Analyzing Translation through the Science Fiction Film Arrival

Fenty Kusumastuti

Fu Jen Catholic University, Zhongzheng Road, Xinzhuang District, New Taipei City, Taiwan

Universitas Sebelas Maret, Jalan Ir. Sutami no.36A, Surakarta, Indonesia

Keywords: Translation, Rede Lecture, Science Fiction Film, Translation Approach, Hermeneutical Approach to

Translation

Abstract: The nature of translation in the global context of alien is depicted through the science fiction film Arrival.

This paper is proposing two objectives of translation study, they are mainly illustrating the languages

identified by the translator and revealing the application of translation approach used by the translator in the

film. The languages perceived by the translator in the film are not only from two cultures (Snow, 1959) but

from various human groups represented by the heptapods, the linguist, the physicist, propagandist spreading

incendiary ideas, military officers assessing whether to defend or attack, and of mother and wife mourning

over their losses. Meanwhile, there are five basic elements of hermeneutical approach that appeared in the

film and considered to be the projection of the main characteristics of the protagonist. They are the self-

critical reflection; the constant-learning; the integration of new cognitive input; the linguistic creativity

courage; and the empathic identification with the message (Stolze, 2012). In conclusion, the hermeneutical

approach is used to apply the translation process, started from the beginning of the mission until the very

end of the film, especially as they are seen from the translator’s empathy toward the identification result of

the translation.

1 INTRODUCTION

Arrival’s main protagonist of a linguist attracts

the researchers of translation to analyze it further

from the study of translation. Many articles discuss

the film from different

perspectives.

Most of the

articles agree that the science-fiction film Arrival

mainly focuses on language and communication.

Derry suggests that language and communication

used in the film show the colonialism among

human communities, while Carruthers talks about

human reproduction ethics and quality of life

through the narrative of the chronological time

(Derry, 2016, Carruthers, 2017). Nevertheless,

none of them discusses the relation

between language, communication, and

translation in particular. Lucking reveals about

how the language perceive time, that context

comprehends meaning, and also brings about the

communication issues, but does not interrelate these

three terms (Lucking, 2017). Similarly, for both

Derry and Lucking, the film’s associating meaning

is seen in communicative context thus the series

of activities conducted by the translator do not

specifically refer to a translation process but more

on the narration. Hence, in this paper I would like to

regard Louise as a translator from a hermeneutical

perspective by examining her attempts at

overcoming language barriers and building effective

communication among different language

communities in the sci-fi film Arrival: of aliens on

the one side, and of various human groups

represented by linguist, physicist, propagandist

spreading incendiary ideas, military officers

assessing whether to defend or attack, and of mother

and husband mourning over their losses on the other

side.

The film narrates the appearance of aliens in 12

different countries in the world. One of the locations

visited was Montana, United States. In this setting, a

linguist and a translator, Dr. Louise Banks (Amy

Adams) along with a physicist, Ian Donnelly

Kusumastuti, F.

Analyzing Translation through the Science Fiction Film Arrival.

DOI: 10.5220/0008214600002284

In Proceedings of the 1st Bandung English Language Teaching International Conference (BELTIC 2018) - Developing ELT in the 21st Century, pages 5-13

ISBN: 978-989-758-416-9

(Jeremy Renner) are hired by Colonel Weber (Forest

Whitaker), from the U.S. Army Intelligence, to

question the aliens’ intention of coming to earth. The

extraterrestrial

species in this film are also called

heptapods because of their body shape that has

seven tentacles, similar to octopus with greater

standing figure. During the mission, Louise, Ian,

the U.S. Army Intelligence, and other identify the

heptapods’ language and teach them ‘humans’

language in order to achieve an effective

communication. However, many difficulties

occurred during the operation because they are

coming from different academic disciplines and

political regimes which means having different

opinions and do not speak the same ‘language’

