Investigating the Challenges Faced by EFL Students in Translating Cooking Recipes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37304/ebony.v5i2.20627Keywords:
challenges, translation, coocking recipe, EFL StudentsAbstract
This study aims to investigate the challenges faced by EFL students in translating cooking recipes. It was conducted on sixth-semester students from class B in the translation course. The research employed a qualitative descriptive method with thematic analysis to identify and interpret key patterns within the data. Data collection was carried out through a triangulation approach, combining mixed-method questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed four main themes and one additional theme related to the students’ difficulties: (1) vocabulary-related challenges, (2) grammar and equivalence issues, (3) translation quality and self-confidence, (4) limited exposure and cultural context, and (5) translation methods and procedures as an additional theme. These challenges reflect the complexity of translating procedural texts, especially recipes, which often include culturally bound terms, specific measurements, and imperative instructions. The study concludes that translating recipes presents significant linguistic and contextual challenges for EFL students. It suggests the need for more targeted strategies and exposure to authentic materials in translation to help students improve their translation and overcome practical difficulties in translating specialized texts like recipes.
References
Aixelá, J. F. (1996). Culture-specific items in translation. In R. Álvarez & M. C.-Á. Vidal (Eds.), Translation, power, subversion (pp. 52–78). Multilingual Matters. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781800417915-005
Amanah, F. P., & Ariqah, Q. V. (2023). Refined Translation Methods for Culinary Recipes in the Book ‘Cooking with Love Ala Dapur Momychaa’- From Indonesian to English. Pulchra Lingua: A Journal of Language Study, Literature & Linguistics, 2(1), 67–79. https://doi.org/10.58989/plj.v2i1.24
Ariani, N. M., & Artawa, K. (2022). The Application of Translation Procedures in Translating Five Public Signs in Ubud. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 13(2), 425–434. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1302.25
Bednáriková, L. H. (2025). Bohuslav Tablic’s Translation Strategies for Culture-Specific Items from Thomas Percy’s The Hermit of Warkworth. Studia Slavica, 68, 1–2. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/389276312_Bohuslav_Tablic’s_Translation_Strategies_for_Culture-Specific_Items_from_Thomas_Percy’s_The_Hermit_of_Warkworth
Blažyte, D., & Liubiniene, V. (2016). Culture-specific items (CSI) and their translation strategies in Martin Lindstrom’s Brand Sense. Studies About Languages, 29, 42–57. https://doi.org/10.5755/j01.sal.0.29.15129
Cao, Y., Kementchedjhieva, Y., Cui, R., Karamolegkou, A., Zhou, L., Dare, M., Donatelli, L., & Hershcovich, D. (2024). Cultural Adaptation of Recipes. Transactions of the Association for Computational Linguistics, 12. https://doi.org/10.1162/tacl
Das, S., & Jha, A. (2025). Cultural Translation in Bengali Cuisine: A Study of Pumpkin Flower Fritters and Culinary Semiotics. The Criterion: An International Journal in English, 16(2). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10448030
Dawadi, S. (2020). Thematic Analysis Approach: A Step-by-Step Guide for ELT Research Practitioners. Journal of NELTA, 25(2), 62–71. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED612353.pdf
Fadilah, L. (2024). Penggunaan Aplikasi Tiktok pada Materi Teks Prosedur dengan Model Project Based Learning di MTS Nur Asy-Syafi’iyah Tangerang Selatan [UIN Syarif Hidayatullah]. https://repository.uinjkt.ac.id/dspace/bitstream/123456789/78363/1/Skripsi%20Luthfi%20Fadilah_Done.pdf
Fitriani, N., Sabarniati, S., & Safuni, N. (2021). Is English Academic Writing as Simple as Using Translation Tool? Error Analysis on Students’ Abstract. The Journal of English Literacy Education: The Teaching and Learning of English as a Foreign Language, 8(1), 55–67. https://doi.org/10.36706/jele.v8i1.13607
Garip, S. (2025). How to Improve the Quality of Qualitative Research? A Descriptive Study on Theses in the Field of Communication in Turkey. Turkish Academic Research Review - Türk Akademik Araştırmalar Dergisi [TARR], 10(1), 84–106. https://doi.org/10.30622/tarr.1637178
Hermanto, M. (2022). Pendekatan Contextual Teaching and Learning Pada Siswa SMP. Penerbit P4I.
Kamalia, S., & Nugroho, R. A. (2024). Translation Techniques Used on Culinary Recipes. In Z. Rarastesa et al. (Ed.), Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Communication, Language, Literature, and Culture 2024. Advances in Social Science, Education, and Humanities Research. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-321-4_13
Mukti, S. R., Sari, H. P., Sutanti, N., & Primasari, Y. (2025). Experimental Study: Beelinguapp Effect in Improving High Scool Students’ Reading Comprehension of Procedure Texts. Jurnal Pendidikan : Riset Dan Konseptual, 9(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.28926/riset_konseptual.v9i1.1086
Newmark, P. (1988). A Textbook of Translation. Prentice Hall. https://www.google.co.id/books/edition/A_Textbook_of_Translation/f6A4nQEACAAJ?hl=en
Nida, E. A., & Taber, C. R. (1974). The Theory and Practice of Translation. Brill. https://www.google.co.id/books/edition/The_Theory_and_Practice_of_Translation/odoUAAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0
Nugraha, R. F., Asi, N., & Fauzan, A. (2024). WORDS ACROSS BORDER An Introductory Book to Translation. Deepublish. https://deepublishstore.com/produk/buku-words-across-border-an-introductory-book-to-translation/
Shukhratovna, I. D., & Kizi, N. S. F. (2025). The Art of Translation. International Journal of Science and Technology, 2(4). https://doi.org/doi:10.70728/tech.v2.i04.037
Simanjuntak, D. C., Yamin, M., & Nasrullah, N. (2024). Exploring Challenges Faced by Students in Translating Four English Text Genres. https://doi.org/10.54371/jiip.v7i7.4752
Sinurat, B., Silalahi, D., & Saputra, N. (2022). Direct Method Translation of Descriptive Text from English into Indonesian. Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research, 1, 29–37. https://doi.org/10.56854/jsshr.v1i1.50
Sugiyono. (2013). Metode Penelitian Pendidikan Pendekatan Kuantitatif, Kualitatif dan R&D. Alfabeta.
Umyati, A. D., Warna, D., & Amrina, R. D. (2022). Challenges in Translating Indonesian to English and English to Indonesian of Narrative Texts (A Study of English Education Study Program Students at UIN Raden Fatah Palembang). Jurnal Radenfatah, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.19109/literal.v1i1.12951
Vo, L.-H. (2024). The effects of critical thinking on students’ translation quality: A pre-experimental study. Conference: The 9th International Conference on Interdisciplinary Research in Linguistics and Language Education. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/382698315
Vula, E., & Muhaxhiri, G. (2024). Exploring linguistic and cultural barriers in literary translation: an analysis of undergraduate students’ strategies and challenges in translating Albanian texts into English. Sapienza: International Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 5(4). https://doi.org/10.51798/sijis.v5i4.864
Yin, R. K. (2018). Case Study Research and Applications. SAGE Publications. https://www.google.co.id/books/edition/Case_Study_Research_and_Applications/uX1ZDwAAQBAJ?hl=id&gbpv=0
Yingmin, T., & Malini, N. L. N. S. (2021). Translation Strategies Applied in Culinary Culture-Specific Items. The International Journal of Language and Cultural, 3(2), 18–28. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5100959
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Sifa Hayati, Richard Ferry Nugraha, Maida Norahmi, Imelda Putri Utami, Siti Munawarah
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
