关于奥斯卡最佳影片奖片名的翻译毕业论文.doc

On the Translation of English Movies TitlesAuthor: Zhang JuanSupervisor: Wang YueliA ThesisSubmitted as a Partial Fulfillment ofthe Requirement for the Degree of B.A in EnglishCollege of Information EngineeringFuyang Teachers College, Anhui ProvinceMarch, 2009学位论文关于奥斯卡最佳影片奖片名的翻译章娟（200822010627）指导教师姓名 王月丽 职称 单 位 阜阳师范学院信息工程学院 专业名称 师范英语 申请学位级别 学士 学位授予单位 阜 阳 师 范 学 院 2009年 3 月On the Translation of Oscar Best Films Titles【Abstract】Foreign films, which embody various kinds of foreign cultural elements, make possible cultural exchange via the visual language. Film title invariably brings out the theme of the film and usually conjures up a specific image pertaining to the film and leaves a first impression on the audience. This thesis attempts to present a tentative panorama of the translation of titles of Oscar Best Picture winners by analyzing the possibilities and limitations of film title translation, as well as the translation methods adopted, such as semantic translation communicative translation and transliteration, the underlying translation principles and the effects achieved. The translation of titles of Oscar Best Picture winners, which is most typical of title translation of English films, may be supposed to shed a flood of light on the issue of film title translation. However, this thesis aims to be provocative rather than prescriptive and by no means to set rigid and solid standards exclusive with film title translation. Hence, film title translation is observed and examined from such perspectives as translation adequacy, intertextual translation and translators visibility. It is claimed that, from some perspective, film title translation quality may be in direct and perfect proportion to the visibility of the translator.【Key Words】Film Titles; Translation Adequacy; Intertextual Translation; Translation Quality; Translators VisibilityI. Introduction Foreign films are, in a way, a form of cultural exchange via the visual language. However, the film dialogues in the source language seem to cause an insurmountable hindrance to the target audiences understanding of the film. This makes either dubbing or subtitling necessary to ensure full understanding on the part of the target audience. However, the translation of film titles is a peculiar part of film translation.Film title shows the important touch that brings the specific work of film art to life and leaves a first impression on the audience. As the saying goes, first impressions are half the battle. To win immediate acceptability, intelligibility and even popularity of the film, it is essential to make sure that the translation of a foreign film title creates an image of evocative power in the minds of the target audience just as the film title does when it crosses the minds of the audience speaking the source language. Granted the Academy Awards for their excellence in film production, Oscar Best Picture Winners can also be seen as an epitome of American cultures and are thus introduced into China as a medium of cultural exchange. Hence, the translations of their titles play an important role in cultural exchange and produce far-reaching effects upon the Chinese audience as film title mirrors the soul of the film. This thesis attempts to present a tentative panorama of the translation of titles of Oscar Best Picture winners by analyzing the possibilities and limitations of film title translation, as well as the translation methods adopted, the underlying translation principles and the effects achieved. For the sake of convenience, the first film granted the Academy Award of Best Picture in the year of 1929 will be referred to as Film 1, the second in the year of 1930 Film 2, and so on and so forth. This thesis, dealing with film title translation in terms of translation adequacy, translation intertextuality and translators visibility, aims to be provocative rather than prescriptive and by no means to set rigid and solid standards exclusive with film title translation.II. Features of Oscar Best Films Titles If the film is the comprehensive body between art and business value, then the title of the film is the expression of this comprehensive body. In the rich and colorful entertainment industry, the film wants to attract customers away from TV, online games and other entertainment media Body and get into the cinema; the most important thing is the name of the film. Throughout 81st Oscar best film titles, which mainly have three characteristics: Being concise and brief, being popular, and being brilliant A. Being concise and briefBecause of the movie screen dimensional limitation, movie titles are often highly mention refined. They will concentrate the movie content; which often use the concise language, and it generally consist of three English words. For example, Sunrise Hamlet Casa- Blanca Titanic Grand Hotel The Godfather The A- Partment Slumdog Millionaire. Among the 82 department of the award winning film, 65 Film title for three or the following English words composition, occupy 80%, and the longest movie titles only has 10 words, namely The Lord of The Rings: the Return of the King B. Being popularThe movie is a kind of mass media, which is for ordinary people entertainment, and appreciation. The Art is not for a few experts and scholars to do academic research, so it should avoid obscure words, difficulty words, uncommon word, or professional strong terms, but use Easy words for understanding, otherwise it will not be popular and fast Spread among the general public widely. It is the award winning film following the principle. For example, Winds All Quiet on the Western Front and Going My Way Gone “With the Wind the Lost Weekend American Beauty My Fair Lady Million Dollar Baby .C. Being brilliantThe movie is a kind of business behavior, so it must pay attention to the box