to each other. Therefore, conflicts among these

individuals are sometimes unavoidable. Moreover,

the very limited time and high pressure from the

public media, society, and their commanders

develop the tension throughout the film. However,

during the assignment, the heroine of the film

experiences some flashes of her own life, which,

towards the end of the film, turns out be glimpses of

her own future. Around the same time, she is offered

insights by the heptapods about General Shang’s

past and future. General Shang is the leader of China

and is the big domino to all other nations because

whatever he does, most of the other nations will

follow. Thus, Louise must be able to persuade him to

change his mind of attacking the heptapods, and this

is when her ability of seeing the future can really

help her in saving the world from international

conflicts and attacks of the aliens.

Many of the scenes in the film can be used to

learn the nature of language and communication,

especially on behalf of the linguist as the main

character. The translator in the film undergoes series

of strategies and procedures in order to accomplish

the task, and therefore it is assumed that the

translation approach can also be identified in this

sci-fi film. One big issue that can be improved is

how the idea of translation in the global context of

alien is seen in the film Arrival. Quoting from

Ted Chiang that science fiction is well- matched to

inquiring philosophical issues: problems about the

nature of truth, the meaning of becoming human

being, how do we know the things that we think we

already know and so we are unaware of any other

things that we never think about (Chiang, 1998),

this science-fiction film Arrival proves to be the best

film to ask questions about the nature of language

and communication in the context of translation.

The main problem is divided into two questions: (1)

What languages are presented in the film and how

are they learnt in order to complete the mission as

portrayed in the film? And (2) How are Louise’

translation activities understood from a

hermeneutical approach; that is, done in their

proper contexts?

2 LITERATURE REVIEW

The paper is originated from an interest to elaborate

a different interpretation of translation from

hermeneutical approach in the global context of alien

as seen from the science-fiction film Arrival. This

has been done by explaining the five research

questions related to the translation process, the

language used, the communication issues, the setting

of language and communication to translation, and

hermeneutical approach to translation as portrayed

in the film. Since the basic questions are concerned

with the ‘what’ and ‘why’ phenomena, a text

analysis best applied to explore how the world is

decoded, comprehended, practiced, shaped or

created (Jennifer, 2002). By choosing only those

data scenes concerning translation, language, and

communication, it was anticipated that these

correlations would illustrate the relationship

between hermeneutical approach to the translation

process as seen in the film.

The paper is adopted translation ethic as the focus

of orientation in translation studies (Williams &

Chesterman, 2014). The purpose of this research is

to look at how translation has been influenced by

cultural and ideological factors, as it is seen

from the film Arrival. In this film, translation is

projected clearly as the idea of bridging two

different cultures because translators are believed

to living in two different cultures – the aliens and

their own, rather than constructing channels

between them, the translators themselves tend to

be the bridge and unavoidably not a solid one

(Stolze, 2012). From this point of view, we may

consider that translators actually try to be impartial

but sometimes they choose to be more responsible

on the message so that it may influence their

ideology in translating. Therefore, many translators

bring a new idea of the unknown, improve it with

their own interpretation and finally create an

original perception to be identified by the people of

her own. Thus, the bridge between the foreign and

their own is always imbalance because it is in need

of one side but never for both sides and that the idea

can sometimes be genuine of the foreign because

translators must add the perspectives of the target

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language people in order for them to identify the

unknown.

There are three or more different paradigms in

translation studies, they are linguistic paradigm,

cultural paradigm, and social or psychological

paradigm. The basic issue of these different

paradigms stays on the core issue. Nevertheles,

this paper proposes the cultural paradigm as

supported by André Lefevere, Susan Bassnett,

Vieira and Gentzler, Walter Benjamin, and Jacques

Derrida, because in this term, translation is seen as a

rewiring process and that the central issue of the

study is the mutual influence of cultural aspects

viewed as a new interpretation of reading and

understanding (Jixing, 2013). Moreover, translation

scholars such as Venuti, Douglas Robinson,

Anthony Pym and Mary Snell-Hornby stated that

translation studies tend to focus more on the

subjectivity of the translator. Jacques Derrida’s

rereading of Walter Benjamin opened the

opportunity to reassessing of the importance of

translation not only as a form of communication

but also as continuity (Bassnett). By some means,

this sci-fi film Arrival is assumed to develop the

issue of this paradigm as represented by Louise, the

main protagonist.

