硕士学位论文-从目的论角度探讨电影片名汉译策略.doc

上海海事大学SHANGHAI MARITIME UNIVERSITY硕 士 学 位 论 文MASTERS DISSERTATION论文题目：从目的论角度探讨电影片名汉译策略学位专业：外国语言学及应用语言学作者姓名：周媛 指导教师：韩忠华教授完成日期：二九年六月A Study on the Translation of Film Titles from the Perspective of SkopostheorieByZhou YuanSupervisorProfessor Han ZhonghuaA Thesis Submitted toForeign Language College ofShanghai Maritime Universityin Partial Fulfillment of the Requirementsfor the Degree of Master of ArtsJune, 2009AcknowledgementsFirst, I would like to express my greatest gratitude to my supervisor Professor Han Zhonghua for his enlightening instructions and insightful suggestions. His conscientious attitude towards learning has always been motivations for me and will benefit me for my whole life.Sincere thanks also go to all the other professors who have taught me in the last two years, including Professor Zheng Lixin, Professor Wang Dawei, Professor Yuan Yongfang, Professor Shi Dongqin, Professor Ni Weiping and Professor Sui Anguo. I have learned a lot from their informative lectures. In addition, I would like to thank my parents for their support in my studies. With their love, patience and encouragement, Im able to go through my postgraduate studies and fulfill my task. Furthermore, I would say thanks to all my friends who have helped me a lot in my thesis writing and life. Finally, I would like to acknowledge all the books, magazines and websites that I have referred to or quoted from, without which the completion of this dissertation would have been impossible.摘 要随着中国改革开放的进一步扩大，中国与其他国家的文化交流也日益频繁，大批英语电影随之涌入中国电影市场。作为电影不可或缺的一部分，片名对电影的票房有着很大的影响。近年来，中国的影视翻译取得了很大的发展，但作为影视翻译领域一个重要的组成部分，英语电影片名汉译的研究工作做得还远远不够，目前国内对电影片名汉译的系统性研究相对较少。有鉴于此，本文试图从目的论的角度对英语电影片名汉译进行探讨。1984年，德国翻译理论家赖斯和弗米尔在普通翻译理论基础一书中提出了“目的论”。目的论是功能翻译理论的核心理论，“目的决定方法”是其最突出的特点。该理论认为译者应当在翻译目的的指导下针对不同的文本类型采取适当的翻译策略。本文试图对当前英语电影片名汉译的方法进行归纳，并从目的论的角度分析采取不同翻译方法的原因，同时对中国大陆、香港和台湾三地电影片名汉译的差异进行了分析，并指出了当前英语电影片名汉译中存在的一些问题。本论文共分四章。第一章介绍了目的论的产生背景、理论基础和概念内涵，并且详细分析了其三大准则之间的关系。第二章介绍了电影历史、电影类型、命名方法以及片名的功能。第三章为本文的重点章节。本章从目的论的角度详细分析了电影片名的翻译策略，并探讨了中国大陆、香港和台湾三地电影片名翻译的差异及其成因。第四章探讨了对目的论的种种批评与电影片名翻译之间的关系，同时说明了“忠诚”作为对目的论的补充，它在片名翻译中是应当首先考虑的。 关键词：目的论；电影片名；翻译策略AbstractAs China further opens to the outside world, its cultural exchange with other countries has become even more frequent. Consequently, a large number of English films have been swarming into Chinas film market. As an indispensible part of films, film titles have a considerable influence on box-office. In recent years, Chinas film translation has made great progress. However, the translation of English film titles into Chinese, which is an important part of film translation, is far from being explored. Nowadays, there still lacks systematic study on the translation of English film titles into Chinese. Therefore, the thesis attempts to probe into this topic from the perspective of Skopostheorie.In 1984, German translation theorists Reiss and Vermeer stated the Skopostheorie or Skopos theory in their co-authored book General Foundations of Translation Theory. Skopostheorie is the core of the functionalist translation theory. “The end justifies the means” is its most distinctive feature. According to the theory, the translator can adapt the translation strategy which he thinks is proper to achieve the translation purpose. The thesis attempts to summarize methods of translating English film titles into Chinese and to analyze reasons for them from the perspective of Skopostheorie. Meanwhile, different translations of some English film titles in the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan are also analyzed. In addition, problems existing in the translation of English film titles into Chinese are pointed out.This thesis consists of four chapters. Chapter I introduces the background, theoretical basis and concept of Skopostheorie and analyzes the relationships between the three rules particularly. Chapter II briefly introduces the history and types of films, ways of naming films and functions of film titles. Chapter III, the core of this thesis, analyzes in detail strategies for translating foreign film titles into Chinese from the perspective of Skopostheorie, and discusses different translations of some English film titles in the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan and the cause for these differences. Chapter IV selects some criticisms of the theory and discusses their relations with film title translation. It also adds loyalty, which we should consider first in translation, as an important complement to Skopostheorie. Keywords: Skopostheorie; film title; translation strategyContentsAcknowledgementsI摘 要IIAbstractIIIIntroduction1Chapter I Theoretical Framework31.1 Historical Background of Skopostheorie31.2 Developmental Stages of Skopostheorie41.3 Foundation of Skopostheorie51.3.1 Translating as Intentional Interaction51.3.2 Translating as a Communicative Action61.3.3 Translating as Intercultural Action61.4 Three Rules of Skopostheorie71.4.1 Skopos Rule81.4.2 Coherence Rule91.4.3 Fidelity Rule91.5 Characteristics of Skopostheorie91.5.1 Change from Source-oriented to Target-oriented91.5.2 Flexibility in Choosing Translation Strategies10Chapter II An Introduction to Film and Film Title122.1 A Brief History of Film Industry122.1.1 Silent Film to Sound Film122.1.2 Black-and-White Film to Color Film132.1.3 Two-Dimensional Film to Three-Dimensional Film132.2 Types of Films142.2.1 FeatureFilm142.2.2 Animated Film142.2.3 Documentary152.2.4 ExperimentalFilm152.2.5 Educational Film152.3 Ways of Naming Films152.4 Functions of Film Titles182.4.1 Informative Function192.4.2 Aesthetic Function192.4.3 Commercial Function19Chapter III Analysis of Film Title Translation from the Perspective of Skopostheorie213.1 Translation Methods of Film Titles213.1.1 Literal Translation of Film Titles213.1.2 Liberal Translation of Film Titles233.1.2.1 Addition243.1.2.2 Simplification253.1.2.3 