Abstract:
The aims of this study were to investigate strategies of translating popular English songs into Thai, and to analyze features of meaning equivalence at the word level, the figurative speech level, and the passive sentence level among 6 groups of translators. The samples of 30 songs was selected at random and divided into five categories : 210 lines of English texts, or units of translation, with their Thai translations, 53 of 3 types of adjectives. 25 of 2 types of adverbs. 160 of 4 types of figurative speech, and 20 passive sentences.The findings revealed that the 6 groups of translators used all of the translation strategies : literal translation, free translation, addition, omission and mixed strategy. the free translation was employed most (55.84%) by 3 groups of translators : Samornrat & friends, Nuengdiew, and Lalita & friends, whereas, the literal translation was used most (51.65%) by another 3 groups of translators : Warin Rungjaturapat, Michael & Vivian and Nunthapon.Regarding the features of meaning equivalence at the word level with three analyzing criteria; denotation, connotation, and omission, all 6 groups of translators mostly used the denotation for translating adjectives and adverbs. At the figurative speech level, two analyzing criteria were : translation by using English idioms and translating by using interpretation and adaptation of Thai idioms. It was found that all of the translators employed translating by using English idioms most. At the passive sentence level, two criteria employed in analyzing the data were : translating using the passive voice structure as in the original texts and translating by adapting to active voice structure. Five of all six groups mostly used translating by adapting to active voice structure. One of them mostly used translating by using the passive voice structure as in the original texts.