Translation Analysis of English Swear Words In Indonesian Subtitles of HBO Series Game of Thrones

Abstract

This research analyzes the translation of English swear words into Indonesian in the subtitles of the HBO series Game of Thrones Season 2. The study aims to identify the types of swear words used, the translation techniques applied, and the quality of the translations in terms of accuracy and acceptability. This research employs a descriptive qualitative method. The data were classified using Jay’s (2009) theory of swear word types, analyzed using Molina and Albir’s (2002) translation techniques, and evaluated using Nababan’s (2012) translation quality assessment model focusing on accuracy and acceptability. A total of 183 swear words were found in the series. The most frequent type is sexual references, while vulgar slang appears the least frequent. From 18 translation techniques proposed by Molina and Albir, only 7 were used, with established equivalent as the most dominant technique. The accuracy assessment shows 80 accurate, 41 less accurate, and 62 inaccurate translations, resulting in an average score of 2.09. Meanwhile, the acceptability assessment records 136 acceptable and 47 unacceptable translations, with an average score of 2.49. Overall, the results indicate that the translator tends to prioritize cultural appropriateness and naturalness in Indonesian rather than full semantic accuracy when translating swear words.