Adaptation263.1.3 Chinese Culture in Film Title Translation293.1.3.1 Adoption of Four-Character Phrases in Film Title Translation293.1.3.2 Adoption of Five-Character and Seven-Character Phrases in Film Title Translation363.1.3.3 Adoption of Special Chinese Concepts in Film Title Translation383.1.3.4 Adoption of Dialects in Film Title Translation413.2 Comparisons of Film Title Translations among the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan413.2.1 Differences in Film Title Translation Caused by Socio-Cultural Factors413.2.1.1 An Introduction to the Chinese Mainland423.2.1.2 An Introduction to Hong Kong433.2.1.3 An Introduction to Taiwan443.2.1.4 Examples of Differences in Film Title Translation in the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan453.2.2 Differences in Film Title Translation Caused by Linguistic Factors48Chapter IV Criticisms and Improvement of Skopostheorie514.1 Criticisms of Skopostheorie and Film Title Translation514.2 Improvement of Skopostheorie54Conclusion57Bibliography59Appendix I62Appendix II64VIIA Study on the Translation of Film Titles from the Perspective of SkopostheorieIntroductionWith a history of more than one hundred years, film has become one of the most charming and influential mass media in the world. It can not only reflect different aspects of society and demonstrate various cultures but also enable the audience to experience the life of different people. With the rapid development of Chinas economy and the ever-increasing cultural exchanges with foreign countries, more and more foreign films are being introduced to China. Since only a small part of people can understand original English films, translating English films has become a significant activity in promoting cultural exchanges. However, film translation is far from being explored. Film title translation, in particular, has been neglected for a long time and needs due attention.After studying the three leading translation journals in China, namely, Chinese Translators Journal, Shanghai Journal of Translators (the former Shanghai Journal of Translators for Science and Technology) and Chinese Science & Technology Translators Journal of recent ten years, the author found that although there are some articles about the translation of film titles, most of them just deal with the translation methods or skills employed in the translation, without any theoretical analysis.Film title is an indispensable part of a film. It has its own linguistic, aesthetic and cultural features, which deserve careful investigation and consideration from translators. Film title delivers the most important information about the film to the audience, and the box office depends greatly on the quality of the translated film title in the foreign market.In this thesis, the author analyzes different strategies for translating foreign film titles into Chinese, and explains the cause for these differences under the guidance of Skopostheorie, a relatively new translation theory proposed by German translation theorists Reiss and Vermeer who put much more emphasis on the purpose of the translation rather than on the original text. Meanwhile, the author also examines the differences in film title translation in the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Most scholars who discuss such differences always compare them and analyze which version is better. Differently, the author focuses on the cause for such differences with rare comment on which version is good and which version is not so good. The reason for this is that each translation has its reason and purpose. A translation which is considered to be improper may be accepted by more people later. The socio-cultural context of each region is the factor resulting in this variety in versions. Such variety is reasonable and is impossible and unnecessary to eliminate. However, there are still several problems which should be avoided, such as random translation.Chapter I Theoretical Framework1.1 Historical Background of SkopostheorieThroughout the history of translation, translators have found that different situations call for different renderings. However, word-for-word fidelity to the source text was more frequently adopted, even though the result may not be considered appropriate for the intended purpose. Many Bible translators have felt that the process of translating should involve both procedures: a faithful reproduction of formal source-text qualities in one situation and an adjustment to the target audience in another.Nida distinguished between formal and dynamic equivalence in translation, “formal equivalence” referring to a faithful reproduction of source-text form elements and “dynamic equivalence” denoting equivalence of extralinguistic communicative effect. (Nord:2001:5) He states:A translation of dynamic equivalence aims at complete naturalness of expression, and tries to relate the receptor to modes of behavior relevant within the context of his own culture; it does not insist that he understand the cultural patterns of the source-language context in order to comprehend the message. (Nida,1964:159)Later on, Nida placed special emphasis on the purpose of the translation:The relative validity of each translation is seen in the degree to which the receptors are able to respond to its massage (in terms of both form and content) in comparison with (1) what the original author evidently intended would be the response of the original audience and (2) how that audience did, in fact, respond. The responses can, of course, never be identical, for interlingual communication always implies some differences in cultural setting, with accompanying diversities in value systems, conceptual presuppositions, and historical antecedents. (Nida,1976:64)1.2 Developmental Stages of SkopostheorieSkopostheorie plays a major role in the functionalist approaches to