论文总字数：29391字

摘 要

在互联网飞速发展的时代，影视节目在深化跨文化交际中发挥着重要的作用。因此，电影字幕翻译已经成为中国人更好地理解和欣赏外国电影的必要工具。众所周知,优秀的电影字幕，不仅有助于准确表达作者想要表达的思想，而且有助于促进跨文化交流，这也将有助于加深对两国文化的了解。然而，由于电影字幕翻译在中国是一个新兴的领域，在理论和实践上都存在许多有待完善的不成熟之处。面对如此严峻的形势，本文通过具体的例子，分析当代字幕翻译面临这种局面的原因，并详细说明一个好的字幕翻译应该遵循哪些原则。本文以《一条狗的使命》的字幕翻译为研究对象，拟从目的论角度分析探讨研究，以期能够提高目标受众的观看体验。

关键词：字幕翻译；目的论；一条狗的使命

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Literature Review 2

2.1 An overview on the skopos theory 2

2.2 A Review on translation study of film subtitle 4

3. A Study on Subtitle Translation of A Dog’s Purpose from the perspective of the skopos theory 5

3.1 A Brief introduction to the film A Dog’s Purpose 5

3.2 On subtitle translation of A Dog’s Purpose under skopos rule 6

3.3 On subtitle translation of A Dog’s Purpose under coherence rule 7

3.4 On subtitle translation of A Dog’s Purpose under fidelity rule 9

4. Conclusion 10

Works Cited.......................................................................................................12

Introduction

Nowadays, with the rapid growth of global competition and co-operation, the cross-cultural communication has been increasingly frequent. Therefore, in the information age, the film and TV programs, as a carrier of culture, undertake a crucial role. However, due to the barrier of communication, most audience must rely on the subtitle translation of movies for a better understanding of the plot. Therefore, every translator should take serious translation in order to attain an excellent film subtitle translation as his mission. Only in this way can audiences understand foreign films more easily. Then, the cross-cultural communication between two nations can be enhanced at a very rapid rate, which will help promote the emotional exchange between people.

The film subtitle translations, a communicative bridge between the Chinese and foreigners, play an essential role in advocating the cultural communication. For a better understanding of the subtitle translations, many scholars at home and abroad have studied it from numerous different parts by means of different theoretical methods. The skopos theory is one of these approaches. In 1970s, it was proposed by the German scholars, which has had an important impact in the translation field. Its main representatives are Reiss, Vermeer, Manttari and Nord. According to this theory, the process of translation can be divided into two aspects, one is Intercultural language conversion, and the other is non-linguistic cultural exchanges. When this theory is combined with the practical application, it emphasizes the translator"s subjective initiative, that is, the translator can apply different translation methods according to the different translation purposes. However, this theory also has some demerits. Due to the extreme emphasis on the impact of the translator and the purpose of the translation, the original style of the translation text may be difficult to preserve, which may not be suitable for some translation texts.

But overall, the skopos theory still has a great guiding significance for the film subtitle translations. On the one hand, the main idea of the film subtitle translation is to make the target audiences comprehend the unique Western culture. For this purpose, the translator can make the subtitle translated based on the acceptance of the target audiences which may enhance the appreciation of the film. On the other hand, it makes a great achievement in breaking the traditional translation theory which focuses more on the viewpoint of the original author. The emphasis of this theory is the translator"s subjective initiative, which could offer translators more choices when choosing appropriate translation strategies.

This thesis is divided into four sections. The first part mainly introduces the current situation of the film subtitle translation by which the author wants to help readers understand the current situation of the film subtitle translation generally. The second part is the interview. The author makes a general introduction to the spokos theory and its rules which can make readers possess a precise understanding of the skopos theory. The third part is the main body of this thesis, in which the author tries to study on the subtitle translation of A Dog’s Purpose specifically under skopos rule, coherence rule and fidelity rule. The fourth part draws the conclusion.

