AN ANALYSIS OF TRANSLATION TECHNIQUES AND TRANSLATION READABILITY OF SATIRICAL EXPRESSION IN THE SUBTITLE OF HOUSE OF CARDS ON NETFLIX

Satire is one of the most challenging forms of language to translate because it conveys meaning through irony, humor, cultural references, and implicit criticism rather than literal expressions. These challenges become more complex in audiovisual translation, where subtitle translators must preserve both meaning and communicative effect within linguistic and technical constraints. This study aims to identify the types of satirical expressions found in the English-Indonesian subtitles of House of Cards on Netflix, analyze the translation techniques employed, and evaluate the readability of the translated satirical expressions. This research adopted a qualitative case study approach using document analysis. The data consisted of 50 satirical expressions collected through purposive sampling from the official English and Indonesian subtitles of House of Cards Season 1. The analysis was based on Abrams and Harpham's (2012) classification of satire, Molina and Albir's (2002) translation techniques, and Nababan et al.'s (2012) readability assessment model. The findings show that Horatian satire is the most dominant type (44%), followed by Juvenalian (42%) and Menippean satire (14%). Literal Translation is the most frequently applied technique (72%), followed by Established Equivalent (12%), Adaptation and Modulation (6% each), and Discursive Creation and Reduction (2% each). The results also indicate that most translated satirical expressions achieve a high level of readability, although several culturally bound expressions experience semantic shifts that weaken their original satirical effect. Overall, the study concludes that Literal Translation effectively preserves the political criticism, irony, and rhetorical style of the source text, while selective use of other translation techniques helps improve cultural comprehensibility and subtitle readability for Indonesian audiences.

Keywords: audiovisual translation, satire, translation techniques, readability, House of Cards, subtitles.