Abstract

Translating cultural terms remains one of the most complex challenges in literary translation, as cultural concepts are often deeply embedded in the source text (ST) and lack direct counterparts in the target text (TT). This research investigates how equivalence is achieved in the Indonesian translation of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. By applying Bassnet’s concept of “translation as negotiation”, Baker’s (2018) translation strategies, and Bell’s (1991) theory of equivalence, this research adopts a descriptive qualitative method by comparing cultural terms between ST and TT and focuses on a semantic level and its implications for the equivalence. The findings reveal that translation by cultural substitution is the most frequently used strategy, resulting in partial equivalence where cultural meaning is adapted to ensure readability and cultural accessibility for Indonesian readers. Meanwhile, loan translation with explanation often achieves full equivalence, particularly in proper names, while paraphrase using unrelated words leads to non-equivalence due to semantic and cultural shifts. These results demonstrate that equivalence is not a fixed correspondence but a process of negotiating cultural meaning between languages. This research contributes to translation studies by reframing that equivalence as a dynamic cultural process. Future research is recommended for further investigation by exploring the cultural background that influences their translation choices across different literary genres.

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