office value, otherwise it cant live and develop. But on the box office success, the title must have such a great attraction that draw the audience attention so as to stimulate the tickets desire to get into the cinema ,i.e. it is the brilliant, thought-provoking draw the audiences eye, which is the biggest characteristic of film titles and is also available high magic weapon of the box office. For example, It Happened One Night (a breeze Flow) , It is what happened in the night mainly attract many viewers to get into the cinema. Be like again, Slumdog Millionaire (slums the millionaire) , slums is the poor mans residence, how can appear a rich Wong? Peoples curiosity is stimulated; so they want to get into the cinema figuring out.III. Methods of the Translation of Oscar Best Films TitlesOn the 81 Oscar for best film, we find that the Chinese title Translation methods of three kinds: literal translation, free translation, transliteration. Specific see table 1: Translation methodsliteral translationLiberal translationTransliterationMovie number30457Proportion55%37%8%, A. Literal translationAs for the definition of the literal translation, it has always been controversial. It is the common belief that the form and content are consistent with the original is defined as the literal translation. Literal translation is keep the the basic form and content unchanged .At the same time, the requirement of the language is easy to understand. The emphasis of literal translation is Like, claiming that the original content of the original text according to form (including word order, language Sequence, mood, structure, the rhetoric method, etc) expressed in the target language. For the literal translation of the English films, it is according to the characteristics of English and Chinese, the maximum retain the content and form of English title. The advantages of literal translation are: on the basis of the absorption of the useful new factors and reflecting the objective existence of the things and exotic emotional appeal, it can further avoid the interference of objective factors. When in the expression form without the other monarch it can also achieve grounds faithful to the original text content, the translator naturally adopt the literal translation. Language is a social phenomenon, is the carrier of culture and an important component part Points. There are many differences between Western and Chinese language and culture, but we still can find the great similarities. In addition, title literal translation can keep the movie the truth the original wind . This is from another side to explain why translators often choose literal translation. In 82 the best picture, there are 30 film title literal translation, accounted for 37%. In the actual film translation, some title sequence in both Chinese and English are equal to each other almost completely .which can use completely one-to-one translation .For example, the film Sunrise Grand Hotel The Godfather The Lost Weekend A- American Beauty and The Last Emperor Million Dollar Ba- By , respectively for 日出大饭店教父失去的周末美国丽人末代皇帝百万宝贝. And some titles, English and Chinese word order not consistent, translation will Shall be in accordance with the Chinese characteristics, change the sequence of English, but in general it is still with English Form is consistent. For example, the film The Life of Emile Zola The Sound of Music and The Silence of Lambs , respectively for 埃米尔左拉传音乐之声沉默的羔羊. B. Liberal translationThe so-called free translation (liberal translation), is mainly refers to catch the important aspect of content and metaphor meaning, sacrifice image, combined with the context to convey the original intention flexibility. That is, the language of the translated text perfectly follows the principle of the original language, and without considers the expression form of the original language, but also be faithful to the original meaning. There are similar points between English and Chinese language, after, but the differences between Chinese and western in social development, education background, aesthetic value, customs, legal method rules and ethics are so common that we cant direct translate in most situation. If we literal translate stubbornly, it may lose the essence of the original title at lest, or it makes audience bewildered. In this case, we can only do “the injury Form, the god and carry on the free translation. For example, if the film Gone with the Wind literal translated into the随风逝去, it will have no lasting appeal, but also cant reflect the original colorful connotation. While , if free translated into the乱世佳人, its a feeling of lasting appeal, and also reflect the warring era appropriately, and the hero fight with the fate helplessly. Be like again, according to Canadian writer mike Er wong (Michael Ondaatje) of the best-selling novel of the same name and into The English Patient, which tells during the world war II era, the actor and the actress go across a moral boundary and an romantic beautiful love story. Novel honor In UK booker prize for literature. In the international reputation, retaining the original item is very attractive to Europe audience. And the Chinese audience knew very little about the novel, if literal translated into English patient, instead seeming trite, so the other translator translated into英伦情人, it not only the poetic flavor is abundant, and tightly abide the film touching the love theme. In addition, the film All Quiet on the Western Front Hamlet It Happened One Night All About Eve One Flew Over the Cuckoo s Nest the Apartment “translated into西线无战事王子复仇记一夜风流彗星美人飞越疯人院公寓春光respectively.C. TransliterationThe so-called transliteration (transliteration), according to the source language pronunciation rules, directly translated into the target language and the same or similar words pronunciation