The Influence of Comparing Two Translators of the Novel The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway as Translated by Sapardi Djoko Damono and Dian Vita Ellyati

Abstract

This study aims to examine the differences between two Indonesian translations of Ernest Hemingway’s novel “The Old Man and the Sea”, translated by Sapardi Djoko Damono and Dian Vita Ellyati. The comparison explores how each translator conveys meaning, literary style, and aesthetic nuances from the source text into Indonesian. The research uses a descriptive qualitative method with a textual comparative approach. Data are drawn from selected key excerpts in the original novel and its two translated versions. The analysis focuses on equivalence of meaning, stylistic shifts, and translation strategies. The findings show that Damono tends to preserve Hemingway’s minimalist style, while Ellyati adopts a more adaptive and communicative approach to reach Indonesian readers. These results are interpreted through Susan Bassnett’s theory of loss and gain, Hans Vermeer’s Skopos theory, and Damono’s views on the aesthetics of literary translation.