Utilizing Translation Equivalence in J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter in the Phoenix New Order

Abstract

Many scholars have offered many theories to solve the problems of literary translation. However, the quality of literary translation remains a big burden and challenge for many translators due to literary translation often encounters the problems of fluency, accuracy, register, flexibility, a feeling for style, an appreciation of nuance, and transparency (Landers, 2001, p.13). The subjectivity in the interpretation of the source language message, the motion of stylistic faithfulness, and flexibility as regards the form of the source text and the greatest possible degree of the impracticality of an adequate translation have led to the problem of equivalence. Indeed, such problems of translation equivalence that are invoked by the translation process may bring serious problems to literary translation. The paper aims to seek the problems of non-equivalence in literary translation and to apply the concept of translation equivalences proposed by Mona Baker within and above the word levels grammatical level, textual level, and pragmatic level. By using Baker’s concept of the equivalence functions, this paper provides strategies to deal with non-equivalence problems found in J.K Rowling’s novel Harry Potter in the Phoenix New Order. This paper has found that the translation of the Phoenix New Order novel bears non-equivalencies in the level of the word, above word, grammatical, textual, and pragmatic. Thus, translators need to apply several strategies, especially the concept of translation equivalence, in their translating process to ensure effective and efficient translation.