English-Indonesian Equivalence of Humorous Slang Expressions in Selected Key and Peele YouTube Subtitles

Abstract

This study investigates the translation strategies and semantic shifts involved in rendering humorous slang from selected Key and Peele comedy sketch videos into Indonesian subtitles. Utilizing a qualitative-descriptive framework, 53 slang expressions were analyzed by cross-tabulating Patridge's slang categories, Nida's translation equivalence framework, and practical categories of meaning change. The findings reveal that Fresh and Creative slang was the most frequent category (32 data, 60.4%), followed by Flippant slang (12 data, 22.6%), Imitative slang (7 data, 13.2%), and Clipping (2 data, 3.8%), with no instances of Acronym slang identified. Dynamic Equivalence emerged as the primary translation strategy (40 data, 75.5%), whereas Formal Equivalence was used far less frequently (13 data, 24.5%). In terms of semantic shift, No Meaning Change was the most common outcome (24 data, 45.3%), followed by Loss of Meaning (19 data, 35.8%) and Gain of Meaning (10 data, 18.9%). The results indicate that while Dynamic Equivalence effectively produces natural, communicatively functional subtitles, it frequently involves trade-offs that reduce sociolectal identity, vulgarity, and interpersonal comedic force. Ultimately, the study demonstrates that evaluating the translation of audiovisual humor requires looking beyond literal semantic equivalence to consider how pragmatic impact and expressive tone are adapted within subtitle constraints.