in brackets.
Sometimes, organization names such as ‘Oxford University’ are absorbed into Indonesian, accompanied by both spelling and word-order adjustment, becoming Universitas Oxford.
However, many organization names are also kept untranslated.
Examples
UNESCO
UNICEF
NATO
6.1.4. Brands and products
If there is no Indonesian equivalent name of foreign brands and products, thus, the name should be kept untranslated and written in italic. Similar to foreign organization names, if the translation version of the brand and product name is less popular, it is suggested to write the name in both languages, i.e. the translated version followed by the foreign name written in italic and in brackets.
Example
Source text: PlayStation
✘ StasiunBermain
✓ PlayStation
6.1.5. Other entities
If there is no Indonesian equivalent for other foreign entities terms such as arts and events, they should be kept untranslated.
Example
Source text: Yi Peng Lantern Festival
✘ Festival lentera sentuh
✓ Yi Peng Lantern Festival
However, if the Indonesian equivalent exists, thus, the equivalent should be chosen.
Example
Source text: G-20 Summit
✘ G-20 Summit
✓ KTT G-20 (Konferensi Tingkat Tinggi G-20)
6.2. Acronyms and initials
If a foreign acronym or initial has its equivalent in Indonesian, hence, the target acronym or initial should be used.
Example
Source text: TB (Tuberculosis)
✓ TBC (Tuberkulosis)
However, some initials are translated instead.
Example
Source text: UN (United nations)
✘ UN (United nations)
✓ PBB (Perserikatan Bangsa-Bangsa)
Many foreign acronyms and initials, however, are kept untranslated.
Examples
WHO [World Health Organization]
B.A. [bachelor of arts]
6.3. Date format
Unlike English, Indonesian follows dd-mm-yyyy format (e.g. 27-07-1990) or dd mmmm yyyy format (e.g. 27 July 1990).
Examples
Source text: She is born on 4/14/2010.
✘ Dia lahir pada tanggal 04/14/2010.
✓ Dia lahir pada tanggal 14-04-2010.
Source text: She is born on March 14, 2010.
✘ Dia lahir pada tanggal Maret 14, 2010.
✓ Dia lahir pada tanggal 14 Maret 2010.
6.4. Time format
In Indonesian formal written register, the time format used is 24-hour. However, in informal register, 12-hour format can be used by adding words such as pagi ‘morning’, siang ‘noon’, malam ‘evening/night’ etc.
Example
Source text: She usually comes home at 6 p.m.
✘ Dia biasanya pulang pada pukul 6.
✓ Dia biasanya pulang pada pukul 18.00. [formal]
✓ Dia biasanya pulang pada pukul 6 sore. [informal)
6.5. Measures
Measures should always keep the format of the source text and should never be converted. You should only translate them when they have an equivalent term in your language.
Indonesian absorbs some of measurement terms with spelling and pronunciation adjustments as seen below:
Examples
cm centimeter sentimeter
inch inches inci
ft foot kaki
It should be noted, however, that abbreviations should be kept (e.g. 2 ft, 20 cm).
6.6. Currency
Currency values should be left as they are in the source text, only translating the currency: for example, 100 euros (EN) → 100 euro (ID).
Example
Source text: The book price is 13 euros.
✘ Harga buku tersebut tiga belas euro.
✓ Harga buku tersebut 13 euro.
The currency symbols should precede the currency values and should be written without a period and a whitespace (e.g. €40, $60, £100, etc.).
Example
✘ Rp. 100.000
✓ Rp100.000
The currency initials (e.g. USD, GBP, RUB, INR, DKK, NOK, etc.) should not be translated into Indonesian as they are a convention accepted worldwide. However, they should be written before the currency symbol and should not be followed by a period or a whitespace.
Example
✘ USD $60
✓ USD$60
7. Most frequent errors
Below are the most frequent errors found in English-Indonesian translation.
- Overly literal
Examples
Source text: I am sorry it has taken so long for someone to get back to you.
✘ Maaf, sudah lama bagi seseorang untuk kembali kepada Anda.
✓ Saya mohon maaf atas lambatnya kami membalas pesan Anda.
Source text: I know it maybe frustrating that everything is out of reach with your age.
✘ Saya tahu itu mungkin menjengkelkan bahwa segala sesuatu berada di luar jangkauan usiamu.
✓ Saya mengerti bahwa keterbatasan akses di usia Anda sangat membuat frustasi.
- Grammatical and lexical registers
Examples
Source text: Have a great day.
✘ Semoga harimu menyenangkan.
✓ Semoga hari Anda menyenangkan.
Source text: We are sorry about that.
✘ Kami minta maaf soal itu.
✓ Kami meminta maaf mengenai hal tersebut.
- Orthography
Examples
Source text: We would like to note that it is required to confirming your card delivery address.
✘ Kami ingin menegaskan bahwa mengkonfirmasi alamat pengiriman kartu anda wajib dilakukan.
✓ Kami ingin menegaskan bahwa mengonfirmasi alamat pengiriman kartu Anda wajib dilakukan.
Source text: Please follow this instruction.
✘ Silahkan mengikuti instruksi ini.
✓ Silakan mengikuti instruksi berikut.
8. Useful online resources
Indonesian dictionaries
Indonesian Dictionary, Thesaurus and Glossary
Bilingual dictionaries
Cambridge Bilingual English-Indonesian Dictionary
Oxford Bilingual English – Indonesian Dictionary
Others
Indonesian terms formation guidelines
English dictionaries
English thesauruses
English verb conjugator
English grammar guide
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