简译：英文电影字幕翻译.doc

COLLEGE OF LIGHT INDUSTRYHEBEI UNITED UNIVERSITYTITLE：Translation of Subtitling in English Films 简译：英文电影字幕翻译Name：li DongjingStudent No：200915310405Department:ShangXue Ren Wen DepartmentSubmitted as Course Paper for Dissertation Writing November 10, 2012CONTENTS Chapter 1 Introduction11 Research background12 Research issues and thesis structure 13 Significance of the Study 14 Aim of Thesis Chapter 2 Literature Review 21Overseas studies of film subtitle translation 22 Studies of film subtitle translation in China Chapter3 Methods31 Condensation 32 Paraphrasing33 Addition34 Domestication35 ForeignizationChapter4 Main contents :Films by Yimou Zhang41 Introduction to Yimou Zhang 42 Introduction to the selected Films43 Reasons for Selecting the Films as Subjects44 Analysis on Translation Strategies for SubtitlesChapter 5 TimetableChapter 6 BibliographyChapter 1 Introduction1.1 Research Background As an entertainment and a cross-cultural communication , films with subtitles play an increasingly important role in peoples daily life . Due to the globalization and the development of computer technology ,much more films can be watched not only in a cinema but also at home because digital TV，DVD，and personal computers are easily available . According to a poll carried by sina website in 2000, about 70.87% people prefer to watch subtitled films. Comparing with the booming film industry, attention hasnt been paid much enough to the study of subtitle translation. In both fields, the film industry and the study of subtitle translation, developed countries take a leading position.12 Research issues and thesis structure This study is a targetoriented product research，focusing on a descriptive and explanation analysis of examples in which choice of translation strategies of cultural information is involvedThe research is conducted in the light of the Skopostheorie to find out proper strategies and techniques to deal with cultural information in subtitle translation 13 Significance of the Study Subtitle translation has connections with many fields, and it is related to two fields closer, one is film industry, and the other is translation studies. Compared with the booming film industry, attention hasnt been paid enough to subtitling. There is no standard quality control on subtitling though it should be seen as a key element in film production. As far as translation study is concerned, the status of subtitle translation is similar to that in film industry, and it is also in an embarrassed position. No congruous principles are allowed to use in practice and a systematic theory is out of reach. In the above two fields, practical and theoretical, subtitle translation needs bettering urgently, and on the other sides, with its improvement, both fields can get much advantage as well. So the study of subtitle translation has at least two advantages, to set up quality control in practice and enrich academic study in theory. Both are of great importance.1. 4 Aim of the Thesis The aim of thesis is to present a few effective strategies used frequently in film subtitling, A general strategy for subtitling is to reach a pithy style, which is achieved by some specific effective strategies-condensation, generalization, literal translation, paraphrasing and domestication.Chapter 2 Literature Review 21 Overseas studies of film subtitle translation It should be acknowledged that European scholars take the lead in the studies of film subtitle translation In the late 1 95 0s and early 1 960sthe first academic works dealing with AVT ( audio-visual translation)made its appearanceThe edition of the magazine Babelunder the title Cinema et traduction published in 1 960，marks a symbolic startingAt first，most articles were limited to discussions on certain phenomenon without systematic studyThe golden age of film translation came in the 1 990s，and there appeared a real revolution in this field，especially since l 995 when the 1 00th film anniversary was celebratedFruitful achievements have been made As a leading figure in this period，Gambler focused on the classification of film translation modes，the skills of would-be translators and the reception of AVT Collaborating with Henrik Gottlieb，they edited a book：(Multi) media Translation： Concepts,Practices,and ResearchThe book is divided into three sections：“Concepts”， “Policiesand Practices”and“Empirical Research”While some topics in the book may overlap，each article offers a fascinating look at the various aspects of multimedia translation Later on，Gottlieb began his career in the study of subtitle translation in the 1 990s He conducted a theoretical study of this field，covering many grounds，from the definition and constraints of subtitle translation，the linguistic dimension of subtitles，and the translation of idioms from English into Danish，to the teaching of subtitle translation and，the strategies for subtitle translationHis study is almost allinclusive，and provides a theoretical basis for future research Ivarsson，in his book Subtitle Translation for the Media(1992)，offers a very detailed history of the technical aspect of subtitle translation and an overview of subtitle translation for the deaf and hardof-hearingIn her doctoral dissertation， Tomaszkicwicz(1 993)focuses on the linguistic operations which underlie the practice of subtitling，and carries out a detailed analysis of the two strategies that characterize film subtitling：elimination and condensationDirk Delabastita carried out research on the norms that underlie translation behavior and paid more attention to the cultural elements in translation To go beyond the linguistic level and to set AVT firmly in the target culture， Karamitroglou(2000)makes use of uptodate translation concepts and applies them to the field of AVT,extending their functionality and expanding the possibilities of study in our field to the professional，commercial and product reception dimensions In his doctoral thesis，Towards a Methodology for the investigation of Norms in Audiovisual Translation，he proposes a model of analysis that he himself applies，in a case study,to find out the preliminary norms that determine the choice of subtitling or dubbing when translating childrens programme in Greece by using concepts such as Poly system and norms Besides，there are translation journals and magazines in this field offering a platform for further discussion and studyFor instance，Translation Journal and Metal Babel Perspectives：Studies in TranstologyESIST(European Association for Studies in Screen Translation)serves as a meeting and reference point for researchers，teachers and professionals of AVT22 Studies of film subtitle translation in China While in China，it is another pictureCompared with the researches done overseas， the investigations of this field in China are far from being satisfactoryNot a single work call be found thus far；only a few articles have been published Zhang Chunbo(1 998)takes films as an audiovisual art that serves mass audiences He points out that