Loss and Gain in Translation of Emotional Expressions

A Case Study of Inside Out 2 Subtitles by GubrakZ

Abstract

This study examines the phenomenon of loss and gain in the translation of emotional expression in the Indonesian subtitles of the Pixar film Inside Out 2 translated by GubrakZ. Emotional expression is central to animated films, and Inside Out 2 especially relevant since each character personifies a distinct human emotional through a unique speech style and word choice. Translating such emotional loaded dialogue from English into Indonesian inevitably involves differences in linguistic system, cultural connotation, and the spatial temporal constraints of subtitling, often causing emotional nuance to be weakened or strengthened. Guided by Bassnett’s concept of loss and gain, this study identifies which phenomenon is more dominant and which translation techniques are most frequently applied. A descriptive qualitative approach aligning the original English dialogue with its Indonesian subtitle. Analysis of the corpus yielded 522 emotional expression, comprising 448 data points (85,82%) categories as loss and 74 (14,18%) as gain. Literal translation was the most frequently used technique and the primary cause of loss, whereas compensation was the dominant technique for producing gain, followed by couplet, modulation, and explicitation. Seven representative data pairs three loss and four gain samples were further analyzed, showing that loss mainly stemmed from literal translation of slang, metaphor, and informal speech, while gain was largely generated through compensation couplet, modulation, and explication. These findings indicate that subtitle translator must continually balance semantic accuracy with emotional readability when rendering personified emotional character.