Amplification Technique: Cases in Translating Mathematical Terms and Concepts in Children's Picture Books from English into Indonesian

Authors

  • Nur Saptaningsih

    Doctorate Program in Linguistics, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta 57126, Indonesia

  • Mangatur Nababan

    Doctorate Program in Linguistics, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta 57126, Indonesia

  • Riyadi Santosa

    Doctorate Program in Linguistics, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta 57126, Indonesia

  • Djatmika

    Doctorate Program in Linguistics, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta 57126, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i10.11452
Received: 3 August 2025 | Revised: 11 August 2025 | Accepted: 19 August 2025 | Published Online: 16 October 2025

Abstract

This product-oriented study investigates types and functions of the amplification techniques applied in rendering mathematical terms and concepts in children’s storybooks. The application of amplification techniques in children’s storybooks is crucial since it adds some information to the target text. Therefore, applying amplification techniques has the potential to decrease or maintain the translation quality in terms of accuracy, acceptability, and readability. Therefore, it is important to assess the translation quality. In analyzing the translation quality, the present research applied Nababan et al’s instrument. The data were collected from 18 children’s storybooks and analyzed through content analysis and focused-group discussion (FGD). In FGD, the researchers discussed the accuracy and acceptability with three raters who were selected based on several criteria. In addition, this research also conducted an interview session with children from of various ages and levels to assess the readability. This multiple case study analyzed the data by using Spradley’s four stages, namely domain, taxonomy, componential, and cultural-theme analyses. Based on the result, translators often employ amplification techniques to address these challenges to provide detailed explanations by using explicitation techniques with a new amplification function discovered through this research, namely the tuning function, reaching a high score of translation quality of nearly 3. This paper delves into amplification uses in translating mathematical terms and concepts in children's picture books from English to Indonesian.

Keywords:

Amplification; Functions; Mathematical Terms and Concepts; Picture Books; Children Literature

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How to Cite

Saptaningsih, N., Nababan, M., Santosa, R., & Djatmika. (2025). Amplification Technique: Cases in Translating Mathematical Terms and Concepts in Children’s Picture Books from English into Indonesian. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(10), 1339–1355. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i10.11452

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