To translate Malay to English texts, it must be known that Malay words and sentences are generally longer compared to their English counterparts due to the nature of the languages. This includes in a Malay abstract of a thesis, which is usually required in theses published by students studying in Malaysia.
The challenge is to make it in one page to meet the requirement of some thesis format.
Practise these steps to shorten your Malay abstract.
1. Delete spaces before and after mathematical symbols, e.g., =, +, ±.
Some abstracts report numerical findings. Delete the spaces BEFORE and AFTER the symbols. Example:
10 ± 2.0
10±2.0
2. Delete the word “yang”.
This word means “that” and “which”. Delete the word in the abstract. Example:
Kajian ini memperoleh dapatan yang memberangsangkan.
Kajian ini memperoleh dapatan memberangsangkan.
3. Delete the word “oleh”.
This word means “by”.
Example:
Kajian dijalankan oleh penyelidik.
Kajian dijalankan penyelidik.
4. Change from “penyelidikan” to “kajian”.
Penyelidikan dijalankan pada…
Kajian dijalankan pada…
5. Change from “tersebut” and “berkenaan” to “itu”.
…dibuat dalam tempoh tersebut.
…dibuat dalam tempoh berkenaan.
…dibuat dalam tempoh itu.
6. Delete “penjodoh bilangan”, e.g., orang, buah, ekor.
Tiga orang penyelidik…
Tiga penyelidik…
…di dua buah sekolah.
…di dua sekolah.
…100 ekor mamalia dikaji…
…100 mamalia dikaji…
7. Change from “untuk” to “bagi”.
…dijalankan untuk menganalisis…
…dijalankan bagi menganalisis…
8. Change from “daripada” to “dari”.
This step will affect the Malay grammar. Consider not taking this step as best as possible.
…diperoleh daripada sumber…
…diperoleh dari sumber…
9. Change a long conjunction to a short one.
Examples:
Oleh hal yang demikian –> Jadi
Oleh itu –>Jadi
Namun demikian/begitu –> Namun
Walau bagaimanapun –> Namun
Di samping itu –> Selain itu
10. Delete the word “telah”.
This word means “was”, i.e., something in the past. An abstract is known as reporting a something in the past/has been done earlier. So, just delete the word “telah”.
11. Change from “sehingga/hingga” to “ke”.
They mean the same, i.e., “to/until”. Example:
Kajian dilakukan dari Januari hingga Ogos.
Kajian dilakukan dari Januari ke Ogos.
Even shorter alternative:
Kajian dilakukan Januari-Ogos.
Notes:
+ We’re compromising some grammar rules in using some of the above tips. But what to do? We have to consider between not graduating and compromising grammar. Graduation wins.
+ Always consult your translator and editor to get his/her second opinion on the shortened abstract.
Now you can translate from English to Malay easily with these tips, especially for your thesis abstract.
Alternatively, you can always seek for a translation help from any professionals out there with an affordable fee. You may find them here and get their quality translation service from RM0.15 per word.
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