An Analysis of Cultural Words and Translation Techniques in Michelle Zauner's “Crying In H Mart” Novel

Abstract

Language and culture are closely interconnected, making cultural words challenging to translate because they are often rooted in the source culture and may have no direct equivalents in the target language. This study aims to identify the categories of cultural words in Michelle Zauner’s Crying in H Mart and analyze the translation techniques used in its Indonesian translation, Tangisanku di H Mart. This research employed a descriptive qualitative method and used Newmark’s (1988) theory of cultural words and Molina and Albir’s (2002) theory of translation techniques. The findings identified 223 cultural words classified into five categories: Ecology (19), Material Culture (135), Social Culture (16), Social Organization (27), and Gestures and Habits (26). Material Culture was the most dominant category, accounting for 60.54% of the data. Among the translation techniques identified, Pure Borrowing was the most frequently used, followed by Literal Translation, Established Equivalent, Amplification, Description, Naturalized Borrowing, Adaptation, Reduction, Generalization, and Modulation. The frequent use of Pure Borrowing indicates the translator’s tendency to retain Korean cultural terms and preserve their cultural identity in the Indonesian translation. Overall, the findings show that Crying in H Mart represents Korean culture through food, traditions, institutions, and everyday practices.