论文总字数：31659字

摘 要

电影字幕翻译有着许多不同的分类和特点，其在很大程度上受到时间，空间特别是语境的制约。不同文化所特有的表达方式和文化空缺使得字幕翻译更为复杂。本论文从电影字幕翻译制约因素的角度来分析归化与异化在字幕翻译中的交替运用，这是翻译界争论的焦点。笔者以《星际穿越》为例来探究这两种翻译策略的应用，这部电影在国际电影市场上获得了巨大的成功，其字幕翻译也成为讨论的热点。文中同时提到了字幕翻译的限度问题，旨在提高译者对不可译性的认识，这也当然会在电影字幕翻译中起到很重要的作用。

关键词：电影字幕翻译；《星际穿越》；归化；异化

Contents

1. Introduction………………………………………………………………1
2. Literature Review…………………………………………………………2
3. Movie Subtitle Translation Studies………………………………………..3

3.1 Types of movie subtitle translation………………………………………….3

3.2 Characteristics of movie subtitle translation………………………………..4

3.3 Limitations of movie subtitle translation……………………………………6

1. Overview of Domestication and Foreignization…………………………..7

4.1 Definitions of domestication and foreignization…………………………….8

4.2 Strengths and weaknesses of domestication and foreignization…………….8

1. The Applications of Domestications and Foreignization in the Movie Interstellar Subtitle Translation………………………………9
2. Conclusion…………………………………………………………12
3. Works Cited………………………………………………………………13

1. Introduction

Nowadays, as cultural communications between China and foreign countries go further, plenty of English movies are growingly surging into Chinese film market. People’s appreciation level to the foreign movie increase quickly. Veracity and rationality are required in subtitle translation. The source language can not be comprehended by most Chinese, and language becomes the main barrier to appreciating English movies. To address this problem, film subtitle translation was brought into existence. Nevertheless, in China, subtitle translation is a comparatively new research territory of translation, so there exists some deficiencies and defects. Every barber knows that the audience has the final say in judging a foreign film. If the translated versions do not suffice for the audience, they will feel remorseful.

On the basis of material from Interstellar, this thesis mainly focuses on exploring the guiding role of domestication and foreignization strategies in English movie subtitle translation. As Interstellar is a nearly-shown one, no others can be found to make a systematic research on these two translation strategies. The author’s disquisition matters. One of the primary objectives of this article is to draw the attention of translation field to this particular literary translation. The other purpose is to let movie subtitle translator pay close attention to the artistic application of language, and adopt the appropriate translation strategy of taking the audience into full account so as to upgrade the quality of English movie subtitling translation. The elaboration in this paper will do duty for a meritorious reference for the related research.

This thesis is separated into 5 parts. Part one recommends a general picture of the study which includes purpose and the overall structure of this thesis. Part two introduces some researches have been done in this field and some theories my standpoint is based on. The part also explains to what extent my study is different from the previous researches and proposes some problems remain to be solved. Part three classifies the type of movie subtitle translation, analyzes the characteristics of film subtitle translation, and some limiting factors of it. Part four tells the two strategies—domestication and foreignization. In the chapter, Interstellar is used to expound the dynamic combination of domestication and foreignization. Part five summarizes the whole essay and comes to the conclusion. Additionally, suggestions are made for further study in this aspect and some deficiencies are also indicated.

2. Literature Review

In terms of handling cultural differences in movie subtitle translation, there has been a heated discussion on whether using domestication or foreignization. In film subtitle translation, domestication is adopted to make the original text more comprehensible for audience. However, if the translator always uses his or her own culture to translate foreign works, his viewers may know little about the western culture, let alone communicate with foreigners. In this case, in order to enhance cultural understanding, foreignization method is more acceptable. Nonetheless, some communicative information may be misinterpreted. At this point, domestication should be adopted to guarantee the proper comprehension of the connotation of the source language text.(Chen, 124) Chen Tingyi and Zhou Min(118) contend that subtitle translation should not only be royalty to the source text, but also be receivable by target audience. To have a idiomatic version, translators should get the utmost out of the advantages of domestication and foreignization and combine them flexibly and effectively.(Ren, 133) Although many specialists have done many researches on aforementioned two strategies used in film subtitle translation, few of them mention what if the nature of meaning that can not be entirely conveyed in translation. In other words, some specialists ignore the limit of translatability. We can not deny the impact of untranslatable elements. Thus, this article is written to put forward the limit of translatability and demonstrate the application of strategic interaction of domestication and foreignization. Xing Fengping argues that because of the blossom of intercultural communication and an atomic effort of translators, the untranslatable words today can be translate tomorrow.(Xing, 265) Theoretically, untranslatability is inevitable. So this thesis takes Interstellar for example, making readers have better grasp of the loss in translation. After reading my article, translators may have adequate cultural awareness and use suitable strategies in film subtitle translation thereby developing the communication and integration of different cultures.

