Siri' is defined as sociocultural values used as a tool to maintain integrity and dignity as an individual as well as a member of the Bugis community. It is also a state of humiliation or embarrassment within the Bugis and Makassar community.
Siri' is the first novel published by MCL publisher in 2020. This novel written by Asmayani Kusrini.
Asri Nurul Qodri is the translator of Siri’ (from Indonesian to English). She has been a student, teacher, trainer, and translator in the English Language for about 17 years and currently pursuing a Doctorate degree in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics at Arizona State University.
What makes you decide to take on the translation project for Siri?
“One of the main reasons is the story. The plot and how it’s structured is something I have not seen often in Indonesian writers. It revolves around a family with deep cultural principles and boundaries that influence the way they think, say, and do for generations, but Siri’ shows how each character deals with that in their own way, facing their own struggles, and trying to make sense of their own purpose . All these individual journeys are somewhat interconnected, beautifully intertwined through impeccable writing.“
And that’s also another reason I took on this project. The diction, structure, and style are so effortless. The story is filled with serious matters but there is a sense of dark humor and wit that is almost addictive. You just want to keep reading to know what’s going to happen to the characters in the end.
What are some of the challenges you experience during translation?
The biggest challenge is finding just the right equivalent to the original language that can capture the intended emotions of the character, and that depends on the character’s mindset, personality, and the context of time and place especially concerning tenses and sequence. I also wanted to translate the poetic nuances that the author does so very well. I wanted the translation to showcase the author’s skilful writing. And of course while staying true to the original story. At times, English is much simpler than Indonesian, but at other times, it is more complex, so just finding that perfect translation for each sentence can be quite time-consuming.
During translation, what are some parts or fragments of the story that stand out to you?
I think almost all of the chapters have fragments that are so memorable. Not just because of what happened but how it connects to either what happened before and what happened afterwards. And for the first few chapters , there’s a considerable amount of guessing and predicting how the characters relate to each other and what the actual timeline of the story is. But as you read further, you find yourself drowned in this intricate world and you want to find the missing connections. So, there were a lot of “aha” and “oh my god” moments as I read. No spoilers!
What are your general impressions of the book in both versions (Indonesian & English)?
That is an incredibly well-written story. It’s also an important story to tell. In the western world, the Indonesian context is always seen as this vacation paradise, beautiful landscape, or gorgeous food, which is all true, but I think this book captures the essence of Indonesia’s cultural diversity and how it is actually realized by the people themselves. On paper, we value differences, we even have it written as a part of the country's philosophy, but the practices often misalign with these values, and stories like this, I would hope, can bring about awareness and a sense of reflection of ourselves as a nation. And I think that’s a rare thing to achieve by a book.
What values can people (especially the English readers) learn from a story like this about Indonesia?
For the English readers, there’s a lot of realization about Indonesia. Sometimes, things are not as pretty as it seems. But, that’s true for a lot of things, as well. For the general public, and everyone may have a different answer to this question, but for me, this story brings values of an individual’s journey to find themselves and be true to who they are. That every man or woman is entitled to their own beliefs, either cultural or religious, and if someone is different, it doesn't mean that it is wrong. One’s truth doesn’t reflect everyone's truth. In fact, it shouldn’t, even if you have similar values with other people, everyone interprets it slightly differently, and that’s okay, because we are meant to be different so we can learn more about ourselves, about each other. And that way, we can learn to understand and be kind to one another, we can learn to be human, basically. And so, I enjoyed translating this book, I look forward to having the physical copy in my hands. I'm so proud to be a part of this project and I truly hope that this book will be greatly received by the public and hopefully enriches the world of literature in Indonesia!
Worldwide rights handle by Yayasan Trisda Literatur, contact at trisdaliterature@gmail.com
Comments