汉语电影片名翻译策略 论文

1、槌zQINGDAO UNIVERSITY本科毕业论文（设计）题 目：汉语电影片名翻译策略学院：外语学院专 业：英语语言文学姓名：指导教师：2012年 6 月 12日AbstractWith the rapid development and prosperity of the Chinese culture, its spread is becoming more and more important, in which Chinese films play a quite significant role. Therefore, the translation of Chinese film

2、 titles is drawing more attention. The thesis does researches into Chinese film title translation principles and strategies, and holds that a good Chinese title translation should combine the commercial factor with the cultural factor and use proper translation methods. Only in this way, can the tra

3、nslator get a successful translated version of a Chinese film title.Key words: Chinese film title translation; principle and strategy; commercial factor; cultural factor摘要随着中国文化大发展大繁荣进程的进一步加速，中国文化输出成为其中的重要一环， 中文电影又成为文化输出的重要途径之一。在此过程中，电影名称的翻译显得尤为重要。 本文研究了中文电影名称翻译原则和策略，只有将商业目的和文化传播目的统一起来并运 用适当的翻译方法才能得

4、到好的翻译电影片名。关键词：中文电影名称翻译；翻译原则和策略；商业因素；文化因素CONTENTSChapter 1Introduction to the Development of Chinese Film Title Translating.1 TOC o 1-5 h z HYPERLINK l bookmark35 o Current Document The Development of Chinese film nowadays1 HYPERLINK l bookmark31 o Current Document The Development of Chinese film tit

5、le translating2Chapter 2Principles of Film Title Translating.3 HYPERLINK l bookmark44 o Current Document Cultural principle3 HYPERLINK l bookmark48 o Current Document Informative value principle3 HYPERLINK l bookmark52 o Current Document Aesthetic value principle4 HYPERLINK l bookmark56 o Current Do

6、cument Commercial principle5Chapter 3Naming of Chinese Films and Their Title Translating7 HYPERLINK l bookmark65 o Current Document Naming of Chinese films7 HYPERLINK l bookmark69 o Current Document Namingbybackground7 HYPERLINK l bookmark73 o Current Document Namingbythemes7 HYPERLINK l bookmark77

7、o Current Document Namingbymain character(s)8 HYPERLINK l bookmark81 o Current Document Namingbyplot8 HYPERLINK l bookmark85 o Current Document Namingbythreads8 HYPERLINK l bookmark89 o Current Document Namingbymixed elements8 HYPERLINK l bookmark93 o Current Document Methods for translating Chinese

8、 film titles9 HYPERLINK l bookmark96 o Current Document Transliteration9 HYPERLINK l bookmark100 o Current Document Literal translation9 HYPERLINK l bookmark104 o Current Document Liberal translation9 HYPERLINK l bookmark108 o Current Document Amplification10Reduction10 HYPERLINK l bookmark113 o Cur

9、rent Document Creation11 HYPERLINK l bookmark117 o Current Document Imitation11Conclusion.12Acknowledgements.13Bibliography.14Chapter 1Introduction to the Development of Chinese Film Title TranslatingThe development of Chinese filmsOn April 23, 2012, the Second Peking International Movie Festival op

10、ened in the National Conference Center in Beijing, which attracted more than 300 super movie stars and directors, including James Cameron, the director of Titani This festival shows that the Chinese film industry is flourishing and making progress step by step.In the world of globalization, films ha

11、ve become one of those important means of cross-cultural communication. As a popular art form to the public, they transfer information, enrich our life and bring us enjoyment. They are the media of cultural communication, which reflect the artistic achievement of an ethnic group or a social group. W

12、hat is more, the film industry has a great commercial value. Hollywood of the US makes considerable contributions to the GDP of America.Since the beginning of the 21st century, the Chinese film industry has exploded. With the acceleration of cultural diversity and inclusiveness, the Chinese are expl