Literature Review

2.1 An overview on the skopos theory

Professor Zhang Chenxiang believes that the formation of the German Functional Skopos Translation Theory has mainly passed through four stages, which are respectively Reiss’s Functional Category of Translation Criticism, Vermeer’s Skopostheorie and Beyond, Manttari’s Theory of Translation Action and Nord’s Function plus Loyalty. (Zhang 12)

In the first stage, it can be regarded as the source of the German translation studies. Reiss was one of the main representatives. “She proposed three functional text types, namely, ‘informative’, ‘expressive’ and ‘operative’. At the same time, on the basis of the text functions, Reiss created a translation criticism model which is mainly based on the functional relationship between the text and the translation.” (Jia 36)

In the second stage, Vermeer’s Skopostheorie played an essential role. The Skopotheorie was based on the functional theory of Reiss. “In Vermeer’s Skopostheorie the skopos of a translation is determined by the function which the target text is intended to fulfill. Skopostheorie is part of a ‘general theory of translation’ which was first presented by Vermeer in 1978.” (Nord 27)

In the third stage, the main representative is Manttari who proposed the Theory of Translation Action. “This theory covers all cross-cultural transformations, including cross-cultural conversions that do not involve source language discourse and target language discourse.” (Zhu 86) Manttari defines translation behavior as the process of generating a specific medium of information delivery and coordinating behavioral and communicative cooperation.

In the last stage, Nord believes that the translation is not a copy of the source text, but a functional re-creation in the target language culture while selectively processing the source of the source text. (Nord 20) “Therefore, it is the translator"s responsibility to coordinate between the traditional equivalence theory and the thorough functionalist translation to achieve the required translation.” (Zhang 17)

After experiencing the process of the above development, Skopostheorie has achieved great results in theory. There are three basic rules in the skopos theory, namely, skopos rule, coherence rule and fidelity rule. In the following part, the three basic rules and their interrelationship will be discussed in order to make readers understand the Skopostheorie better.

Skopos rule is the basic principle in translation. Every article is written in accordance with the author"s specific purpose. Therefore, under the guidance of skopos rule, the translator should fully understand the author"s writing purpose and conduct translation based on this. The same is true for the film subtitle translation. Translators should select a core purpose, mainly the purpose of the cultural exchange, from a variety of purposes for translation. Then, the translators choose different translation methods according to the main purpose, which can not only better present the connotation of the film, but also enable the audience to easily understand the core meaning of the film. Hence, this is the rule that the purpose determines the method.

Coherence rule is also called the principle of intralingual coherence. From the above brief introduction to the skopos rule, it is generally used to determine the final translation method based on the purpose of translation before the translation activities. The translator should read and revise every sentence repeatedly to ensure that the translation conforms to the Chinese thinking, thereby enhancing its acceptability and readability, which is consistent with the coherence rule of the skopos theory.

Fidelity rule refers to the inter-textual coherence between the text and the translation. This is equivalent to the so-called fidelity to the original text in other translation theories. However, purposes of the translation text and translators understandings to the original language determine the degree and the form of fidelity to the original text.

From the specific concept introduction of the three rules above, it can be seen that the fidelity rule is subject to the coherence rule, and the rule of coherence and fidelity is subordinate to the rule of skopos.

2.2 A Review on translation study of film subtitle

Since the 1920s, image translation has been rising all over the world, especially in Western countries. Therefore, the research in the field of film subtitle translations was first started in the Western countries, and now the experts who are active in the forefront of this field are mainly scholars from the West. During this period, many famous scholars made great contributions to the study of film translation. The main figures are Dollerup, Istvan Fodor, Goris, Gambier and Gottlieb. In 1974, Dollerup carried out the first study alone on subtitle translation in the article On Subtitles in Television Programmes, and analyzed in detail the different types of errors in the subtitle translation of TV programmes, which caused a huge stir at that time (Dollerup 197) Then many scholars have carried on the thorough research in this area, and valuable achievements have been obtained. If Dollerup is the pioneer of subtitle translation research, Gottlieb is the epitome of this field. In Subtitling, he studies every part of subtitle translation in detail, from the basic definition research to the final development trend (Gottlieb 244)

Chinese scholars started their research on subtitle translations later than Western scholars. Due to the late time and low level of research, a relatively comprehensive theoretical system has not been formed and is still in the process of exploration. Among them, the famous representatives are: Ma Zhengqi, Li Yunxing and so on. Professor Ma Zhengqi discussed the basic principles of film translations from five aspects in the article On the Basic Principles of Film and Television Translations, namely, colloquialism, characterization, emotionalization, oralization and popularization (Ma 82) Professor li Yunxing proposed the use of the “Reduction Method” to solve the problem of time and space restrictions on subtitle translations, and proposed five modes to deal with the cultural factors involved in subtitle translations, that is, direct entry, blocking, interpretation, integration and domestication (Li 39)

Although scholars at home and abroad have put forward some theories on subtitle translations, the research on this aspect is still relatively weak, and there are not many related articles. Therefore, more research should be done in this field.