Meanwhile, translation process is a step by step

procedure in conducting translation. Peter Newmark

described translating procedure as operational, while

translation methods keep on the purpose of the text,

the readership, and the type of text (Newmark &

Newmark, 1981). The translation process conducted

by Louise in the film Arrival mostly involves the

written form, however it is in between the

translation and interpretation as they are usually

defined because it is a translation of the heptapods’

language that is seen through their written form

semasiograph. After Louise managed to learn their

language, she invented a translation device to help

her interprets the heptapods language so they can

communicate. While listening to something or

someone spoken and interpreting it orally into the

target language refers to interpreting, translating

involves the written form of a source language and

decoding it to the target language (Schäffner, 2004).

Furthermore, concealing meaning as the focal point

of translation cannot be separated from

hermeneutics because the word is derived from the

Greek ‘hermeneutikos’ meaning to interpret

(Palmer, 1969). Hermeneutics promotes the human

potential for understanding the meaning of language

to expand the infinite possibilities of human thought

(Palmer, 1969).

Every translation process must deal with at least

two different languages and in this film, we can see

that there are more than two languages perceived by

the translator, including the language of the

physicist, military, and public media. In this context,

language refers to language community of specific

discourse that reflects both one person's

characteristics and culture because when we speak

certain language, we share what we have in mind, the

culture that we believe as part of our life and part of

our communities of which we come from: can be

families, particular social groups, and some other

societies (Amberg & Vause, 2009). These languages

have their own convention of sets of signs that

convey meaning, thus people with different

backgrounds who do not speak the same

language might stumble into conflict. A good

communication is needed to avoid such confusion.

However, not many people can maintain this

tolerant interaction because one must possess the

ability to be open-minded to each other. This

relational process of creating and interpreting

messages that elicit a response is identified as a

communication process (Griffin, 2006) and so the

way people express ideas and reply to the others

may show their way of building communication.

However, people may have problems in

communicating with other people, especially when

they are from different culture and do not speak the

same language. Translation as the means to

understand other people with different language is

therefore significant to the world of communication.

In this research, the theory on hermeneutical

approach to translation is applied because there are

5 basic elements of hermeneutical approach that

appeared in the film and probably the projection of

the main characteristics of the protagonist. They are

the readiness of self-critical reflection; the openness

for constant-learning; the ability to integrate new

cognitive input; the courage for linguistic

creativity;

and an empathic

identification

with the message

(Stolze, 2012). The readiness of self- critical

reflection can be seen when a translator reflects on

her own stand point and ask whether there is a given

enough knowledge to translate the text responsibly.

The openness for

constant-learning,

at this range, is

growing constantly. It depends on the learning

process that will transform any following

translations to develop each day. Whereas for a

translator to possess the ability to integrate new

cognitive input serves comprehension as an ongoing

cognitive process that is called the helical

movement of understanding when the same

person reread the same text over and over and

Analyzing Translation through the Science Fiction Film Arrival

finally get the enlightenment (Stolze, 2012).

Linguistic creativity, on the other hand, needs

translator’s courage to be more confident in her own

linguistic proficiency to make use of the visual

freedom. Finally, the last part is translator’s

empathic identification with the message that

enables herself to preserve the most important

reliability to the message. It is the translator’s

responsibility for presenting the message by

explaining every detail for client, leaving aside the

obscure aspects. Consequently, the understanding

might need more analysis to get a thorough

interpretation of the meaning.