13、oring a way to let our films go outside. Since the reform and opening up, many famous Chinese directors have emerged, including Zhang Yimou, Feng Xiaogang, Xu Ke and so on, as well as those famous movie stars, such as Zhang Ziyi and Gongli. With the hard work of all the movie-makers and other people

14、, the Chinese films are rising on the international stage. As a result, more and more foreigners get interested in Chinese films. Although Chinese film industry just takes its first step to the international market, its momentum is prudent and strong. With rich cultural resources and numerous topics

15、, the Chinese movie-makers will surely make the Chinese film industry a rapid and lasting development. However, as Chinese is not as popular as English, the problem faced with us is how to translate these films. This, therefore,comes to the work of translation.The development of Chinese film title t

16、ranslatingIn a world of globalization, Chinese film industry must adopt the policy of going outside to ensure its competing ability. In the process of going out, translation plays an essential role.Chinese culture, with its long history and complex systems, is quite difficult for foreigners to compr

17、ehend. Chinese films, carrying a large quantity of Chinese cultural elements, may be more difficult for the foreign audience to understand in terms of meaning and essence. So a good translation is absolutely necessary. In this process, the first job is to translate the title. As the audience know li

18、ttle what a film is about before it is shown, their subjective feelings or potential evaluations about this film are all dependent on the direct stimulus of its title. A film title gives the first impression of the whole work. As soon as people see the film title, they will think of something famili

19、ar in their mind and understand the content better before seeing the film.Therefore, titles of films equal, to a great degree, to the brand of merchandise. A good translation of the title would be the icing on the cake; or, a bad version would discount the artistic attraction of the film.Bao Huinan

20、studied the translation of the film titles and said that a good title of a film should be brief and conclusive, show its theme thoroughly, and arouse the imagination of audience deeply.（包慧南,2001）In a word, film title translation should focus on both the translation of culture, which includes informa

21、tive value and aesthetic value, and the audience rate, which is the commercial value. There have been many studies on the translation of film titles. The author notices that there is little study on the translation of Chinese film titles. So the author will explore some principles and methods in thi

22、s field.Chapter 2Principles of Film Title TranslatingHighlighting film content, conveying the theme information, establishing the whole emotional tone, providing aesthetic pleasure and increasing box office are the ultimate goals of film titles. There are many schools that advocate different princip

23、les in translation. The author thinks that film title translation abides by two principles, namely, cultural principle and commercial principle.Cultural principleTranslation is not merely a linguistic conversion process; it is the cultural exchange process as well. Since great differences exist betw

24、een the West and the East in society, geography, climate, history, politics, economy, values, customs, ethics, and so on, reflecting cultural value in film title translation and promoting cultural exchange and understanding are a very important task.Informative value principleFilm title translation

25、should pass the content-related information faithfully, and then achieve the identity between the translated title and the original work, which is the so-called informative value principle. As culture is loaded by information, the informative value principle plays the basic role in cultural principl

26、e. This is the most basic principle. As mentioned above, a film title is rich in information. Because it requires that a title be brief and clear, every word in the title carries large quantities of information, which can convey the content, theme, emotional tone of the film. To meet this principle,

27、 translation of a film title should be readable and lucid.In his book about translation theory, Liu Mi-Qing put forward three principles, among which the readability of the target language has more effect on the translation of film titles. Readability is the basic principle. (Liu Mi-Qing, 1999) To t

28、he author, the translation of the film 饮食男女(Eat Drink Man Woman) violates this principle. It is not direct translation. It is no exaggeration to say that this kind of translation is just MAT without any artificial thought and attractive elements in the title. When the audience read this English titl

29、e, they must be puzzled. With a wrong grammar in its title, the film cannot attract the audience.An accurate film title translation can reflect the original idea of its title and theme .One way to access this target is to fully give the information of the film in a brief, strong, clear title with ty

30、pical national cultural characteristics, making it embody traditional culture and charm.大腕s translation Funeral of the Famous Star/Big Shots Funeralthis translation gives the audience a quick glance at the whole film with lucid information in the title.Aesthetic value principleThe aesthetic value pr

