translating ‘hikayat deli’ into bahasa indonesia and the need of meaning-based translation model

One of the ways assisting translators in producing a good target text (TT) is a translation model based on which they do their task comfortably. Designing or developing a model serves as an effort to find the best way to provide full equivalent of the ST in the TT (Vinay and Darbelnet 1995, p. 255) even though there will be no exact equivalent in translation (Nida 1964, p.159). This is a descriptive qualitative study using the book entitled „Hikayat Deli’ written in Malay language and its translation in bahasa Indonesia as the data. In addition, several translation models were revisited as the references as well as the comparative model in order to show how the previous models were different from the present model. The data were analysed using a content analysis and the findings became the basis of developing a translation model. The study has resulted in the formation of „Meaning-Based Translation Model”. This model is extension of Larson‟s (1984) model emphasizing meaning as the main concern of translation. The source text (ST) meaning is discovered and re-expressed in the TT based on the SFL language metafunction point of view. In addition to meaning, this model also highlights translation technique as one of the important factors in producing a TT. The study also exemplifies how this model can be applied in the translation process.