Dubbing issue

Since the television dubbing proposal is still opens to public discussion (The Jakarta Post, May 7, 1996), I'd like to give my views regarding this matter.

Though this idea is intended to boost the use of the Indonesian language, the issue is not as simple as one might think. The current Indonesian dialog in dubbed films is sometimes laughable because the literal translations sound awkward. Such translations are usually far from what we would commonly use in everyday life.

Based on the prevailing dubbed films that are aired on television, I am not sure that the viewers will enjoy dubbed films as much as the original ones. I don't think that we can easily find the correct Indonesian equivalents for foreign language idioms (particularly in English). Hence, some idioms are often awkwardly translated into Indonesian.

The benefit of watching subtitled films is that people learning English will hear how certain idioms or expressions are used in particular situations. They can pick up words direct from native speakers.

I am not a television film fan, but, as far as I know, watching the films is not merely following the stories. We can also follow and enjoy the original dialog.

I cannot deny that most of the Indonesian audience enjoys watching foreign films dubbed in Indonesian, but there is no guarantee that the dubbers have used standard Indonesian in the first place.

WAHYUNI RIZKIANA KAMAH

Jakarta