31、inciple has two aspects, that is, the art of translation itself and the art of the translation resultthe translated title. Steiner believes that translation is the art of an out-and-out. (Steiner, 2007) So is the translation of film titles, for it is a creating act of the translators based on the or

32、iginal film. Apart from this, with improved living standards, peoples aesthetic ability has been improved. As a result, a translated film title with beauty is quite necessary. If well translated, a film title carries beauty with it, and can arouse the imagination of the audience and their strong des

33、ire to watch it. For example,不见不散Be There or Be Square,甲 方乙方The Dream Factory,非诚勿扰If You Are the One,十一度青春一 老男孩 The Bright Eleven-Old Boys these three translations give audience an aesthetic feeling. We can recognize that these translated titles are brief but meaningful, conveying strong message, ex

34、posing the beauty of music . This is an aspect of the beautiful English language. To reach this level, the translators should have good language skills and profound knowledge of both Chinese and English.那山，那人， 那狗Postmen in the Mountains,扁担，姑娘So Close to Paradise and英 雄本色A Better Tomorrow are transla

35、ted by their main content, which convey their general information and styles. These three film titles are translated freely and can meet the aesthetic principle.There is another problem in the aesthetic value principle, that is, how to translate the culture-loaded words, which is regarded as one of

36、the most difficult translation problems. About with a specific cultural content (culture-specific) Baker, a translation theorist said, the expression of the source language maybe a concept that the target language know nothing about. The concept, abstract or concrete, maybe related to religious beli

37、efs, social customs, and even something else. (Baker, 2000 : 30) By this, we can get how difficult it is to translate the culture-loaded words. However, these words are just the beauty of a certain culture. Chinese story 梁山伯 与祝英台 was translated into Romeo and Juliet of China. Westerners are able to

38、understand its content and theme quickly, because this translation integrates western culture in it. Whats more, as Romeo and Juliet is a classic and elegant film in the west culture, this version shows its aesthetic value principle.Commercial principleThe commercial principle has four purposes: (1)

39、 attract attention; (2) arouse interest; (3) stimulate desire; (4) get action.High level of commercial profit is one of the aims that the film industry pursues. The translation of film titles not only integrates art and faithfulness; it also promotes the film publicity and stimulating peoples desire

40、 for watching. By using proper title translations which can create a good atmosphere and suspense, we can achieve the film commercial publicity purposes.Liu Mi-Qing pointed out, Given that the content in the original language is worth translating (that is, have social benefits), then it should be tr

41、ansformed into an acceptable version in the target language.,rather than rigidly adhere to the degree of readability of the original one. he also added that social benefits is the measure of testing the significance, quality and value of the translation. （刘宓庆,1999）The economic benefit of a film ofte

42、n depends on the attraction of its title. So the level of a tramslated title influences the audience rate directly. Take for example唐伯虎 点秋香”Flirting Scholar. When people see this title, they would be puzzled, because in their mind scholars are those who are upright, introverted and virtuous. How can

43、 a scholar be connected with flirting? Then the audience would step into the cinema to look for the answer. Other examples are 梁山伯与祝英台the Butterfly Lovers and九一神雕侠侣Saviour of the Soul.Chapter 3Naming of Chinese Films and Their Title TranslatingNaming of Chinese filmsIn order to have a better transla

44、tion of the Chinese movie titles, we need to know the naming methods of the Chinese movie title. In other words, to do a successful translation, we should know how the Chinese films are named. From this perspective, it is easier to find out proper strategies to different film titles of different nam

45、ing methods. Generally speaking, Chinese movies are always named according to the background, theme, plot, main character, or mixed elements.Naming by backgroundBackground also is known as setting. Our imagination or sense is based on the background of a story. In a movie, the background plays a ver

