Rub-a-dub: A Typology of Compensation Strategies to Maintain the Rhymes in Children's Song Dubbing

Authors

  • Dyah Ayu Nila Khrisna Sebelas Maret University
  • Ida Kusuma Dewi Sebelas Maret University
  • Fenty Kusumastuti Sebelas Maret University
  • Bayu Budiharjo Sebelas Maret University
  • Herianto Nababan Sebelas Maret University
  • M.R. Nababan Sebelas Maret University
  • SF. Luthfie Arguby Purnomo Raden Mas Said State Islamic University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1602.11

Keywords:

compensation strategies, dubbing, proairesis, nursery rhymes, song translation

Abstract

This study explores compensation strategies in dubbing nursery rhymes from English into Indonesian to maintain their rhyming, rhythmic, and mnemonic functions. Despite the growing prevalence of dubbed children's songs on platforms such as YouTube, there has been a limited scholarly attention to how rhyme is preserved in translation. Analyzing English nursery rhymes and their Indonesian dubbed versions from popular YouTube channels such as Cocomelon, Pinkfong, BabyBus, and Little Baby Bum, the study proposes a typology of compensation strategies comprising four types: Rectification, Recompense, Restitution, and Repositioning. These strategies were identified using a qualitative methodology incorporating Spradley's ethnographic analysis and were informed by theories of singability, proairesis, and compensation in song translation. The findings reveal that these strategies play a crucial role in preserving the musicality and the pedagogical effectiveness of nursery rhymes for young audiences. The research contributes to translation theory and practice by offering a systematic framework for handling the complex interplay between form and function in dubbing children's songs.

 

Author Biographies

Dyah Ayu Nila Khrisna, Sebelas Maret University

English Department

Ida Kusuma Dewi, Sebelas Maret University

English Department

Fenty Kusumastuti, Sebelas Maret University

English Department

Bayu Budiharjo, Sebelas Maret University

English Department

Herianto Nababan, Sebelas Maret University

English Department

M.R. Nababan, Sebelas Maret University

English Department

SF. Luthfie Arguby Purnomo, Raden Mas Said State Islamic University

English Literature

References

Affeich, A., & Bou Ali, M. (2018). Singing in translation: A different echo of Toyor Baby songs. International Journal of Comparative Literature and Translation Studies, 6(4), 10–17. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijclts.v.6n.4p.10

Anthony, J. L., & Lonigan, C. J. (2004). The nature of phonological awareness: Converging evidence from four studies of preschool and early grade school children. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96(1), 43–55. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.96.1.43

Apter, R., & Herman, M. (2016). Translating for singing: The theory, art, and craft of translating lyrics. Bloomsbury Academic.

Atkinson, R. C. (1975). Mnemotechnics in second-language learning. American Psychologist, 30(8), 821–828. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0077029

Baker, M. (2018). In other words: A coursebook on translation (3rd ed.). Routledge.

Bassnett, S. (2014). Translation. Routledge.

Bellos, D. (2018). Is that a fish in your ear? Translation and the meaning of everything. Penguin Books.

Caillois, R. (1961). Man, play, and games. Free Press of Glencoe.

Chaume Varela, F., & Marzà i Ibàñez, A. (2009). The language of dubbing: Present facts and future perspectives. In Analysing audiovisual dialogue: Linguistic and translational insights (pp. 1000–1009). CLUEB.

Cui, J. (2012). Untranslatability and the method of compensation. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 2(4), 826–830.

Desblache, L. (2019). Music and translation: New mediations in the digital age. Palgrave Macmillan.

Drevvatne, K. (2018). Audiovisual translation of Disney songs into Norwegian: An analysis of singability, sense, naturalness, rhythm, and rhyme [Master's thesis, Norwegian University of Science and Technology]. NTNU Open. https://ntnuopen.ntnu.no/ntnu-xmlui/handle/11250/2574556

Esposito, J. (2016). Mnemonics as a cognitive-linguistic network of meaningful relationships. International Journal of Language Academy, 6(1), 105–113. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/209009

Formentelli, M., & Monti, S. (2014). Translating slanguage in British and American films: A corpus-based analysis. In M. Pavesi, M. Formentelli, & E. Ghia (Eds.), The languages of dubbing: Mainstream audiovisual translation in Italy (pp. 169–195). Peter Lang.

Franzon, J. (2008). Choices in song translation: Singability in print, subtitles, and sung performance. The Translator, 14(2), 373–399. https://doi.org/10.1080/13556509.2008.10799263

Frith, S., Goodwin, A., & Grossberg, L. (Eds.). (1993). Sound and vision: The music video reader. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203993569

Gamage, K., & Bamunusinghe, K. (2024). Translating nursery rhymes from Sinhalese to English: With special reference to the translation strategies. Abant Journal of Translation and Interpreting Studies, 2(1), 28–37.

Gass, S., & Selinker, L. (2008). Second language acquisition: An introductory course (3rd ed.). Routledge.

Gentzler, E. (2001). Contemporary translation theories (2nd ed.). Multilingual Matters.