3 METHOD

Furthermore, examining film is different from

analyzing short story or novel because each has

different specific elements and needs further ways

of exploration. The important elements to

differentiate written text and film include the

visual images vs. verbal signs; surface vs. interior;

narration, and sound vs. silent (Bao, 2008). It is also

supported by the theory of five aspects in visual

culture proposed by Gillian Rose to give the social

effects of images: (i) visual images that do not fully

explicable as the model of textuality (Mitchell); (ii)

visual images that visualize social differences (Fyfe

and Law; Guttman, Gilroy and Blake); (iii) visual

culture that concerns with its ways of seeing

(Berger); (iv) visual culture that involves the nature

of visual images in a wider culture (people who

interpreting it, the social context that mediates its

impact, and the specific location of its particular

practices): and (v) the response of the audience.

Thus, it is important to develop a methodological

framework for interpreting visual images critically.

There are three different aspects of sites that define

the meanings of images: production, image and

audience; while the modalities that contribute to a

critical understanding of images include

technological, compositional, and social. The details

on how to examine the film by using visual

methodology is explained in the following figure 1 to

give a clear description and guide analysis (Rose,

2016):

This visual methodology

through the site of

image is a suitable instrument for this research

because it involves the visual material of the sci-fi

film Arrival so that the non-textual data that include

the visual effects, composition, and visual meanings

can complete the holistic study of the research.

However, the other sites of production and audiences

may not be interpreted this time to avoid

unnecessary information that can distort the focus of

the research. The visual effects of the film are

explained to describe the context of situation when

certain events happened as we can see when Louise

and Ian first entered the shell.

Figure 1: Sites, modalities and methods for interpreting

visual material (Rose, 2016)

There is only very limited textual data in this

scene, but the visual effects on the way they

describe the gravity in the shell play important

roles in visualizing the atmosphere of non-place

and to compare Louise’s behavior to other

characters that define her self-critical reflection. The

composition of the image and the visual meanings, in

addition, may bring the idea of how the characters

reacted to certain actions or what they probably do

next. For example, when Louise asks the major

questions of why the heptapods are coming to earth,

the scenes show her speechless but puzzled as

presented by her eyes bewildering and looking at

different direction. The image of the soldiers

standing anxiously also indicates his destructive

action of planting bombs in the shell afterwards.

Hence, this visual methodology

will be helpful in

scrutinizing

every element in hermeneutical

approach to translation that is represented in the sci-

fi film Arrival.

4 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

Translation sees two different sets of languages at

their own time and place and finds its way to be

understood by the target reader, in this case, can be

one of the society in need of the message (Stolze,

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2012). The two different languages in the film are

the aliens’ or heptapods’ language on one hand and

the U.S. Army’s language on the other hand because

the U.S. Army is the part that needs the heptapods’

language. The decision of using the term scientists’

language rather than ‘human’ language is that

because in the film, ‘human’ in other countries

trying to communicate with the alien by using

different context, while the focus of comprehending

the language in the film is finding the purpose of

their coming and report it to the U.S. Army

Intelligence. Moreover, many science-fiction films

depicted human and post-human theme in order to

mirror our nature of humanity through the existence

of the non-human fictionalized in the film. Thus, I

need to make a clear distinction between these two:

human vs. alien.

Heptapods’ language as it is explained in the

film, has no correlation between the spoken and the

written form. They are using the term

semasiographic to this kind of language that does

not represent sound but conveys meaning. They also

realize that through the circular shape of the written

form, these heptapods has non-linear or free of

time communication channel. Perhaps this is why

Louise can perceive the language and at the same

time able to see the future through the glimpse that

is projected. However, Ian thought that Louise has

some kind of illusion and that is why he asked of

whether Louise is dreaming their language. He said

that “if you immerse yourself into a foreign

language…you can actually re-wire your brain”. It

is about how certain linguistic system influenced the

behavior of the speaker as referred to the theory of

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis that “users of markedly

different grammars are pointed by their grammar

toward different types of observations and different

evaluations of externally similar acts of

observation,” will lead them to “somewhat different

views of the world” (Whorf et al., 2012). Not only

on Louise and Ian’s dialogue, later when Louise is

speaking

to Colonel Weber explaining the

heptapods’ script by uttering “if you learn it, when

you really learn it, you begin to perceive time the

way that they do. So you can see what’s to come.