46、y important part in modelling characters and heightening the tension. The background has several elements, such as time, place and environment in which the story happens. These backgrounds can give large quantity of information of what a film is about. Therefore, it is natural for many film makers t

47、o use the background as the title. Many film titles belongs to this sort, say赤壁Red Cliffs,花样年华In the Mood for Love,南 京！南京！Nanking! Nanking!,唐山大地震Tangshan Earthquake,悲情 城市A City of Sadness.Naming by themesTheme is a unifying idea that is a recurrent element in a literary or artistic work. A film must

48、 have a theme to manifest, that is , the theme is the soul of a film. To name afilm title with its theme is a means to highlight the spirit lying behind the story. Film titles named according to themes can convey subjective message, establish the entire emotional mood, and attract the spectacles. Fo

49、r example,千里走单骑Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles,英雄Hero,不见不散Be There or Be Square,天下 无贼A World Without Thieves,非诚勿扰If You Are the OneNaming by main character(s)This may be the easiest naming method. There is always a leading role in a film, and in some cases are not only one. He or she usually is

50、the hero of the film. So it is quite simple for the film makers to name his film by choosing the main character of his film . Whats more, this also does convenience to the audience for they can get the general information of the film directly. Here we can see, 周恩来Zhou Enlai,梁山伯与祝英台Romeo and Juliet o

51、f China，太极张三丰Twin Warriors叶问I尸Man,刘三姐Third Sister Liu,黄飞鸿Once Upon a Time in China and金陵十三钗The Flowers Of War. The Flowers of Wartells about a group of people, including some clergies, some girl students, 13 prostitutes and some injured soldiers in Nanjing.Naming by the plotThere is no doubt that pl

52、ot is the principal factor to name a film. A lot of films are named in this way. For example,霸王别姬Farewell My Concubine,荆轲刺秦 王The Emperor and the Assassin,失恋33天Love is Not Blind and东京审判 The Tokyo Trial.Naming by the threadA thread is the connection that links the various parts of an event or argument

53、 together.In a film, the thread is something that appears again and again from the beginning to the end or something that the whole movie is about. Many films are named after their threads. Such as钢的琴The Piano in a Factory ,盲人电影院My SpectacularTheatre,西洋镜Shadow Magic ,榴莲飘飘，Durian DurianNaming by mixe

54、d elementsThere are many films that are not named only by one element, instead, their titles are named by mixed elements, such as 唐伯虎点秋香 Flirting Scholar is named by the character and plot;奇迹的夏天My Football Summer is named by background and theme.3.2 Methods for translating Chinese film titlesThere a

55、re three methods of translating Chinese film titles: transliteration, literal translation and liberal translation. Then, the paper gives out four tips in translating the film titles, namely, amplification, reduction, creation and imitation. To translate a Chinese film title, translators should consi

56、derate the translation principles and use proper strategies.TransliterationTransliteration is applied in the translation of film titles which are named according to character(s) or background, especially names of those famous characters and places. Due to the profound historical content in these nam

57、es, the audience, on hearing them, will recall certain memory or feelings. For example,周恩来Zhou Enlai, and功 夫Kong Fu.Literal translationLiteral translation is used most of the time, because this kind of translation retains the meaning and style of the original version to the greatest degree. We use t

58、his kind of method when the original version is easy to understand and there is an equivalent expression in the target language. For example,英雄Hero,千里走单骑Riding Alone for Thousands of Mile,天下无贼A World Without Thieves,集结号 Assembly,卧虎藏龙Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,河东狮吼The LionRoars,山楂树之恋Under the Haw

59、thorn Tree,让子弹飞飞Let the Bullets Fly. These titles do not use the exiting English images and expressions. Instead, the translators try to introduce the Chinese culture to the world. To use the images and expressions of the original film titles can be classified as literal translation.Liberal translat

60、ionMany translated versions of film titles can not express the content and meaning in the film properly, even difficult to understand or just mediocre, by using transliteration or direct translation. Faced with this situation, the good solution is to give up the form and content of the original titl