Intersemiotic Translation: Mat Dollah’s Batik Paintings of the Malay Folktale “Puteri Gunung Ledang”

Main Article Content

J. Yasodhara Menon
Krishnavanie Shunmugam
Selvajothi Ramalingam

Abstract

In translation studies, intersemiotic translation, which is the transference of a verbal sign system to a non-verbal sign, vice-versa or between two non-verbal modes, is a dynamically creative form of translation often involving literary works. Intersemiotic translations make it possible for written source texts to be brought to life in various artistic ways; they can usurp the power of the written word to transfer sense and meaning through unforgettable images from one culture to another. Folktales, documented in writings, have been translated into many different forms, such as in performing arts, animations, paintings, and illustrated books. This article examines the intersemiotic translation of the evergreen Malay folktale, “Puteri Gunung Ledang” or “The Princess of Mount Ledang” recreated in the form of batik paintings by the batik artist, Mat Dollah. The first specific objective of this study is to identify the variant and invariant features in Mat Dollah’s representation of the folktale by comparing his batik paintings to its original written account. The second objective is to investigate Mat Dollah’s skopos or purpose for recreating the folktale in his batik paintings in the ways that he has represented it. Six selected batik paintings of the folktale are analysed using multimodality approaches by Kress and van Leeuwen, including visual grammar, viewer networks, and modality (2006), social actor representations (van Leeuwen, 2008), and colour (van Leeuwen, 2011), to fulfil the first objective. Transcripts from an email interview with the painter are analysed to fulfil the second objective. In this study, Vermeer's Skopos Theory underpins the overall discussion. The findings show that one invariant core links the batik paintings to the written source text. Next, the skopos or purpose of the artist in producing these recreations in his own unique ways is strongly influenced by his personal experience, his work as an artist, and his perspectives of the world. Two key insights can be surmised about intersemiotic translations from these findings. Firstly, it is the translators’ intent that determines the translation strategies used, ultimately shaping the final translated product. Secondly, this makes the translator’s presence highly visible in intersemiotic translations.

Article Details

How to Cite
Menon, J. Y. ., Shunmugam, K. ., & Ramalingam, S. . (2024). Intersemiotic Translation: Mat Dollah’s Batik Paintings of the Malay Folktale “Puteri Gunung Ledang”. Journal of Communication, Language and Culture, 4(2), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.33093/jclc.2024.4.2.1
Section
Articles

References

Aguiar, D. & Queiroz, J. (2009). Towards a Model of Intersemiotic Translation. The International Journal of the Arts in Society, 4(4), 203-210.

Ahmad, W. F. W., Sarlan, A., & Jainlabdin, F. S. (2018). The retelling of Malaysian folktales: CERITERA. Advanced Science Letters. 24. 990-994. 10.1166/asl.2018.10673.

Azmy, S. N. (2017). Metaphorical words and expressions: Film review based on the dialogue in Puteri Gunung Ledang (The Princess of Mount Ledang). International Journal of English Linguistics, 7(6), 221–226. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v7n6p221

Bastin, J. (2002). John Leyden and the Publication of the “Malay Annals” (1821). Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 75(2 (283)), 99–115. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41493475

Blagden, C. O. (1925). An unpublished variant version of the “Malay Annals”. Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 3(1 (93), 10-52.

Brown, C. C. (1952). The Malay Annals. Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 25(2/3 (159)), 5–276. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41502950

Brown, C. C. (translator) (2009). MBRAS Reprint 28 Malay Annals Translated from MS Raffles No.18 (V1). By John Leyden, Malaysia: Academe Art and Printing Services Sdn. Bhd.

Cheah Boon K. (compiler) (2009). MBRAS Reprint 17 Sejarah Melayu: The Malay Annals (V3), transcribed by Abdul Rahman Haji Ismail, Malaysia: Academe Art and Printing Services Sdn. Bhd.

Dapena-Tretter, A. (2017). Jean Dubuffet & Art Brut: The Creation of an Avant-Garde Identity. Platform: Journal of Theater and Performing Arts, 11(1), 12–33.

de Eredia, M. G. (1997). Description of Malacca (1613). Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society Reprint 14.

Dusi, N. (2015). Intersemiotic translation: Theories, problems, analysis. Semiotica. 2015. 10.1515/sem-2015-0018

Eco, U. (1979). A Theory of Semiotics. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Ellestrom, L. (2010). The Modalities of Media: A Model for Understanding Intermedial Relations. In: Ellestrom, L. (Eds.) Media Borders, Multimodality and Intermediality. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230275201_2

Foo, M. L. (2019). 10,000 mosquito hearts [Exhibition].