Look, time … isn’t the same for them. It’s non-

linear.” However, there isn’t any scientific proof

on the hypothesis that language can describe the

elements of culture. Indeed, it is believed that

language and culture are interrelated and influence

each other, but it is not language that determines the

way people think because language is the means to

express their thought. This means that there might

be a possibility that the heptapods’ language is

influenced by the way they think, linear, because

it is a circular form, without beginning nor

ending.

4.1 What Languages Are Presented in

the Film and How Are They Learnt

in Order to Complete the Mission

as Portrayed in the Film?

The first language that should be the root of the

translator is identified as the scientists’ language.

Indeed, the translator and the scientists do not

‘speak the same language’ or in other words, they

belong to two different worlds. This awareness is

supported by several scenes from the film, such as

the conversation between Louise and Colonel

Weber on their first meeting at Louise’ office; and

Louise and Ian on their first meeting at the

helicopter, again their conversation at the back of the

truck in one fine evening, and Louise’ arguments to

Colonel Weber talking about Kangaroo.

Undeniably, there are some tensions in the film

when they come to argue about their point of views

of language. Colonel Weber at first refused to take

Louise to Montana due to its confidential project

and his consideration that identifying the language is

sufficient only by listening to their sound recording

without the necessity of understanding their

language. The second proof took place between

Louise and Ian on their first meeting in the

helicopter. Reading Louise’s excerpt from her book,

Ian disagrees to the concept that “language is the

foundation of civilization”. As a scientist, he

believes that science is the cornerstone of

civilization. Moreover, she also wrote that language

is “the first weapon drawn in a conflict”. This is

where the term ‘weapon’ used for the first time. It

will later be useful as a hint to the whole idea of

how the word ‘weapon’ is seen by the scientists and

the heptapods.

During that conversation, it is also implied that

Ian and Louise have different point of views in

appreciating language. Ian as a typical scientist views

language as an instrument for eliciting information

(one-way communication), while Louise’ modes of

conceiving communication lies on the reciprocal

ways of sharing understanding. Ian said that he has

prepared a list of questions related to scientific

investigation

that is called as mathematic problems

by Louise. She responded by saying “how about we

just talk to them before we start throwing math

problems at them?”. This one example shows that

they are speaking different ways as they are from

two different cultures: linguists and physicists

Analyzing Translation through the Science Fiction Film Arrival

(Lucking, 2017). This controversy is discussed by

C.P Snow in his famous Rede Lecture of 1959 talking

about “these two intellectual communities that

almost ceased to communicate at all” (Snow, 1959).

Thus, these phenomena show that as a translator,

Louise must also understand language of other

disciplines in order to translate the message in the

purposeful context.

Other languages that must be perceived by

Louise as a linguist and a translator in this film,

apparently, are not only related to the source and

target language as usually dealt by any translators.

There are other parties in the film that influence the

process of translation, such as Colonel Weber that

represents the U.S. Army; General Shang, the leader

of China and the big domino for other nations; and

the public media as they are broadcasted in

televisions, radio, and other electronic devices. Each

has their own specific discourse of context and these

diverse conversations put their opinion ahead and

determine their way of communication. The

interaction between Colonel Weber and Louise

shows the idea of how military uses their language to

communicate with the outsiders. Their debates

occurred mostly because of Louise’ choice of

approach to the heptapods’ language. Colonel

Weber needs a prompt result due to national defense

and security threat and he thinks that Louise does

not make any progress. Meanwhile, Louise argued

that her approach was the fastest way to reach the

most accurate translation if they do not want to be

like James Cook with the Kangaroo story where

they misinterpreted the language. However, again

Colonel Weber insisted that they have to move

faster because the newly advanced race nearly

wiped the Aboriginal people out, and that means

they are afraid if these heptapods with higher

intelligence systems destroy the human race.