3. Movie Subtitle Translation Studies

A subtitle is a printed presentation or segment of dialogue showing on the screen between the scenes of a silent motion picture or appearing as a translation at the bottom of the screen shown in a foreign language. (Merriam Webster, 1175) Film subtitle translation is a kind of supplementary explanation to the dialogue of characters and other related information. The purpose of film subtitle translation is to guarantee that audience can get the largest contextual impact and enjoy the film without language and cultural barriers. Film subtitle translation seems really easy on account that it looks as if subtitling mainly concentrated on the language conversion of the script text. In fact that was not the case. Actually, it is a course of inter-cultural communication, namely, film subtitle translators aim to convey the source language culture to the target audience through appropriate translation. English movie subtitle translation is so complicated and challenging that translators have too many things to keep an eye on in the meantime. In practical terms, this means translators should not only have a close-up view of original subtitling, but also pay close attention to connotations which films intend to express. After the emergence of film subtitle translation, the audience can grasp the content of movie and feel the charm of the film not only from the hearing, but also from the vision. Movie artistic expression and commercial attraction are straightway affected by the subtitle translation.

3.1 Types of movie subtitle translation

Film subtitle translation has various classifications from different angles. First of all, from the perspective of linguistics, subtitle translation can be split into intra-lingual subtitling and inter-lingual subtitling. The former is mainly responsible for the utterance transformed into text. At the same time, the pattern of speaking other than language itself is changed. With the invention of the film in the early twentieth century, movie subtitle translation first appeared in 1903 to convey the dialogue in silent films to the audience. Afterwards, subtitle translation has benn applied to further assist the deaf-mute. As mentioned above, those are parts of intra-lingual subtitles. While inter-lingual subtitling translates source language into the target language which is presented on the bottom of the screen under the circumstance of retaining the original sound. In this case, audience can obtain plentiful information in a short time and enjoy customs of different cultures visually.

Seen from the content of subtitles, film subtitle translation can be separated into dominant subtitling and implicit subtitling. The former mainly refers to the translation of characters’ discourses and dialogues while the latter is the translation of suggestive content, a prescriptive translation of time, place, items, etc.

In view of subtitles’ form, subtitle translation can be segmented into bilingual subtitling and monolingual subtitling. Bilingual subtitling is divided into two lines. One is source language subtitles, the other is target language subtitles and they are showed on the screen in the meantime. The characteristic of monolingual subtitling is it only presents a kind of language. Nonetheless, switching types of subtitle language by setting may call out the second language, but it only displays over the screen.

3.2 Characteristics of movie subtitle translation

While movie subtitle translation has something in common with literacy translation, it has its own particular features. The characteristics of movie subtitle translation are promptness, popularization (spoken language), integration, fashionability, without annotation and characterization.

(1) promptness

Readers of literature can reread them until they fully understand the works if they find the literacy works are difficult to be comprehended. It is generally known that movie subtitle is a kind of text flashed on the screen. It must transfer the information synchronize with the dialogue and images. The time for the subtitle showing on the screen is restricted. It usually takes about 2 or 3 seconds. So for the movie audience in cinemas, however, it is out of the question that audience can enjoy the movie again and again. They only have a short time to think over the subtitles. Therefore, the language used in subtitle translation should be compact and strike home so that audience can understand the subtitle instantly.

(2) popularization (spoken language)

The conversations in movies are spoken language. This is not just because of the promptness of movie subtitles, but also the language used is closely associated with ordinary people’s daily life which should be easily understood by audience, even those who are illiterate. Movie, as a kind of cultural transmit media, can be accepted and understood by ordinary audience when spoken language is employed in it. Every barber knows that the level of education differs from person to person. To let more people enjoy the movie, especially the general public, subtitle translation should close to life so that the most audience can comprehend the story of the film.とだなっこ, who is second to none in the movie subtitle translation field, once translated‘ I love you’ into ‘ baka’, which means the fool in Japan. The context is that the man make an apology to his spouse and the woman replies with ‘ I love you’ after they bury the hatchet. However, Japanese couples have no habit of saying I love you, therefore, とだなっこ translated it into ‘ baka’ so as to cater for Japanese folk custom. The dialogues in the film are always direct, brief, and vivid. There often appears some words only exist in the spoken language, such as damn it, um, dude, yeah, gosh, yup and so on. There are also some incomplete sentences like so what, you owe me one, anything else, after you, etc. What’s more, the language used in the movie can’t do without slang. For instance, have a ball, hot numbers, all wet, etc. Translators should express the movie original intentions in Chinese properly so as to let the audience have a better comprehension of the development of the plot.

