E-C Subtitle Translation Strategy Under Relevance Theory

In China watching foreign, esp. Hollywood, films is now playing more and more important a role in the everyday life of people. So far as original English-sound films are concerned, the English to Chinese translated subtitles function as a bridge between average viewers and imported films. The quality of current Chinese subtitles is not so satisfactory. Therefore, how to improve the quality of subtitles becomes one of the most urgent concerns for the translators.The theme of this thesis is the strategies of E-C subtitle translation abiding by the relevance-theoretical approach to translation. Although the subtitle translation is relatively new and special,it is an integral part of translation. China’s film market calls for the improvement in E-C subtitle translation. The in-depth study of E-C subtitle translation under relevance theory may improve the quality of subtitle translation effectively, thus enhancing the prosperity of film industry and bringing greater benefit to people’s everyday life.The present thesis, under the guideline of relevance theory, illustrates the features and technical constraints of subtitles in order to make an overall study of E-C film subtitle translation. The author, taking examples from the ten films that earned the top box office in 2013, conducts an analysis of subtitle translation from semantic, lexical, syntactical, cultural, contextual levels and proposes revised versions of examples wherever possible. Three translation strategies under relevance theory are proposed:following the inferential clues, providing ostensive information and seeking for the optimal relevance, so as to present the best watching experience for the target viewers. In the end, the author designs a questionnaire and conducts a survey among some target viewers to prove the feasibility of these strategies.