sociocultural context. Drawing on key theories from Holmes, Nida, Vinay and Darbelnet, and Catford, the

study explores how the translator navigates issues of cultural sensitivity, syntactic and lexical disparity,

untranslatability, and ideological nuance. Particular attention is given to strategies used to handle culturally

sensitive content, metaphorical language, and philosophical terminology. The analysis demonstrates that

translation in this context is not merely a linguistic exercise but a deeply interpretative act shaped by the

fidelity to the source text with readability and resonance for the target audience in the translation of feminist

philosophical works.

strategies

back in the twentieth century. The book emphasises the crucial view that women are just different from men,

rather than feeling inferior to them. Women are still considered more successful than men in various fields of

life. Throughout history, men and women have always been differentiated in every range of life that make each

gender unique. For example, from the natural inclinations to the psychological traits. As a result, women are

often left in the shadows while men are considered as an absolute power in prevalent gender. The gender gap

in this society has affected these two genders in family and professional life. This book consists of 762 pages

long that taps the development of women as a human being from the beginning of time to the present and

shows how society casts a bad shadow over them that persists to this day.

1. What methodological challenges arise in translating The Second Sex into Malay?

Theoretical perspectives from Holmes (1988), Nida (2000), and Vinay & Darbelnet (1995) provide

foundational insights into translation theory. More recent contributions expand on feminist and ethical

translation: von Flotow (2011) emphasises strategies of supplementing, prefacing, and footnoting in feminist

translation; Baker (2018) highlights the ethics of representation; Federici & Zanotti (2019) examine translation

as cultural negotiation; and Simon (2016) explores the ideological dimensions of gender in translation. Studies

by Tymoczko (2014) and Spivak (2012) further demonstrate how translation intersects with postcolonial and

feminist concerns. Despite this body of work, there is limited scholarship on feminist translation into Malay,

underscoring this study’s contribution.

This study adopts a qualitative, descriptive-analytical approach grounded in the discipline of Translation

additional reference to sociolinguistic and cultural translation theory.

The selection of the source text (ST) was made as it offers substantial translational challenges, particularly due

Biology” was selected for in-depth translation and analysis due to its high density of biological and scientific

terminology. Selection criteria included the frequency of technical terms, the presence of stylistic complexity,

and the existence of ideologically or culturally sensitive content. These features make the text a suitable corpus

for examining both linguistic and cultural translation issues.

Prior to engaging in the translation, a preliminary reading of the source text twice has been conducted. This

familiarisation phase was essential to develop a comprehensive understanding of the text’s rhetorical structure,

conceptual flow, and stylistic tone. The pre-translation stage also allowed for the early identification of

Google Translate was critically evaluated and significantly revised. The primary translation strategies

employed were guided by Vinay and Darbelnet’s dichotomy of direct and oblique translation methods. Literal

translation and borrowing were used in instances where equivalence could be maintained without

compromising clarity or accuracy, particularly for technical terms. In contrast, oblique strategies such as

transposition and modulation were employed to restructure grammatical forms and adjust expressions for

cultural and linguistic coherence in the target language (TL).

restructuring of passive constructions and SL-specific syntactic patterns that were not directly transferable into

Malay. Lexical difficulties emerged from idioms and polysemous terms, especially those with technical or

cultural connotations. Syntactic problems such as fronting, parallelism, and ambiguity required careful

handling to preserve the intended meaning of the source text. Cultural and ethical issues were particularly

fidelity of the source text is maintained while mitigating the risk of alienating the TL audience. For instance,

insensitivity while still conveying the referent. Similarly, “the bitch in heat” was rendered as “anjing betina

translation.

Ethical considerations were embedded throughout the translation process. Given the cultural and ideological

implications of certain expressions in The Second Sex, the translator’s responsibility extended beyond

linguistic fidelity to include cultural and ethical accountability. As stated by Jayasinghe (2019) and Fromkin

(2014), translation is inherently an act of cultural mediation, where the translator must navigate differences in

norms, values, and socio-political sensitivities between source and target cultures. Therefore, sociocultural

In sum, this methodology integrates textual analysis, translation practice, and theoretical application to provide

a systematic account of the translation process. It highlights the intricate relationship between language,

culture, and ethics in literary translation, especially when working with texts that have strong ideological

undertones and complex linguistic structures.

Prior to translation, the text was read multiple times to identify conceptual, syntactic, and cultural challenges.

Translation was carried out manually, with limited reference to Google Translate for lexical verification only.

Outputs were critically reviewed and revised to ensure accuracy and stylistic coherence. To validate the

findings, two bilingual experts in translation and feminist studies reviewed selected excerpts. Feedback was

incorporated to refine terminology and ensure cultural appropriateness.

Reflexivity was central to the translation process. As a Malay female translator engaging with de Beauvoir’s

syntactic words is important and strongly relevant to meaning. Fronting is where the author puts a clause at

special importance to the meaning of the sentence.

For example:Table 1

translation could be 1) the bitch = betina sundal itu or 2) the bitch in the heat = anjing betina yang dalam

second option is correct in interpreting the meaning in ST.

by providing a reflective, process-orientated analysis of a translation task situated at the intersection of science,

3. Fraser, J. (1996). The translator investigated: Learning from translation process analysis. The Translator,

4. Fromkin, V. (2014). An introduction to language (10th ed.). Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

5. Ghazala, H. (2008). Translation as problems and solutions (Special ed., p. 24). Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Elilm

6. Haddadian-Moghaddam, E. (2012). Agency in the translation and production of novels from English in

8. Jayasinghe, M. (2019). Translation and cultural sensitivity in cross-language communication. Journal of

9. Krings, H. P. (1986). Translation problems and translation strategies of advanced German learners of