(3) integration

Actors’ dialogues are always restricted by a variety of factors such as their speaking gestures and pauses. The mutual effect and complement between dynamic pictures and characters’ language and the perfect combination of figures’ expressions and motion generate the synchronization of movie sound and images. It can’t make any sense unless integrate film subtitle translation with film sound, pictures and other factors. Without sound and pictures, movie subtitle translation may not convey the information like culture of the movie accurately. Not to mention it can be understood by the audience. The movie subtitle translation would be restricted by all these factors. Therefore, in some films, it’s necessary to explain some nonverbal information to eliminate the bias or confusion of the audience.

(4) fashionability

With the development of the era and the popularization of the Internet, movie as one of the major medias also keep up the pace. The use of language must contain a lot of new words, such as network language wormhole, material girls, high tea, toy boy, etc. Many movies also mention some hot topics. In the light of points mentioned above, film subtitle translators should keep abreast of the time to foster clearer communication.

(5) without annotation

In literature translation, annotation can be seen frequently. It is common knowledge that annotation can be used to help readers to understand the plot that are not easy to comprehend. In films, however, due to subtitles only appear in the screen for just two or three seconds, it’s nearly inconceivable to use annotation. Thus, film subtitle translators should voice the cultural factor in movies in a creative way. In this process, translators should remember that when transmit foreign language, they should also make sure that the foreign culture can be effectively accepted by domestic audience.

(6) characterization

Characterization means that the words you choose should say something about you. To put it simply, translators should accurately grasp characters’ personality. That is to say translators must penetrate into the inner world of roles. For instance, in the movie Interstellar, someone translated the dialogue ‘Please come here. I beg. In the name of Christ.’ Into ‘ 请过来吧，求你了！快点!’ Obviously, Character’s helplessness isn’t expressed by the translator, not by a long chalk. The author suggests it can be translated into ‘ 快点过来！快点！我的小祖宗!’

3.3 Limitations of movie subtitle translation

(1) space limitation

As a specific kind of text translation, subtitle usually appears beneath the screen. Restricted by the size of the screen and the amount of language signs can be accommodated in the screen, generally subtitles just have one line. Some scholars pointed out that a short English sentence should never be translated into a long Chinese sentence, even the sentence expresses both authentically and naturally. A long English sentence can’t be interpreted into a short Chinese sentence as well in that it may not only loss some important information, but also let the audience question whether subtitle translation convey the original meaning loyally. In the film, the image is the primary part while subtitles are the auxiliary part. Of course, the quantity and quality of main information can’t be interfered with the supplementary information. The subtitle translation, therefore, should be brief and toil-less to comprehend and be clear at a glance.

(2) time limitation

Film subtitle translation is restricted by time. Here time mainly includes two following meanings :( 1) time duration of the sound or images. (2) the average time needed for viewing subtitles by audience. Because of varying levels of audience, the time required for understanding the subtitles is not consistent, namely subtitles’ show time and viewers’ reading time is not the same. If the time for subtitles is too short, the audience may not fully comprehend subtitles; On the contrary, if subtitles are too long, audience may overly focused on subtitles not images. There’s no doubt that subtitles must synchronize with the sound. As a result, translators must take two kinds of limitations into consideration, choose common words and flexible sentences for the sake of conveying information in restricted time and space.

(3) context limitation

In addition, subtitle translation is also affected by context. Context refers to subjective and objective elements that have an effect upon the communication. Subjective factors include character’s purpose, identity, thought, occupation, interests, gender, mood, etc. While objective factors mean the social environment, time, occasion and so on. All the factors mentioned above ask for translators to pay much attention to the context and embody it in the process of translation.

4. Overview of Domestication and Foreignization

Translation is not only the switching of the language, but also the exchange of culture which is the essence of translation. Translators advance the research of cultural translation due to the realization of the impact of cultural components on translation. There’s an argument over domestication and foreignization in the field of translation in terms of handling cultural differences. These two translation strategies are relatively widespread in the field of translation. Domestication is target language or target readers oriented. It argues that source language culture should be introduced into the knowledge of readers and guides the author to the reader. Inversely, foreignization regards that source language culture should be reserved in translation and lead the reader to the writer. Because of the wide divergence between source language and target language, inevitably, translators are on the horns of a dilemma in the course of translation. Subject of domestication and foreignization , as it were, is one of the core subjects of translation.