translation. German functionalism school, which came into being in the 1970s, can be regarded as a historical breakthrough against and an important supplement to the traditional notion of “adequacy” or “equivalence”. The German school of functionalist translation theory has two important contributors as its founder: Katharina Reiss and Hans J. Vermeer.In 1971, Katharina Reiss first put forward a new model of translation criticism on the basis of the functional relationship between source and target texts, or the particular purpose of a translation activity. In her book Possibilities and Limits of Translation Criticism, which may be regarded as the starting point for the academic analysis of translation in Germany, Reiss introduces a functional category into her “objective approach to translation criticism”. Communicative function, as well as conceptual content and linguistic form are the three elementary part of an ideal translation according to Reiss. However, Reisss theory is more or less similar to Nidas functional equivalence, because it is founded on the basis of equivalence. In 1984, Reiss and another German translation theorist H. J. Vermeer formally stated the Skopostheorie or Skopos theory in their co-authored book General Foundations of Translation Theory. They questioned the traditional concept of “equivalence” and suggested the more universal one “adequacy”. They found that there exist situations in which equivalence are not possible and not even desired in some cases. In Vermeers Skopostheorie, a theory of purposeful action, one of the most important factors that determine a translation purpose is the addressee - the intended receiver or audience in the target language and culture with expectations and communicative needs. As Vermeer puts it, to translate is “to produce a text in a target setting for a target purpose and target addressees in target circumstance.” (Nord,2001:12) We notice that Vermeer makes no mention of the source text, thus the status of the source text is obviously lower than the target text in Skopostheorie. What Skopostheorie emphasizes is not the function of the original, but the function or set of functions the target text is to achieve.1.3 Foundation of SkopostheorieAccording to Holz-Manttaris Theory of Translational Action, translating is viewed as a form of translational interaction, intentional interaction, interpersonal interaction, a communicative action, intercultural action and a text-processing action (Nord 2001:16-25). Some of these aspects will be discussed later.1.3.1 Translating as Intentional InteractionAccording to Nord (2001:19), to say translation is an intentional interaction means it is first and foremost intended to change an existing state of affairs (minimally, the inability of certain people to communicate with each other). There may be further intentions of a more strictly communicative nature, such as to inform the target addresses about something the source-text sender has to say. Intentionality may be associated with the translator or, more often, with the person who is the initiator of the translation process. Translational intention may or may not be similar to the intention guiding the original sender or text producer in the production of the source text.1.3.2 Translating as a Communicative ActionAccording to Nord (2001:22-23), communication is carried out by signs, which are verbal or non-verbal behavior associated with a concept or meaning by the producer, the receiver, or both. The meaning associated with the sign need not be the same for both the producer and the receiver. Any form of behavior may be intended to have meaning X by the producer and interpreted as having meaning Y by the receiver. Even an accident state of affairs can be interpreted as a meaningful sign, just as a sign intended to be meaningful may go unnoticed by the addressee. The use of signs is teleological in the sense that it aims at a particular goal. In order to obtain the intended goal, the producer and the receiver must have some kind of agreement about the meaning of the sign. Signs are conventional and thus culture-specific. In translation, the translator produces signs for the target audience. In order to be understood, the meaning of the signs must be known. If the translator uses signs taken from a source-culture inventory that might be misinterpreted from a target-culture point of view, it is advisable to mark the translation accordingly.1.3.3 Translating as Intercultural ActionThe term “culture” is difficult to define. American ethnologist Ward H. Goodenough states that: As I see it, a societys culture consists of whatever it is one has to know or believe in order to operate in a manner acceptable to its members, and do so in any role that they accept for any one of themselves. Culture, being what people have to learn as distinct from their biological heritage, must consist of the end product of learning: knowledge, in a most general, if relative, sense of the term. By this definition, we should note that culture is not a material phenomenon; it does not consist of things, people, behavior, or emotions. It is rather an organization of these things. It is the forms of things that people have in mind, their models for perceiving, relating and otherwise interpreting them. (Goodenough,1964:36, quoted in Nord,2001:23-24)Culture is a complex system. It can be subdivided into paraculture (the norms, rules and conventions valid for an entire society), diaculture (norms, rules and conventions valid for a particular group within the society, such as a club, a firm or a regional entity) and idioculture (the culture of an individual person as opposed to other individuals) (Nord,2001: 24)However, the borderlines between cultural systems or sub-systems are difficult to define. A culture cannot simply be equated with a language area. In order to emphasize the interdepend