González Núñez, G. (2020). Translating cultures: An introduction for translators, interpreters, and mediators. Routledge.

Gorlée, D. L. (Ed.). (2005). Song and significance: Virtues and vices of vocal translation. Rodopi.

Grofčíková, S., & Máčajová, M. (2021). Rhyming in the context of the phonological awareness of pre-school children. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 11(1), 115–138. https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.685

Haroon, H. (2023). The translation of nursery rhymes into Malay: Forms of target text and techniques of adjustment. Malay Literature, 36(2). https://doi.org/10.37052/ml36(2)no4

Harvey, K. (1995). A descriptive framework for compensation. The Translator, 1(1), 65–86.

House, J. (2015). Translation quality assessment: Past and present. Routledge.

Jakobson, R. (1959). On linguistic aspects of translation. In R. A. Brower (Ed.), On translation (pp. 232–239). Harvard University Press.

Kress, G., & van Leeuwen, T. (2021). Reading images: The grammar of visual design (3rd ed.). Routledge.

Kümmerling-Meibauer, B., & Meibauer, J. (2017). Picture books and cognitive studies. In B. Kümmerling-Meibauer (Ed.), The Routledge companion to picture books (pp. 374–383). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315722986-38

Lathey, G. (2016). Translating children's literature. Routledge.

Low, P. (2005). The pentathlon approach to translating songs. In D. L. Gorlée (Ed.), Song and significance: Virtues and vices of vocal translation (pp. 185–212). Rodopi.

Millán Scheiding, C. (2016). Nursery rhymes: Pieces of the children's literature puzzle in translation. The ESSE Messenger, 25(1).

Munday, J. (2022). Introducing translation studies: Theories and applications (5th ed.). Routledge.

Nasi, F. (2012). Creativity on probation: On translating a nursery rhyme. Translation Review, 83(1), 35–49. https://doi.org/10.1080/07374836.2012.703118

Nasser, L. (2018). Compensation in the translation of English literary texts into Arabic. Journal of Al-Farahidi Arts, 30(1). https://doi.org/10.33899/radab.2017.164758

Nida, E. A. (1964). Toward a science of translating. Brill.

Nikolajeva, M. (2010). Power, voice, and subjectivity in literature for young readers. Routledge.

Nord, C. (2020). Translating as a purposeful activity: Functionalist approaches explained (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Oittinen, R. (2020). Translating for children. Routledge.

Özcan Dost, B. (2021). Nursery rhymes: Fun for kids, challenge for translators? In A. Martelli & S. Peverini (Eds.), Children's literature and translation: New trends and new territories (pp. 123–138). Peter Lang. https://doi.org/10.3726/9783631860281.003.0008

Pedersen, J. (2017). Subtitling norms for television: An exploration focused on extralinguistic cultural references. John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Plass, J. L., & Jones, L. C. (2005). Multimedia learning in second language acquisition. In R. Mayer (Ed.), The Cambridge handbook of multimedia learning (pp. 467–488). Cambridge University Press.

Pourkalhor, O., & Tavakoli, M. (2017). Nursery rhymes and language learning: Issues and pedagogical implications. International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies, 5(1), 111–116.

Pym, A. (2017). Exploring translation theories (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Shen, L., Feng, G., Shi, L., et al. (2024). The effectiveness of phonological training and morphological training in Chinese children with reading difficulty. Reading and Writing, 38, 2979–3008. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-024-10623-7

Sun, C., Hussain, N., & Abd Ghafar, A. (2025). Relationship between natural environment theme picture book design and children's cognitive development: A systematic review. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2025.2451499

Sun, S. (2021). A study of translation on nursery rhymes from reception aesthetics: Taking Bronze and Sunflower as an example. Cross-Cultural Communication, 17(3), 32–37. https://doi.org/10.3968/12221

Tabbert, R. (2002). Approaches to the translation of children's literature: A review of critical studies since 1960. Target, 14, 303–351. https://doi.org/10.1075/target.14.2.06tab

Toury, G. (1995). Descriptive translation studies—and beyond. John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Venuti, L. (2019). The translator's invisibility: A history of translation (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Vermeer, H. J. (1989). Skopos and commission in translational action. In A. Chesterman (Ed.), Readings in translation theory (pp. 173–187). Finn Lectura.

Vinay, J.-P., & Darbelnet, J. (1995). Comparative stylistics of French and English: A methodology for translation (J. C. Sager & M.-J. Hamel, Trans.). John Benjamins Publishing Company. (Original work published 1958)

Zhang, L., Zhang, Y., Liu, Z., Li, L., Li, S., & Wang, J. (2023). The role of orthographic and phonological processing during reading Chinese sentences: Evidence from eye movements. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, Article 1148815. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1148815

Zorgati, I. (2021). Translating humorous lexical creations in children's literature: The case of Roald Dahl's Gobblefunk. Lexis, 17. https://doi.org/10.4000/lexis.5589

Downloads

Published

2026-02-01

Issue

Section

Articles