Bad Translation!

One of the things an author needs to get his/her ideas spread and accepted by people in different parts of the world is good translators. Eligible translators convey the writer’s ideas precisely and as comprehensive as it can be in order to have others understand the intentions of the writer. The most important task for a translator is to have the readers understand the text and ideas the way the writer intends it to be.

Problems arise when a translator is not eligible of translating a certain text, making the readers even more confused rather than grasp the essence of the writer’s ideas. This is true in the case of several books on contemporary philosophy in Indonesia.

Take the example of Jean Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulation, for instance. This book has been translated and published by LKiS in Jogjakarta several years ago, with the title Galaksi Simulakra. Not only that the topic discussed in this book is difficult to comprehend, but the translator and editor themselves did not make it any easier for the readers to understand it! Upon reading the translated book, a reader would put it down and browse in the internet to find the real (English or French) copy. The translation simply doesn’t seem to translate the idea!

We need eligible translators to help us readers – academic readers, in particular – gain broader knowledge by studying other people’s ideas and way of thinking. Translators, editors, and publishers should always be wary about launching a book that really influences people’s mind. We wouldn’t want bad translation get mixed up with misunderstanding and miscomprehension, now, would we?