Translation Strategies Of The Cultural Default In Subtitle Translation From The Perspective Of Skopos Theory

In this thesis, the Skopos Theory is used to study the translation strategies of the cultural default in subtitle. The cultural defaults in the subtitle of New Compilation of Strange Tales are used as examples.Since its establishment, the Skopos Theory has been very popular. Scholars have published a lot of related articles. They discuss the functions of Skopos Theory in guiding different translation texts, which include literature, science and technology, medical science and laws. Nord defines the Skopos Theory as a text with target purpose for the TL readers in the target surroundings.Subtitle translation has its own characteristics, which are the instantaneity, popularity, synchronism and no notes. Besides, it also has the time and space limitations. Therefore, translators should adopt suitable translation strategies to deal with these difficulties.As for the cultural default, Wang Dongfeng defines it as the absence of some common cultural background shared by the people living in the same cultural community or exactly, the author and the intended readers.The Skopos Theory claims that the intended purpose of the translation determines the translation methods and strategies. When translators translate, they should follow three principles: skopos rule, coherence rule and the fidelity rule. After some studies on the Skopos Theory, the author does some work that goes as follows:This study explores the studies on Skopos Theory in subtitle translation, subtitle translation and the cultural default. The Skopos Theory, subtitle translation and cultural default are introduced systematically. Besides, the author takes the subtitles of the classical Chinese drama, New Compilation of Strange Tales as examples and decides the translation purpose, which is to strengthen the communication among countries and promote the Chinese culture internationally with the help of Skopos Theory. Then, cultural defaults in New Compilation of Strange Tales are picked out and classified. In the end, translation strategies are studied with the guidance of Skopos Theory. In the process of translation, the author adopts the translation variation, domestication and foreignization to translate the cultural defaults in New Compilation of Strange Tales. Explanation and deletion are two translation techniques in translation variation. The author explains the Chinese expressions, especially those are essential in helping the understanding of the TL audiences. As for the dispensable parts, the author chooses to delete them because of the limitations of the subtitle. Domestication is used to present some familiar expression for the TL audiences so as to attract their attention. Besides, foreignization is also needed. Because, the translator should actively bring the interesting things and incidents in China to the TL audiences letting them get interested in our special culture.The study in this thesis expands the range of Skopos Theory in practical application. It is not only beneficial to the development of this theory, but also enriches the contents of it. Besides, it is helpful in promoting the Chinese culture towards the world and also conducive to the communication with other countries.