Translating the Untranslatable: A Journey Through Metaphor and Meaning in They Say I’m a Monkey

Translating the Untranslatable: A Journey Through Metaphor and Meaning in They Say I’m a Monkey

(Source: revormasi.com)

Published by PT. Revormasi Jangkar Philosophia, Purwokerto ISBN: 978–623–89989–3–7 | First Edition: June 2025

“Translation is not a matter of words only: it is a matter of making intelligible a whole culture.” — Anthony Burgess

In They Say I’m a Monkey: Translating Metaphor in Literary Works, Novita Angelie Taroreh embarks on a meticulous journey into the world of literary translation — where words are never just words, but windows into lived experiences, culture, and emotion. Published by Revormasi.com, this book is a rare gem in the growing body of translation studies rooted in Southeast Asian literature.

At its surface, the book analyzes the English translation of Mereka Bilang, Saya Monyet, a bold and provocative short story collection by Djenar Maesa Ayu. But what Taroreh offers is far more than a linguistic dissection — it’s a cultural, philosophical, and even political investigation into how metaphors survive (or fail) in crossing borders.

Why This Book Matters

Indonesia’s contemporary literary voices are often rich in metaphors, symbolism, and cultural nuance. Djenar’s stories are no exception. As a figure associated with the post-Reformasi wave of Sastra Wangi, Djenar uses metaphor not merely as literary ornamentation, but as resistance: to patriarchy, to hypocrisy, to repression.

In this context, Taroreh’s book becomes critical. It examines how these metaphors — some rooted deeply in Indonesian idioms and imagery — are rendered in English by translator M.N. Garcia. Can the metaphorical “bibir pantai” become “shore” without losing its poetic intimacy? Does “wong asu” evoke the same emotional fire when translated as “The Dog Man”?

The book doesn’t offer simple answers but teaches readers to ask better questions.

A Translator’s Tightrope: Between Fidelity and Fluency

Taroreh evaluates the translation using frameworks from Peter Newmark, Eugene Nida, and Gideon Toury — laying out categories like “dead metaphors,” “stock metaphors,” and “cultural metaphors.” Through this taxonomy, she demonstrates how Garcia’s choices reflect a constant balancing act: Should a metaphor be translated literally for the sake of cultural integrity? Or domesticated for accessibility?

For instance, she praises moments where rhythm and tone are preserved despite the language shift — such as in the use of short, staccato sentences mirroring Djenar’s style. Yet, she’s equally critical when certain metaphors lose their impact or when cultural terms are flattened. The book gives a striking example of the translation of “memeras keringat” into “toiled and sweated”, an elegant equivalence. However, other expressions like “sembilu” — a bamboo blade metaphor for pain — are harder to translate without losing emotional and cultural gravity.

Between the Lines: Politics, Gender, and Power

Perhaps most profound is Taroreh’s acknowledgment that metaphor is never neutral. In Djenar’s work, metaphors of the body, violence, and desire carry political charge. Taroreh connects this with the role of women writers in post-1998 Indonesia — challenging taboos and censorship, often through figurative language that speaks louder than literal words ever could.

She also raises an important point about the translator’s gendering of characters, particularly in abstract representations like “Dia” (He/She or God). By choosing gendered pronouns in English, the translator inadvertently introduces biases absent in the original.

For Whom Is This Book?

If you are:

• A translator working with literary or culturally rich texts
• A scholar of Southeast Asian literature or feminist criticism
• A lover of metaphor, language, and the power of storytelling
• then this book belongs on your shelf.

But even for general readers, They Say I’m a Monkey offers a rare peek into the invisible labor behind translation — the thousand choices a translator must make to bring not just words, but worlds, across linguistic borders.

Final Verdict

Taroreh’s work is reflective, informed, and refreshingly unafraid to critique. It urges us to see translation not as mechanical reproduction, but as creative negotiation. It challenges translators to be sensitive cultural mediators. And it reminds readers that literature, when carefully translated, can carry not only a story — but the heartbeat of an entire people.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5) An essential, enriching read for literary and translation enthusiasts alike.

📚 Available through official publisher: Revormasi.com

https://revormasi.com/publications/618870/they-say-im-a-monkey-translating-metaphor-in-literary-works

✍️ Written by Novita Angelie Taroreh, S.S., M.Trans.Stud. 🔖 Published by PT. Revormasi Jangkar Philosophia, 2025