language. This is the simplest and the most convenient translation method, and it also one of the most commonly method. If the Title for related peoples names, places are familiar to audience, or has the important historical significance, it should be transliteration. The advantage of transliteration is to keep the original title of rhythm, and be appeal to a wider audience with its strong characteristic of different region. The film Bin-Hur Tom Jones Gandhi Titanic, which in turn for宾虚汤姆琼斯甘地泰坦尼克.D .Other methodsAn effective way of contrasting film title translation with other types of translation involves emphasizing the distinctive features of film title, the linearity of the film content and the multi-linear potential of the translation of the film title in question. In so far as film title translation is concerned, translation may be dealt with in terms of translation adequacy, which can be classified into the following three divisions, though this might be an incomplete reflection on inconclusive grounds. Another property of film title translation to ensure functional adequacy is intelligibility, which means making the title translation be immediately acknowledged by the audience at first sight. The addition of some word(s) into the title translation may go a long way towards attaining intelligibility, such as the addition of “车” (car) in Film 78, “号” (ship) in Film 70, “正转” (biography) in Film 67, “杀” (killing) in Film 65, “野战” (field operation) in Film 59, “母女” (mother and daughter) in Film 56, “贩毒” (drug smuggling) in Film 44, “将军” (general) in Film 43, “雾都” (fog capital) in Film 41, “走红” (popular with people) in Film 39, “彗星” (comet) in Film 23, “歌舞” (song and dance) in Film 9, and “喋血” (bloodshed) in Film 8. The omission of some word in the original title also plays a role in imparting adequate naturalness to the translation, such as the omission of “One” in Film 48, “My” in Film 37, and “Our” in Film 19, though something original is missing of course.IV Values of the Translation of Oscar Best Films TitlesA. Information ValueAs the Oscar best films, we can appreciate the value of the art on one side, and we can get the information from the movie, we can know the western culture and the differences between the china and English language country. 1.1 MarketabilityFilm title is a suggestive expression of the films theme and the translation of the film title is supposed to equally embody the subject-matter of the film. The top priority of a film as well as the translation of a film title is its commercial concern. For the sake of the marketability of the film title, occasionally sacrificed is rigid faithfulness to the original linguistic form, which may fail to stimulate the target audiences imagination or reproduce the corresponding image in the mind of audience. Hence the following three predominant features marking the translation of Oscar Best Picture titles. First, some translations are heavily loaded with Chinese culture so as to enlist the target audiences ardent curiosity about the film title and thus their interest in watching the film. These translations are of absorbing interest and promising marketability due to the Chinese cultural elements contained in them. Typical examples include Films 79, 71, 67, 42, 33, 22, 20, 13, 12, 11 and 9, where considerable Chinese culture is clothed in such words as “无间道”, and “风云” “翁”, “阿”, “牛郎”, “桃色”, “奸雄”, “君子”, “蝴蝶”, “佳人”, “浮生”, and “大王”. At the sight of these title translations, the target audience will surrender themselves to fantasy and fascination as well as the thrust and zest to watch the film as soon as possible to find out what the film is about. Second, as mentioned in 2.1.1, the use of four-character phrase imparts a touch of elegance and expressiveness to the titles and thus enhances the marketability of the films. Third, granted that transliteration and literal translation or semantic translation is adopted in most cases of translating the titles of the Oscar Best Picture winners, communicative translation is also employed when necessary and adds appreciably to the marketability of the films in the target audiences culture and society. Communicative translation characterizes the translation of the titles of Films 79, 57, 41, 13, 12, 11, 7, 6, and 4, where deviation from the original linguistic form and literal meaning is self-evident.1.2 Artistic Adequacy Film is a unique art of conveying stories and ideas through the visual language of picture and the synchronizing audio speech. And film title is, in a way, a preview of the film and the artistic adequacy of film title goes hand in hand with the popularity of the film proper. So the translator should put a premium on the artistic adequacy of film title translation, which may be approached and realized by means of the following three attributes of film title.B. Cultural Value1.1 Linguistic IntratextualityLinguistic intratextuality arises among the literal meaning, semantic meaning, referential meaning and associative meaning of the film titles such as those of Films 78, 72, 70, 66, 14, and 7. Linguistic intratextuality makes the translator more resourceful and resolute in making the deliberate and desirable choice to negotiate the notorious translation pitfalls. The semantic meaning of “Crash” in Film 78 and “List” in Film 66 is ambiguous if not based on the pictures or the visual language of the films. According to the content of Film 78, the title means neither plane crash nor train crash, but the physical collision of car crash, which is also a metaphor for racial and social collisions. Then the Chinese equivalent of car crash is applied in the translation. Similarly, in accordance with the film story, the semantic meaning of “list of names” (名单) is exploited in the title translation of Film 66. The title translation of Film 72 is the literal meaning of