3. A Study on Subtitle Translation of A Dog’s Purpose from the perspective of the skopos theory

3.1 A Brief introduction to the film A Dog’s Purpose

This film mainly depicts the dog Bailey who reincarnated several times, and finally came back to his initial master again. Bailey was initially taken as the stray dog by the father of the owner, Ethan. Then, it has been a "friend" to accompany Ethan. From the close-knit accompaniment of the childhood to the faithful guardian of Ethan"s adulthood, Ethan is well aware of the eating preferences and daily habits of the cute pet, Bailey, for instance, Bacon"s bacon, dry rugby, etc. Over the past decade, these witnessed that Bailey has become an irreplaceable existence in Ethan"s life. Even after being passed through the repeated rebirths of the four generations of life, Bailey never forgot to look for the original master in the process of accomplishing different missions in each life. Finally, with Ethan"s unique smell, the familiarity of the Maifudi bacon pieces, and the rugby which has been stored for decade, Bailey returned to the initial owner and saved Ethan from the fire.

3.2 On subtitle translation of A Dog’s Purpose under skopos rule

In skopos theory, according to the requirement of the skopos rule, translators should adopt appropriate translation methods according to the purpose of translation, no matter literal translation or free translation, as long as the audience can fully understand the original meaning and unique culture. Therefore, this principle puts more emphasis on the translator"s subjective initiative and the feelings of the target language audiences. Therefore, we should make the subtitle translation conform to the culture of audiences, which is helpful for audience’s better appreciation of the film. For example:

Example 1: “ Maybe it was better to just really enjoy life and leave it at all.”（10:21）

“说不定抛开一切，好好享受，才是王道。”

This scene takes place when Bailey and Ethan family go on vacation to their grandparents’ country house. When Bailey sees some chickens, it cannot help itself to catching these chickens. At that time, it expresses its animal nature. In the example, we cannot find the equivalent part in the source text for “王道”, however, it is the translation of “ leave it at that” in the original text. Here the subtitle translator does not translate this sentence literally; instead the translator translates the extended meaning of Bailey’s words that as a dog, this is its nature to play with other animals and enjoy the life. In this way, the translation text can not only express Bailey"s lively and happy nature through words, but also let the audience have a deeper understanding of the meaning of the film. Translators adhere to the purpose of transmitting foreign culture for the sake of a better understanding of the original text for the target audiences, which is in line with the content required by the principle of purpose.

Example 2: “Wherever the family wanted me to get some fresh smells, we all got in the car for a ride.”

“爸爸妈妈会带我坐车兜风，让我出去透透气。”（09:30）

This scene also takes place when Bailey and Ethan family go on vacation to their grandparents’ country house. When Bailey and Ethan family are on the road, Bailey explains why they go to the countryside. In the example, “get some fresh smells” can be translated literally as “呼吸一些新鲜空气”，but this sentence is said by Bailey in a cozy tone, and the scene surrounded is very comfortable, so “透透气” can exactly express the relaxed and happy mood of Bailey. In addition, audiences can also experience the pleasing atmosphere accurately which will make audiences enjoy the movie deeply.

Example 3: “Maybe it’s time i get off the road and take an office position.”（18:24）

“或许我可以坐办公室了，不用到处跑了。”

This scene takes place when Ethan’s father entertains his boss and hopes that the boss would stop him from traveling and arrange an office job for him. However, this requisition is rejected because of Bailey’s fault. “Maybe it’s time i get off the road and take an office position.” can be translated as “或许我可以从事一份文职工作，不用到处跑了。”If this sentence is translated like this, we cannot say it is wrong, but “从事一份文职工作”may be a little awkward to read. In this example, the translator translate “take an office position” as “坐办公室”which can make Chinese audience understand this sentence efficiently and easily. The reason is that, in spoken Chinese, we often say “坐办公室”to express someone who works in an office and achieves the purpose of the source text.

From the above examples, it can be seen that the skopos rule serves the target language audience and is mainly used to solve cultural differences. Therefore, under the guidance of this rule, the translator replaces the foreign culture that is difficult to understand with the Chinese expressions which is easy to understand, which well presents the specific application of the skopos rule in the film subtitle translation.

