Translation Shifts in the JapaneseEnglish and EnglishIndonesian Subtitles of Howls Moving Castle

Hayao Miyazakis animated masterpiece Howls Moving Castle (1992) has been localized for audiences around the world. Two of the most widelyused subtitle tracks are the JapaneseEnglish version (original Japanese dialogue rendered into English) and the EnglishIndonesian version (English subtitles further translated into Indonesian). This page examines the linguistic and cultural shifts that occur when the film moves from one language pair to another, focusing on three main categories:

1. Lexical and semantic shifts (choice of words, idioms, and register).
2. Pragmatic and cultural adaptation (how cultural references are handled).
3. Structural changes (sentence order, omission, or addition for readability).

1. Lexical and Semantic Shifts

Lexical choices in subtitles are heavily constrained by screen space and timing. The JapaneseEnglish conversion often uses a literalfirst approach, while the EnglishIndonesian conversion tends toward naturallanguage rendering.

1.1. Witch versus Sorceress

In the original Japanese script the word (majo) appears several times. The English subtitles translate it as witch. When the English subtitles are later translated into Indonesian, witch becomes penyihir (literally wizard/witch). However, the Indonesian translators sometimes replace it with penyihir perempuan or penyihir jahat to convey the gendered nuance and the negative connotation that witch carries in the films context.

1.2. Scalding vs. Boiling Hot

The phrase scalding hot appears in the English subtitles when Sophie describes the furnace. Indonesian subtitles render this as sangat panas, a more generic term. The loss of the scalding nuance demonstrates how the English phrases vividness is flattened in the second translation.

2. Pragmatic and Cultural Adaptation

Both subtitle tracks must negotiate cultural references that are foreign to the target audience. The JapaneseEnglish version often adds brief explanatory notes, while the EnglishIndonesian version sometimes replaces those notes with culturally equivalent idioms.

2.1. Japanese Food References

When Howl offers Sophie kabocha (Japanese pumpkin), the English subtitles keep the original term and add a parenthetical Japanese pumpkin. Indonesian subtitles, however, substitute labu kuning (yellow pumpkin) because kabocha is obscure to most Indonesian speakers.

2.2. Honorifics and Politeness

Japanese makes extensive use of honorifics (san, sama). The English subtitles usually drop them, which reduces the hierarchical nuance. Indonesian subtitles often compensate by adding polite particles such as pak or bu before a name, preserving a degree of respect.

3. Structural Changes for Readability

Subtitle viewers need to read quickly; therefore, long Japanese sentences are frequently broken into shorter English segments. The EnglishIndonesian conversion inherits this fragmentation, but sometimes recombines short fragments to preserve flow.

3.1. Sentence Splitting

Original Japanese: (Two sentences). English subtitle: Something terrible happened today. The castle is on fire, and the town is in chaos. Indonesian subtitle: Hari ini terjadi sesuatu yang mengerikan. Kastil terbakar dan kota menjadi kacau. The Indonesian version shortens the second clause, dropping because of the fire to keep the line under the character limit.

3.2. Omission of Redundant Phrases

In the JapaneseEnglish version, the line Im just a humble hatter is kept intact. In the Indonesian track, just a humble is omitted, rendering the phrase simply as Aku tukang topi. The omission speeds up reading but loses the modesty nuance.

4. Comparative Table of Selected Shifts

Scene	Japanese Original	English Subtitle	Indonesian Subtitle	Type of Shift
1 Witchs Arrival		The witch is coming	Penyihir perempuan itu sedang datang	Lexical + Gender specificity
2 Food Offer		Try some kabocha (Japanese pumpkin)	Coba dulu labu kuning, ya	Cultural substitution
3 Honorific Dialogue		Howl, whats wrong?	Pak Howl, ada apa?	Politeness adaptation
4 Fire Alarm		The castle is on fire, and the town is in chaos	Kastil terbakar dan kota menjadi kacau	Structural condensation
5 Character SelfDescription		Im just a humble hatter	Aku tukang topi	Omission of modesty marker

5. Overall Impact on Viewer Experience

Both subtitle streams aim to preserve story comprehension while respecting the constraints of onscreen text. The JapaneseEnglish subtitles tend to stay closer to the sources literal meaning, providing a foreignizing experience that reminds viewers of the films Japanese origins. The EnglishIndonesian subtitles, however, employ more domesticating strategies: they replace culturally specific items with locally familiar equivalents, add honorific particles, and occasionally simplify complex expressions.

These differing strategies can affect audience perception in subtle ways. Indonesian viewers may feel a smoother narrative flow because the subtitles read like natural Indonesian, but they may also miss nuances such as the modesty conveyed in humble or the exact connotation of witch. Conversely, Englishspeaking audiences encounter a slightly more foreign text, which can heighten awareness of the cultural backdrop but sometimes lead to slower reading due to longer, less idiomatic phrasing.

6. Concluding Remarks

The translation journey from Japanese to English and then to Indonesian illustrates how each linguistic layer adds, removes, or reshapes meaning. While all three versions succeed in delivering the core plot, the specific choices made by subtitle translators reveal differing priorities: fidelity to the source, readability for the target audience, and cultural accessibility. Understanding these shifts helps viewers appreciate the delicate balance that subtitle translators must strike, and it highlights the importance of comparative subtitle studies for any multilingual film.