The Analysis of Translation Shift and Equivalence in Maher Zain's English and Indonesian Song Lyrics

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the types of translation shift and equivalence in Maher Zain’s English and Indonesian song lyrics. There are 10 songs selected as the data source, among them are 5 songs with Indonesian version, and 5 other songs with Indonesian subtitle. This descriptive qualitative research employs two theories in the analysis, namely translation shift theory by Catford (1965) and translation equivalence theory by Nida and Taber (1982). The researcher also compares the translation shift and equivalence occurred in songs with Indonesian version and subtitle. The result shows that translation shifts found in song version include 15 structure shifts, 13 class shifts, 22 unit shifts, and 2 intra-system shifts. Meanwhile, translation shifts found in song subtitle include 19 structure shifts, 3 class shifts, 18 unit shifts, and 10 intra-system shifts. Furthermore, the researcher found 24 formal equivalence and 23 dynamic equivalence in song version. Then, there are 43 formal equivalence and 3 dynamic equivalence in song subtitle. It can be concluded that the most dominant type of shift occurred in song version is unit shift, while in song subtitle, the structure shift and unit shift occurrence are almost equally dominant. Then, there is a significant difference in term of equivalence type in song subtitle that is formal equivalence occurred as the majority. It is because the focus is more on conveying the semantic and grammatical detail, so the translation preserves the grammatical and structural fidelity, making it a literal translation.