The character of Colonel Weber is close to

General Shang because both of them represent

powerful military leaders even though General

Shang is mentioned to be the big domino. He holds

the most superior country in the world, China, and it

is likely that the other nations approve to almost any

of his commands. However, General Shang has a

different approach to the heptapods’ language

because he is using Mah-Jong to understand their

language which according to Colonel Weber and

Louise, this might lead them to a more dangerous

subject. Logically, when you discuss a game, it is

about losing and winning, thus they are afraid if the

heptapods only understand the words concerning

Mah-Jong’s such as suits, honor, flowers, they will

consider the world as a game, where one side must

lost and the other is winning. During the interaction

with the heptapods, we learn that they are using

mahjong as the means of communication.

According to Louise and Colonel Weber, the

way they approach to the language may lead them

to a risky interpretation because introducing the

heptapods to a range of vocabularies such as

“opposition”, “victory”, and “defeat”, will conclude

them to a war instead of world peace. Nevertheless,

we also see how Louise accomplishes her contact

with General Shang on the climax of the film. Her

approaches to General Shang’s personal life give a

deep impact toward the message and it triggers him to

decide a prompt choice of pulling back his troop of

attacking the heptapods’ spaceships.

Throughout the film, it is seen that the public

media serves almost in any areas: television, radio,

internet, and even a phone call from home. The

information brought from these communication

channels has merged with entertainment to

manipulate the audience. As 12 spaceships landed

on 12 different countries in the world, 12 monitor

channels are put in the military camp to exchange

and improve each other’s information. Nonetheless,

not only the monitor channels are accessible, other

electronic devices are also feasible because the

soldiers have access to various unreliable sources. At

this stage, the bomb explosion set by some

irresponsible soldiers proves that public media is

very important yet hyperbolic sometimes, for they

come with manipulative languages when they mixed

up between providing news of evidences and

entertainment at the same time.

4.2 How are Louise’ Translation

Activities Understood from a

Hermeneutical Approach; that is,

Done in Their Proper Contexts?

Having the idea that translation process took place

in the film, we need to learn the translation

procedures used by the translator to approach the

different languages. Centralizing on the translator,

Louise, and how her actions influence the act of

translating and the way she achieves the result of

translation, I correlated her translation with the 5

elements of hermeneutical approach to translation as

stated above. The first element focuses on the

readiness of self-critical reflection. Louise’ reflected

herself when she first entered the shell by asking the

question “Am I fired?” to Colonel Weber. Since

critical self-reflection refers to the process of

questioning one’s own assumption, positioning,

feelings, and behavior, Louise’ anxiety here

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becomes essential in the context to step back from

her learning experience and engaged in deeper

and meaningful learning (Mezirow, 2006, Moon,

2013). Her further reaction toward Colonel Weber’s

answer that she was better than the last guy did not

satisfy her either as seen from her statement “That

doesn’t make me feel any better”. Her

discontentment is crucial for the development of her

independent learning (Cheng et al., 2015). The next

element of hermeneutical approach concerns with

the openness for constant-learning. At this stage,

she is willing to take risk of being contaminated in

the unknown circumstances of the heptapods by

taking off her hazmat suit inside the shell in order to

let the heptapods see her. Her action is a reflection

of being open-minded and shows openness to

working with strangers, such as the heptapods. She

is aware of the conventional rules that only allow

her to do things by instructions, especially under the

U.S. Army tight supervision, yet her decision to

have personal involvement toward a new

environment supports her ever remaining open for

new interpretation.

It is also assumed that during the translation

process, Louise as the translator obtains the ability

to integrate new cognitive input as one of the basic

notions in hermeneutical approach to translation.