Giannakopoulou, V. (2019). Introduction: Intersemiotic translation as adaptation. Adaptation, 12(3), 199–205. https://doi.org/10.1093/adaptation/apz023

Gottlieb, H. (2005). Conference Proceedings: MuTra 2005 – Challenges of Multidimensional Translation: Multidimensional Translation: Semantics turned Semiotics.

Gottlieb, H. (2017). Semiotics and translation from: The Routledge Handbook of Translation Studies and Linguistics, Routledge Handbook Online. https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9781315692845

Halliday, M. A. K. (1978). Language as social semiotic: The social interpretation of language and meaning. Edward Arnold.

Ismail, W. N. W, Samian A.L., & Muslim, N.. (2016). The symbol of animals in Malay proverbs. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 6 (3), 148-154. http://www.ijhssnet.com/journals/Vol_6_No_3_March_2016/17.pdf

Jakobson, R. (1959). On Linguistic Aspects of Translation. (Ed. Venuti. L) The Translation Studies Reader. London and New York: Routledge, 126–131.

Jeha, J. (1997). Intersemiotic translation: The Peircean basis. In G. F. Carr (Ed.), Semiotics in the world: Synthesis in diversity (Vol. 1, pp. 639–642). Mouton de Gruyter.

Kazmierczak, M. (2018). From intersemiotic translation to intersemiotic aspects of translation. Przekladaniec, 36, 7–35. https://doi.org/10.4467/16891864ePC.18.009.9831

Kazmierczak, M. (2020). From intersemiotic translation to intersemiotic aspects of translation. In J. Sanjines (Ed.), Moving between modes: Papers in intersemiotic translation in memoriam Professor Alina Kwiatkowska (pp. 61–88). Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Lodzkiego. https://doi.org/10.18778/8220-191-8.05

Ketola, Anne. (2016). Translating Picture Books: Re-examining Interlingual and Intersemiotic Translation. DRS 2016. 3. 1179-1190

Kourdis, E. (2015). Semiotics of Translation: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Translation, in Trifonas (ed.), International Handbook of Semiotics, Dordrecht: Springer, 303-320.

Kourdis, Evangelos & Yoka, C. (2014). Intericonicity as Intersemiotic Translation in a Globalized Culture, in Wang & Ji (eds.), Our World: A Kaleidoscopic Semiotic Network, Proceedings of the 11th World Congress of the IASS/AIS, 5-9 October 2012, Hohai University Press, pp. 162-176.

Kress, G. (2003). Literacy in the New Media Age. London: Routledge.

Kress, G., & Leeuwen, T. van. (2001). Multimodal Discourse. The Modes and Media of Contemporary Communication. Arnold Publishers, London.

Kress, G., & Leeuwen, T. van. (2006) [1996]. Reading Images the Grammar of Visual Design. Routledge.

Leyden, J. (2012) Sejarah Melayu; The Malay Annals Translated. Malaysia: Silverfish Book Sdn. Bhd.

Loddo, O. G., Addis, A., & Lorini, G. (2022). Intersemiotic translation of contracts into digital environments. Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence, 5, Article 963692. https://doi.org/10.3389/frai.2022.963692

Low, J. (1849). A translation of the Keddah Annals termed Merong Mahawangsa. The Journal of the Indian Archipelago and Eastern Asia, J.R. Logan(ed.), 111, 19-20.

Mat Dollah. (n.d.). The Batik Paintings of Mat Dollah. [Facebook Page]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/matdollahbatik

Mat Dollah. (2003). Malay Legends and Myths. [Visual Art Exhibition]. Duran Art Gallery, Madrid, Spain.

Maxwell, W. E. (Ed.) (1997). Notes and Queries. Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (MBRAS) Reprint 15. Retrieved from https://www.sabrizain.org/malaya/library/notesandqueries.txt

Maybank Foundation. (2019). Painting batik: An exhibition and tribute [Exhibition catalogue]. https://www.maybankfoundation.com/images/pages/eCatalogue/Batik-Painting-An-Exhibition-and-Tribute.pdf

Mossop, B. (2019). ‘Intersemiotic Translating, Time for a Rethink?’, Translation and Interpreting Studies, 14 (1), 75-94.

Muhammad, J. A. B. (2018). Gestalt analysis of Wiraism in Puteri Gunung Ledang, Semantics Scholar, Retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/

Muhammad Haji Salleh. (2011). The epic of Hang Tuah (R. Robson, Ed.). Institut Terjemahan Negara Malaysia Berhad.

