A Study Of Subtitle Translation Strategies From The Perspective Of Skopos Theory

Movie subtitling translation is a new field of translation. As an important tool formodern communication, subtitling translation has become quite an important phenomenonin the contemporary world. Such is indicated by the fast-increasing number of programsintroduced from foreign countries and the enormous translation work done within this field.With more and more attention paid to this field, a large multitude of research is beingdedicated to this particular area of study in Europe. Many European scholars, such as HenrikGottlieb and Fotio Karamitroglou have written quite a number of essays devoted to thediscussion of subtitling which center on such theoretical aspects as the definition andclassification of subtitling. Whereas in China, the research into audiovisual translation isstill in its infancy. Except for some introductory remarks and summary of practicalexperience, there seems to be little or no systematic study pertaining to this subject. Thoughit’s part of literary translation, it’s never thought of as decent translation and taken intoserious consideration. The result is low-level subtitle translation and a lack of implementingit’s perfect theories.This thesis is, therefore, to explore the specific features and strategies of this translationtype. This paper intends to make a study in translation strategies of subtitling from theperspective of the Skopos theories of translation. German functionalist translation theorymaintains that all translating activities are determined by its overall purpose (Skopos), whichinspires me to explore the translation methods under the guidance of the theory ofaudio-visual translation. And I’d also like to point out the advantages of applyingcommunicative theory to the practice of subtitling. However, these theories can only partiallybe applied to the practical use during subtitling since there are some key guidelines setupbarriers for subtitling. By referencing the feasibility and being aware of the limitations ofthese theories, my viewpoint on subtitling can be promoted as a kind of translation approachwhich requires the translator to transfer effective communication to the target audience withthe consideration on three important aspects: subtitle-related, linguistic and cultural aspects. This is for the purpose of helping the target audience better understand and appreciate thefilm. Subtitle-related aspects discuss the properties of subtitles which distinguish them fromother forms of translation. Linguistics suggests some translating principles and argues thattranslators should make more positive use of their creativity in their attempt to achieveflexible transfer functions from source texts to target texts. Culturally, compared withdubbing, it is recommended to apply the “foreignization” strategy during subtitling in order tomaintain the “foreignness” and make the target audiences enjoy the real exotic culture.