Scientists believe that brain has unlimited capability

to receive and process new stimuli based on

individual limitations (Yook & Atkins-Sayre, 2012).

This process of integrating new understanding each

time may lead the translator to a comprehensive

knowledge that makes Louise able to communicate

in heptapods’ language unconsciously without any

tools. This illustration can be seen when Louise and

Ian entered the shell to confirm the meaning of ‘offer

weapon’. Louise is asked to write on the barrier

when she herself are not sure if she can do that.

Together with Abbot, she managed to write it and

next when she entered the shell by herself to ask for

their help, she can even talk to him orally. Thus, I

assume this writing the semasiograph might be the

best potential content of a translator to comprehend a

new language of a different culture.

The next element of hermeneutical approach to

translation lies on the courage for linguistic

creativity. Louise can be seen demonstrating this

notion when she decided to use visual aids to find

out whether she can acknowledge the heptapods’

written language form. She argues that she is

“never going to be able to speak their words if they

are talking, but they might have some sort of

written language or basis for visual

communication”. After they get into the

semiograph, Louise and the team learned hard to

comprehend it and nearly the end of the film, they

succeeded in inventing some sort of computerized

dictionary to communicate in heptapods’ language.

Evidently, this linguistic creativity needs linguistic

proficiency to make use of the visual freedom

innovatively.

The fifth element of the concepts stated that a

translator needs to have an empathic identification

with the message. At this stage, a translator is

responsible to deliver a message as clearly as

possible, without any doubt because any issues on

the translation is still part of her duty. Louise can

never leave the heptapods’ answer of ‘offer weapon’

carelessly to the U.S. Army, other nations, and also

the public media to let them figure out the references

by themselves. Louise and Ian entered the shell to

confirm the meaning of ‘offer weapon’ and the

heptapods leave them with the puzzle of abundant

semiographs after the explosion. As soon as they

found out the meaning of the scattered semiograph

refers to the heptapods’ knowledge offered to human

race as a gift and in order to achieve it they must

gather with other sites, she tried to communicate the

findings to the U.S. Army to withdraw their act of

aggression. However, it is hard to communicate

with other nations because they all blocked the

communication and followed the order of the

superior General Shang. This is the time when she

realized that the heptapods already granted her the

gift of seeing the future and they made her believe

that she is able to contact General Shang on her own

by using this ability. Finally, her empathy is also

shown to the heptapods concerning Abbots’ death

due to the explosion and toward General Shang,

when she reached his private number and said his

wife’s dying words. It becomes the key to say the

right expression for General Shang to change his

mind and save the world. However, most

importantly, she shows her empathy toward the

message because that is the reason of she is willing

to risk her life in getting into the meaning of the

phrase “offer weapon” and passing it on to the right

person.

The relation between language, communication,

and translation can be seen from two point of views:

Louise perspectives as the translator and the

heptapods as the foreign language perceived during

the translation process. They both mentioned the

word ‘weapon’ that refers to the same element:

knowledge. Louise use the word ‘weapon’ in the

very beginning of the film when she met Ian for the

first time and Ian read Louise’ preface in her book

“Language is the foundation of civilization. It is the

Analyzing Translation through the Science Fiction Film Arrival

glue that holds people together. It is the first weapon

drawn in a conflict." Louise specifically stated that

language can be regarded as weapon, therefore when

the

heptapods

mentioned ‘offer weapon’, she seems

doubtful because the ambiguity of this word may

refer to complete two different directions: one to

conflict if it is seen as a means to make physical

damage and the others to an agreement if it is

presented as knowledge. However, after series of

attempt revealed by Louise, we finally agreed that

the heptapods also consider ‘weapon’ as

knowledge of language that becomes the most

powerful tool to reshape the world. Moreover, it is

also discovered that the heptapods’ language at the

same time perceive time as non-linear. Thus,

translation in this context sees communication

where language between communities is not only a

universal knowledge but more of a highly specific

knowledge because one can achieve it by

comprehending the non-linearity of time.

