Indonesian dubbing of Alice in Wonderland follows a pattern of functional equivalence over formal equivalence. Puns are not translated; they are replaced with new wordplay using Indonesian’s agglutinative potential. Nonsense is preserved as a tone, but not necessarily as Carroll’s specific linguistic devices. Importantly, the Indonesian dubs avoid direct borrowing (e.g., leaving “tea party” as pesta teh is fine, but “Mad Hatter” becomes Pembuat Topi Gila – a calque that works because hat-making is culturally neutral).
A notable gap: Indonesian lacks the layered class distinctions of Victorian England. The Duchess’s moralizing (“Speak roughly to your little boy”) loses its satirical edge when translated literally, as Indonesian parenting proverbs do not map neatly to Carroll’s parody of didactic verse. alice in wonderland dubbing indonesia
The Cheshire Cat’s line: “We’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.” becomes in Indonesian: “Semua di sini gila. Aku gila. Kamu juga gila.” (Literal: “Everyone here is crazy. I’m crazy. You’re also crazy.”) No structural change. However, the 2010 dub adds the colloquial particle “dong” after gila to emphasize playful madness, signaling Indonesian informal register: “Aku gila dong.” This pragmatic shift makes the character sound less threatening, more whimsical. Indonesian dubbing of Alice in Wonderland follows a
[Generated for Academic Review] Date: April 16, 2026 Importantly, the Indonesian dubs avoid direct borrowing (e
In the 1951 film, the Mad Hatter’s riddle (“Why is a raven like a writing desk?”) is left unresolved in English. The Indonesian dub transforms it into: “Kenapa gagak mirip meja tulis? Karena keduanya tidak pernah membalas surat!” (Back-translation: “Why is a raven like a writing desk? Because neither ever answers letters!”) Here, the dub creates an original punchline based on gagak (raven) not being a letter-writer and meja tulis (desk) as a recipient of letters. The absurd logic is preserved, but the cultural reference to Carroll’s non-answer is replaced with a functional joke.
Navigating Nonsense: Cultural Adaptation and Dubbing Strategies in Indonesian Localizations of Alice in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland presents unique challenges for dubbing due to its heavy reliance on English puns, Victorian cultural references, and logical absurdities. This paper examines how Indonesian dubbing of the 1951 Disney animated film and its 2010 live-action sequel adapts Carroll’s linguistic chaos for an Indonesian-speaking audience. Using a comparative analysis of source and target dialogues, the study identifies three primary strategies: domestication of puns, structural neutralization of nonsensical syntax, and the localization of character honorifics. Findings suggest that Indonesian dubbing prioritizes comprehensibility and humor retention over lexical fidelity, often replacing English wordplay with locally relevant rhymes and cultural metaphors.