This research focuses on analysis of riddle translation in novel The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. The research discusses the translation technique that is used to translate the riddle and the impact of the technique to the translation quality. The objectives of this research are: 1) to discover the translation techniques which are used by the translator to translate the riddle; 2) to assess the translation quality of the riddle in terms of accuracy, acceptability, and readability; 3) to find out the impact of the techniques used on the translation quality in terms of accuracy, acceptability and readability.
This research is a descriptive qualitative research. The data were the riddles found in novel The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. There were 9 data of riddles which is found in the data source. Other data were assessments of translation quality which was done by the informants. The source of data for this research is novel The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, its translation in Indonesian language. The data is the riddle in the novel and also raters and respondents. All of the informants were chosen with purposive sampling technique.
The translation techniques analysis shows that there are 10 translation techniques applied by the translator. They are combinations of more than one technique: adaptation, literal translation, particularization, linguistic compression, linguistic amplification, amplification, discursive creation, reduction, transposition, and generalization.
The translation quality analysis in terms of accuracy shows that there 5 data (55.56%) of accurate translation and 4 data (44.44%) of inaccurate translation. In terms of acceptability, there are 8 data (88.89%) of acceptable translation and 1 datum (11.11%) of less acceptable translation. In terms of readability, there are 7 data (77.78%) of moderate level readability, 1 datum (11.11%) of high level readability, and 1 datum (1%) of low level readability.
The  analysis  shows  that  all  data  use  literal  translation  technique  mainly with  other techniques to support translating some parts. Literal translation technique is used mainly to preserve the message of the ST. The technique is combined with many other techniques to create elements of poetry. Combination of literal translation technique with other techniques produces accurate and acceptable translation but having moderate level of readability. The translation result also has element of poetry transferred, which becomes the unique point of the riddle and a major parameter for accurate translation.