5 CONCLUSION

In order to provide a new interpretation of a

translator in the science-fiction world of aliens as a

challenge to the role of a real-life translator in the

global context of language and communication

through hermeneutical approach to translation as

seen in the film Arrival, we need to elaborate two

specific objectives of this study. The first inquiry is

related to the variety of languages presented in the

film and the way they are learnt in order to build

communication among them. The language

communities engaged throughout the film are the

heptapods’ language with their semasiographic that

is learnt through their non-linearity concept of time;

the linguist’s/Louise’s translator that consider

language as the foundation of civilization and

therefore must be perceived as a reciprocal

communication; the physicist that is represented by

Ian who is full of curiosity and uses language as an

instrument to elicit information instead of

understanding. The other language communities are

Colonel Weber who represents the U.S. Military

that is very prompt and clear in giving order and

uses language mostly in the context of security

defense. General Shang somehow has similar

characteristics of language with the military, but as

the big domino he has a more powerful language

that can be used any time. However, he tends to use

language carefully and when it comes to his personal,

he becomes very serious dealing with others, in

this context, he takes Louise serious when she

called him talking about his wife’s dying words. The

last language community presented in the film is the

public media that provides both entertainment and

information at the same, so to make the audience

confused and triggers the irresponsible soldiers to

explode the shell.

As a result of understanding the languages

perceived by the translator and how they are treated

in communication, it is important to see how

translation process conducted by Louise is seen

through hermeneutical approach as presented in the

film. Throughout the discussion, the translator or an

interpreter, in this context, holds a key role during

the whole process of translation, and this is how

hermeneutical approach takes part in the study of

translation. Hermeneutical approach to translation

that involves 5 basic series of activities appeared in

the film are the projection of the translation process

applied by the main character of the film Arrival. The

first element on the readiness of self-critical

reflection can be seen from Louise’s first meeting

with the heptapods and asking how she was as a

reflection of her future development. The second

element on the openness for constant-learning is

shown when Louise’s taking her hazmat suit off and

taking risk for her personal involvement. The third

element involves her ability to integrate new

cognitive input, and this can be seen from her way to

encode, store, retrieve, and finally use the

heptapods’ language orally without any tools. Next,

the courage for linguistic creativity allows her to

make use of whiteboards at first and improves into a

computer/tablet like to interpret the language. The

last element of an empathic identification with the

message is presented on the climax of the film when

she comes back to the shell and ask about the

meaning of ‘offer weapon’; make a confirmation of

the bomb explosion to the heptapods; ask for their

help to communicate the message with the other

sites, and tell General Shang through time travel.

Thus, this film evidently gives a new interpretation

to translation that is as seen through hermeneutical

approach as a way to overcome language issues and

build communication among different language

communities of the sci-fi film Arrival.

Meanwhile, the second inquiry that answers the

last problem statement deals with the relation

between language and communication in the context

of hermeneutical approach to translation as seen in

the film. This issue can be answered from two

perspectives: Louise and the heptapods. Both agrees

to use weapon that is understood as a gift, meaning

a powerful tool to conquer the world, to build

communication around the world. In this context, it

BELTIC 2018 - 1st Bandung English Language Teaching International Conference

is believed that language is the knowledge and in

this context of aliens, another knowledge that is

perceived at the same time is their concept of time

that is non-linear. At this point of view, the

heptapods’ non-linearity of time can be the symbol

of a deep understanding towards the foreign

language. Thus, we can see that from the

perspective of a translator especially through the

hermeneutical approach, communication is

regarded as a situation where language is not only

a universal knowledge that is understood by all

people speaking the same language but a highly

specific knowledge that only those who apply their

translation process through hermeneutical approach

can interpret the language and perceive the

knowledge that comes with the language.

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