The objective of this research is to analyze (1) the translation procedures that are used in the comic The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck and (2) their correlation with the visual elements of the comic. As it is the story of Scrooge McDuck’s rise to success, the comic depicts aggressiveness not only physically through violence and facial expression but also verbally through the usage of harsh language. Further research to investigate other elements censored, and compared with other translated comics is recommended.Ĭomics are media that people of all ages can enjoy, and while some comics have age restriction, The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck is a comic that targets both young and old readers.
The interview with the publisher’s Senior Editor also revealed that “decency” was the first priority in the translation decision making, followed by clarity of meaning and maintenance of humour. The research findings discovered that the translators performed censorship through the dominant use of reduction and generalisation techniques so as to reduce sarcasm and insults. Reader-response analysis was done to find out the readers’ response to the rendering of meaning and maintenance of humour in the translation.
Content analysis was used in comparing the source text (ST) and target text (TT) to find out the translation techniques used as a means of censorship and to find out the translators’ reasons for choosing the techniques. For these purposes a qualitative method was employed with content analysis technique and reader response analysis. It also aims at analysing whether or not the choice of the translation techniques affects the rendering of meaning, maintenance of humour, and acceptability of the translation. This research aims at finding out censorship through the translation techniques used by the translators in translating the English humorous texts in the Walt Disney’s Donald Duck comics into Indonesian and the reasons underlying the translators’ choice of the translation techniques. So, in translating the comics, the translators have to manipulate the text for it to be acceptable by the target readers and parents. Not all aspects of Western culture, reflected in the language used in Walt Disney’s Donald Duck comics, are acceptable in Indonesia.