translation of films should center on the target audiences，therefore， translators should take into consideration how well target audiences know the source language and its cultureApplying NidaS functional equivalence to the study of film translation，he suggests that the translation method adopted should be free translationTo deal with cultural items in film translation，he stands for domesticating，abandoning the original images and replacing them with those the Chinese audiences are familiar with In his article Strategiesfo，Translating Subtitles,Professor Li Yunxing(2001)states that the primary requirement of subtitle translation is to provide，within the constraints of time and spacethe most relevant information in the most effective wayThe article analyzes the features of subtitle translation in terms of time-space constraints informative function and cultural elements，and then puts forward corresponding strategies for translation Qian Shaochang(2000)，an experienced film subtitle translator,has conducted a practical research，entitled Audiovisual Translation一An Important Area in the Field of Translation StudiesHe stated his argument and testified to some principles for audiovisual translation set by himself Combined with her personal experience，Zhao Chunmei(2002)has done profound research on film translationIn her paper，Translation into Chinese of Film Scripts and Scripts of TV drama seriesFour Main Conflicting Demands，she analyzes four conflicting demands in film translationlength of translation and the original content； word order and the sequence of moving pictures；domestication and for eignization methodsIn her opinion，as an important means of cultural exchange and showcase of foreign culture，foreign films contain heavily cultureloaded images and culturespecific phenomena；therefore，translators should try their best to retain the original unique language expressions，metaphors，allusions，peoplesnames，etcAs for the translation method，she believes that translators should try to use the literal method；only when it is not workable，should translators resort to the free translation method to achieve equivalence with the original texts Subtitle translation can be seen as the best way to introduce the beauty of source language(English)and its cultureTherefore，scholars have noticed the importance and urgency of film subtitle translationChinese scholars focused their researches on the principles and strategies of film subtitle translationOn the contrary,foreign scholars analyze film translation from much broader perspectives，such as linguistics，pragmatics， as well as state basic principles that lay basis for further studies Though more people have started study and research in this field in China,few of them do it systematicallyWith regard to culture translating in film subtitle translation， some scholars have noticed the issue of culture transferring in translation process，but their studies are done without any theoretical basis，not to say systematic analysisThe study of cultural information transfer in English film subtitle translation still has a long way to go Chapter3 Methods31 Condensation Condensation is a strategy of subtitling that the translated subtitle is shortened as an abridged version of the source spoken language. In the present article the author puts word omission into the category of condensation as the author thinks that viewers pay more attention to screens of sentences rather than separate words or whole text.32 Paraphrasing Paraphrasing is a strategy that express a statement (phrase or sentence )in other words in order to make the translated one clear so that the target audiences may easily get the essential meaning implied between lines.33 Addition The strategy addition is to put extra explanation into the translated subtitle, which is helpful for the TL Viewers to understand the SL.34 Domestication The strategy provides a transparent and fluent style of subtitle to minimize the strangeness of the foreign dialogue for viewers, which makes the viewers not feel the being of cultural differences.35 Foreignization Foreignization produces the type of translation which deliberately breaks target conventions by retaining something of the foreignness of the original, so this strategy reserves the cultural features of source language, making readers feel and appreciate the cultural differences.Chapter4 Main contents :Films by Yimou Zhang41 Introduction to Yimou Zhang Yimou zhang graduated from Beijing Film Academy in Cinematography in 1982. After being cinematographer and actor in a few films, Zhangs directorial debut Red Sorghum(1987) catapulted him into the forefront of the worlds art directors. Since then Yimou Zhang gradually established his reputation as one of the most talented and influential directors. In 2002 Zhangs first martial-art movie came into being, which marked a turning point in his filmography. From Hero, Zhang put more emphasis on the commercial aspect than on aesthetic one. Hero boasted huge investment and employed internationally known stars, which shows clear features of blockbuster. It is the most financially successful mainland Chinese movie ever made with $100 million in box office receipts. His succeeding House of Flying Daggers(2004) and Curse of the Yellow Flower(2006) also obtained spectacular achievements at the box office. From above, it is found out that Yimou Zhangs intention is to produce commercial films that have definite purposes, one of which is to fight into western film market so that the audiences all over the world would appreciate his works.Yimou Zhangs films are listed as follows:1987 Red Sorghum1989 Ju Dou, Operation Cougar1991 Raise The Red Lantern1992 The Story of Qiu Ju1999 Not One Less, The Road Home2000 Xingfu shinguang2002 Hero2006 Curse of the Golden Flower2009 Amazing Tale:Three Guns 42 Introduction to the selected FilmsWriter(s)GenreCompanyNumbers of Awards:wind&nominationRed SorghumJianyu ChenDrama WarXian Film Studio7&3The Road HomeFeng Li and Bin WangDrama RomanceColubia Pictures Film Production Asia15&4HeroBeijing New Picture FIlm Co.Action AdventureBeijing New Picture FIlm Co.26&19Curse of the Golden FlowerYu Cao(play)and Yimou zhangAction Drama &RomanceBeijing New Picture Film Co.10&1843 Reasons for Selecting the Films as Subjects The reasons of choosing the films by Yimou Zhang as subjects are as follows: Firstly,with the directors great fame, films by Zhang are a;ways being paid attention to. They are household films and have gained many international awards, which suggests that they are successful. Secondly, to win the market abroad their subtitle translation should be effective so as to clearly show viewers both the basic meaning and the specific culture of China. Thirdly, typical issues concerning subtitles can find reflections in the films.44 Analysis on Translation Strategies for SubtitlesBy analyzing the translation subtitles of the sample films, it is clear to find out that the most comprehensive flavor reached in films is pithy style, which is