The Application Of Skopostheorie To The Translation Of English Film Titles

Although English film titles are usually very short, the translation of English film titles is definitely not an easy task. This thesis tries to explore the effective strategies in film titles translation under the guidance of Skopostheorie. According to Skopostheorie, any strategy is feasible as long as it can fulfill the ultimate Skopos of film titles translation: to call upon the audience to see the film. The four functions of film titles are analyzed in detail. The four functions are informative, expressive, aesthetic and vocative. The translators are suggested to take five important aspects in film titles translation into consideration: linguistic, cultural, informative, aesthetic and vocative aspects. In the process of data analysis, the author has noticed that there exist the different translations in English film titles in three regions of China: Mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Then the author compares and analyzes the different translations in Mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan. It is natural and inevitable that three regions have different translations with its own features. In order to get rid of the confusion that the disunity may arouse to the audience, the translators are encouraged to adopt other translated versions in the form of note at the same time.