ABSTRACT
The concept of translation in its Western context strives to reduce the translator to an imperceptible element in text production, and it is eager to create the illusion that the reader is viewing some kind of cloned source text by the 'original' author, simply in a different language. The history of the Malay translation of Robinson Crusoe is a vivid illustration of the intricate receptive and creative reactions that translations of Western texts sometimes triggered in the Malay world. The literary market was opening up to the creative power of the pribumi. In this context it might seem astounding that neither Raden Mas Tirto Adhi Soerjo, the pioneer of the pribumi press and author of a number of Malay prose texts, nor any of his followers came forward with translations of Western literature. While Volkslectuur was clearly pursuing colonial goals, the Sino-Malay sought to combine commercial necessities with social and political visions, addressing an audience beyond its own people.