4.1 Definitions of domestication and foreignization

Domestication or domesticating translation is a nomenclature applied to identify the translation strategy in which a pellucid smooth style is adopted in order to minimize the unfamiliarity of the original language for target language readers while foreignization or foreignizing translation is a term used to denominate the variety of translation in which a target text is created which dis-accustom target language on purpose by reserving the foreignness of the original text.

4.2 Strengths and weaknesses of domestication and foreignization

Someone think translators should put domestication above everything else while other people consider domestication is the branch road of translation. Some even believe the fight between domestication and foreignization is a war to the knife. Nida Eugene, a famous translator from America, contends that translators should respect for the characteristics of the target language. What’s more, linguistic forms which are familiar to target language audience should be applied to the greatest extend. (Nida 34) Domestication attaches importance to the similarity in spirit instead of form. Target language readers feel as if they are enjoying the work written with mother language, thereby engendering a sense of acceptance and affinity. In practicing with domestication method, translators adopt fluent and natural diction of target language consciously. Sometimes, explanations are used for supplementing information to eliminate culture color of source language so as to cater for target language readers. Foreignizing translation has been put forward in The Translators’ Invisibility written by Venuti Lawrence, who holds that the original author shouldn’t be disturbed and the reader should be led to the writer. (Venuti 253) In other words, translators should take readers to foreign countries in order to feel the charm of western culture. Venuti believes that domestication not only turns a blind eye to translators’ endeavor, which treats translators unfairly, but also covers up the difference between cultures and the historical feeling of original works, which imposes contemporary values on the original works. Domestication is a kind of imperial cultural plunder. The purpose of foreignization is similar to a tourist who travels to a foreign country, in which the traveler wants to enjoy is exotic scenery and folk custom. The tourist must feel despondent if he or she sees the view just like what in China. So foreignization should convey the culture image to readers. In reality, both domestication and foreignization have their own pros and cons. The translation is more simple for readers to comprehend and accept by applying the tactics of domestication in terms of the adoption of the fluent, transparent and natural expressions and styles which are acquainted with the target language readers. Thus translations are easy to comprehend, but at the cost of source language cultures and styles. Thanks for the adhibition of foreignization strategy, the translation preserves the original features of source language. But the problem arises that the target readers may feel hard to understand the linguistic features and the unfamiliar cultural images. They can’t receive the information and the cultural message contained in the translation, resulting in misunderstanding the original meaning of the text.

5. The Applications of Domestication and Foreignization in the Movie Interstellar Subtitle Translation

Interstellar is a fantastic science fiction movie full of super- realism. It mainly tells some explorers surmount the extremity of human space travel and begin interstellar journey by utilizing their new findings on the wormhole. Along with the hot showing of the movie, its subtitle translation comes into the picture. Interstellar has aroused strong repercussions. The wonderful subtitle translation in this film gives rise to the upsurge of translation. There are more than 10 translation versions of Dylan Thomas’s poem ‘Do not Go Gentle into that Good Night’ mentioned in the Interstellar. Among so many Chinese versions, two representative editions are chosen by the author. One is translated by Wu Ningkun, who used foreignization strategy. The other is presented by the famous musician Gao Xiaosong who adopts domesticating translation. Wu Ningkun thinks a poem is the combination of the content and form. A poem can’t convey its spirit without any forms. He believes only by imitating the form of original poem can we express the content successfully. Thus, literal translation is applied by Wu Ningkun. His translation is ‘不要温和地走进那个良夜’, which reserves the style of original poetry. Inversely, Gao Xiaosong considers translation only have to be loyal to the meaning and poetics. Therefore, he adopts free translation and translates into ‘ 绝不向良夜请安’. The imperative sentence of the original work has been translated into assertive sentence which express attitudes and feelings. As we can see, emotional color is more apparent with domestication. Ultimately, movie subtitle translation adopts Wu Ningkun’s foreignizing version to cater for target-language audience. Some expressions with typical cultural features in the movie is tough for target audience to get the point. It seems that domesication is a better choice here. However, with the development of worldwide cultural communication, more and more foreign cultures can be recognized by Chinese people. Therefore, in such cases, foreignization can be employed. Let’s see some examples.

Domestication:

1. SL: Interstellar

TL: 星际穿越

The movie title “interstellar” originally means “星际的” and is an adjective, but the translator titles as “星际穿越”. “穿越” is added to refine and sublimate the content of the movie. The word “穿越” means the traversing of not only time and space dimensions, but also Cooper’s love for her daughter Murphy.

1. SL: Not while you are struggling to put food on the table.

TL: 尤其是当人们还填不饱肚子的时候。

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