The Translation Trap in the Written Response
In the WACE Indonesian Second Language written examination, a student must write a short response in Indonesian about the advantages and disadvantages of studying abroad. The student plans the ideas in English first: 'Studying abroad builds independence, but it is expensive and you miss your family.' The student then writes: Belajar di luar negeri membangun kemandirian, tetapi mahal dan kamu merindukan keluarga. The response is grammatically understandable, but the examiner notes that the register is mixed: kamu is informal, the essay task requires a formal register, and the sentence structure mirrors English word order. The student also uses mahal where a more precise phrase about cost would be expected at this level.
1. Explain why 'understandable but translated' writing often scores lower than the student expects, referring to the criteria used for written production.
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Written production is marked on more than intelligibility. The relevant criteria typically include communication of ideas, range of vocabulary and structures, accuracy, and appropriateness of register/format.
- Register: The task is a formal short response. Using kamu addresses the reader informally, which is inappropriate for an essay. A formal register would avoid direct second-person address or use an impersonal construction. This is a communication/appropriateness issue, not a small grammar slip.
- Range: The sentence is a direct calque of an English plan. It shows the student can convey the idea but does not demonstrate control of Indonesian patterns for expressing advantage/disadvantage, cause, or contrast. The examiner sees limited range.
- Accuracy: The sentence is largely accurate, so accuracy is not the main problem. But accuracy alone cannot lift a response that is thin in range and wrong in register.
- Precision: Mahal ('expensive') is acceptable but generic; a stronger response uses a phrase that fits the academic context and shows lexical control.
The judgement: the student's English-to-Indonesian method produced a correct-ish sentence but did not meet the task's communicative demands. Marks are lost in register and range even when meaning is clear.
2. Give a concrete revision strategy the student could use in the exam room, and explain how it addresses the identified weaknesses.
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A practical strategy is a three-pass rewrite on the planning page before committing to the answer:
- Register pass: Decide who the reader is. For a formal response, remove informal address (kamu, kalian) and use impersonal or formal constructions. This directly fixes the register problem.
- Pattern pass: Instead of translating an English sentence word-for-word, recall Indonesian frames for the function: expressing contrast, cause, and advantage. Rebuild the sentence around an Indonesian pattern rather than an English one. This builds range evidence.
- Precision pass: Replace generic words with more precise ones where confident, and check that each idea has a supporting detail.
Why it works: the student stops treating Indonesian as a code for English and starts selecting language by function and audience, which is what the criteria reward. The passes are quick enough for exam conditions and target the specific losses identified: register, range, and precision.