3.3 On subtitle translation of A Dog’s Purpose under coherence rule

According to this principle, the translator needs to maintain the coherence of the translation. In the process of translation, in order to achieve the effect of coherence in language, translators need to overcome a series of obstacles such as tense, order of expression and cultural differences. Therefore, in the process of translation, translators should adopt different translation strategies in the face of different expression difficulties, and finally achieve the effect of unobstructed sentences, so as to meet the requirements of this rule. For example:

Example 1: “ Even though i couldn’t see him, i knew Ethan was very sad that night.”（21:46）

“虽然我现在看不到伊森，不过我能感觉到那晚他很伤心。”

As it is stated above, adverbial of time is often placed at the end of a sentence in English. So the adverbial of time “that night” is located at the end of the sentence. However such kind of expression is seldom used in Chinese. Hence, the subtitle translator here puts the adverbial of time at the middle of the sentence and the whole sentence is translated into“虽然我现在看不到伊森，不过我能感觉到那晚他很伤心。”, which is in line with the requirements of Chinese syntax.

Example 2: “Take care of things around here for me, okay, Bailey?”（47:53）

“替我照顾好大家，好不好？”

In this example, the adverbial of purpose “for me” is put at the end in the main sentence. However, when it is translated into Chinese, the translated sentence should fix the Chinese syntax. Thus, the translator puts the adverbial of purpose “for me” at the beginning of the sentence and the sentence is translated as“替我照顾好大家，好不好？”, which seems to be more natural in Chinese.

In addition, there is a more common transformation between active and passive transformation. Modern Chinese is used to express itself in the active voice to show people"s subjectivity. English, on the other hand, prefers the passive voice, which is used to emphasize the objectivity of things. Hence, translators need to pay heed to the translation of passive English into active Chinese, but sometimes if the passive voice can better convey the content of the film, it does not need to be converted, but in general, it needs to be converted.

Example 3: “Everybody knows there’s never been a game in the history of balls that can’t be improved by having a dog in it,.”（10:53）

“谁都知道，有了狗狗的参与，球类运动才会越来越好玩。”

Usually in English sentences, in order to emphasize the objectivity of things, the receiver is usually placed in the subject position, and the sender is placed after the predicate verb. Therefore, the passive voice form is formed. In this case, the original text could be translated as “谁都知道，有了狗狗的参与，球类游戏会被提升。” Obviously, if the translator get the translation literally translated, the sentence will seem very stiff, which does not conform to the Chinese expression. Thus, in order to improve the audience"s viewing experience, the passive voice in English should be transformed into the active voice in Chinese.

According to the coherence principle, the translator must follow the expression habit of the target language in order to enhance the acceptability and readability of the translation. Only in this way, can the audience watch the film without any obstacles, and then they can better understand the profound meaning that the film wants to convey. However, this does not mean that the translator can create actively without the original text. The translator must respect the original author and present the content of the original text completely and correctly.

3.4 On subtitle translation of A Dog’s Purpose under fidelity rule

According to this rule, translation must conform to the text. However, it is different from the ordinary one to one translation, which requires the translator to understand the original author"s meaning and then express it in words understood by the target language audience. For example:

Example 1: “If he says no, we can run off and go find another family.”（06:26）

“如果他不允许， 我们就离家出走，再找一个新家。”

In traditional Chinese expression, in order to achieve the pursuit of aesthetic feeling, and make the article read aloud, the author usually uses four-character idioms. Therefore, translator finds the equal expression in the form of the four-character idioms with the original meaning in the example “离家出走”，As we can see, the four-character idiom “离家出走” nearly bear the same meaning as the original English expressions do. As the translation in the case shows, the four-character idiom "run off" not only vividly conveys Ethan"s determination at that time, but also is easily accepted by the audience.

Example2: “I would be crazy to take you out of the field.”（18:39）

“我可舍不得让你坐办公室。”

This scene takes place when Ethan’s father invited the boss to discuss his promotion. However, the result is not satisfactory. This sentence can be translated as: “让你不出差我会疯掉的。” Obviously, if we translate like this, the audience cannot clearly understand what the author wants to convey. In addition, this kind of translation cannot accurately show the boss"s savvy, that is, via a simple sentence, he can dismiss your request invisibly and also make you unable to refute. Chinese people like to express their ideas in declarative voice. Therefore, the original translation is not only closer to the Chinese expression, but also expresses the original author"s thoughts in detail. Although this sentence is not translated in a literal way, the original translation better reflects the ideas that the original author wants to express. Therefore, it also follows the fidelity rule of translation.

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