Translation and Indigenous Language Preservation in Indonesia

Abstract

Translation practices have existed since the 19th century involving several major Indonesian-type languages. However, those practices cannot be considered as related to indigenous language preservation. Before the Indonesian independence, different tribes in Indonesia were still independent and considered themselves as different nations. Therefore, a native language in those days was considered as a national language for a certain tribe or nation. The situation changed since the independence. Indonesia as a nation has many different tribes. Other than the national language (bahasa Indonesia), Indonesia has hundreds indigenous languages. In addition, since the Independence Day, bahasa Indonesia has become the dominant target language in the translation practices. In this talk, I will discuss some latest translation practices involving indigenous languages in Indonesia. I would like to argue in this presentation that translation can be one of the most potential solutions to preserve indigenous languages. In 2021, Indonesian government initiated a massive translation project; the Covid19 protocol guidance originally written in bahasa Indonesia was translated into 77 indigenous languages. In this presentation, I will present data from East Javanese for micro-discussion on the translation process. In addition, I will also talk about translation practices into indigenous languages that target younger generation. Efforts to translate children’s literature into indigenous languages have been initiated. Hopefully, this project can be developed and attract more translators to translate texts into their indigenous languages. Keywords: indigenous language, preservation, translation