Mulaika, H. (2010). The Legend You Thought You Knew: Text and Screen Representations of Puteri Gunung Ledang. Sage Journal. https://journals.sagepub.com/

Munday, J. (2016). Introducing translation studies: Theories and Applications. Routledge.

Musa, N. H., & Ramli, H. (2014). Identiti Melayu dalam catan Syed Ahmad Jamal. KUPAS SENI, 2. https://ejournal.upsi.edu.my/index.php/JSPS/article/view/2233

Noh, L. M. M., Ridzuan, A. R., Idris, N., Sharif, T. I. S. T., & Ghani, K. M. A. (2018). The Malay identity in Malaysian women’s paintings. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 8(10), 63–72.

Nord, C. (1997). Translating as a Purposeful Activity: Functionalist Approaches Explained. United Kingdom: St. Jerome Publishing.

Nord, C. (2001). Translating as a Purposeful Activity: Functionalist Approaches Explained. United Kingdom: St. Jerome Publishing.

O Halloran, K. L., Sabine, T. & Peter, W. (2016). Intersemiotic Translation as Resemiotisation: A Multimodal Perspective. Translating: Signs, Texts, Practices Signata Annals of Semiotics (7), 199-229.

Parlog, A. C. (2019). Intersemiotic translation and multimodality. In Intersemiotic translation: Literary and Linguistic Multimodality, 15-21.

Peirce, C. S. (1931–1935). The collected papers of Charles Sanders Peirce (Vols. 1–6). Harvard University Press. (Original work published 1931–1935)

Pires, T. (1944). The Suma Oriental of Tome Pires: An account of the East, from the Red Sea to Japan, written in Malacca and India in 1512-1515. London: Hakluyt Society.

Queiroz, J., & Aguiar, D. (2015). C. S. Peirce and intersemiotic translation. 10.1007/978-94-017-9404-6_7

Razali, C. S. M. M., & Salleh, M. (2020). Intercultural creativity and exploration through Gamelanistic Elements in Marzelan Salleh's Puteri Gunung Ledang and John Cage's dream. Música Hodie, 20. Article e65011. https://doi.org/10.5216/mh.v20.65011

Roolvink, R. (1967). The variant versions of the Malay Annals. Bijdragen Tot de Taal-, Land- En Volkenkunde, 123(3), 301–324. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27860878

Sanusi K. (2003). The Batik Paintings of Mat Dollah (Conference Presentation). Kuala Lumpur.

Sharmiza Abu Hassan. (2004). Alegori Ledang [Exhibition].

Simoes, E. (2019). Advertisements as special instances of intersemiotic translation. Translation Matters, 1(2), p.133 – 145. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21747/21844585/tma8

Sohar, A. (2019). Fairy tales retold in words and pictures. Translation Matters, 1(2), p. 9 – 29. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21747/21844585/tm1_2a1

Sutiste, E. (2021). Intersemiotic translation. In Y. Gambier & L. van Doorslaer (Eds.), Handbook of Translation Studies (Vol. 5, pp. 127–134). John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/hts.5.int7

Syed Thajudeen. (2016). Eternal love between Hang Tuah and Puteri Gunung Ledang [Mural].

Tun, S. L. (2009). Sulalat al-Salatin ya’ni perteturun segala raja-raja (Sejarah Melayu) (M. Haji Salleh, Intro.). Terbitan Bersama Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka dan Yayasan Karyawan Kuala Lumpur.

Van Leeuwen, T. (2008). Discourse and practice: New tools for critical discourse analysis. Oxford University Press.

Van Leeuwen, T. (2011). The language of colour: An introduction. Routledge.

Venuti, L. (Ed.). (2012). The translation studies reader. New York: Routledge.

Vermeer, H. J. (1989b). Skopos and commission in translational action (A. Chesterman, Trans.). Reprinted in L. Venuti (Ed.). The Translation Studies Reader (2nd ed., pp. 227-238). London: Routledge, 2004. ISBN: 041518746X.

Vidal, R., & Campbell, M. (Ed.). (2018). Translating across sensory and linguistic borders: Intersemiotic journeys between Media. 10.1007/978-3-319-97244-2

Winstedt, R. O. (1938). The Malay annals of Sejarah Melayu. Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 16 (3 (132), 1–226. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41559927

Winstedt, R. O. (1982). The Malay magician being Shaman, Saiva and Sufi. New York: Routledge Kegan Paul Ltd. 1951, Oxford University Press.

Zanettin, F. (2008). Comics in translation: An overview. In F. Zanettin (Ed.), Comics in translation (pp. 1–32). London: Routledge.

Zhang, H. (2023). Exploring intersemiotic translation models: A case study of Ang Lee's films. Routledge.