A Tentative Study on the Amusement Rewriting of Subtitle Translation

By

Xing Jingwei

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

For the Degree of Bachelor of Arts

Department of English

College of Liberal Arts

Nanjing University of Information Science amp; Technology

May, 2018

Acknowledgements

My deepest gratitude goes first and most to my supervisor Miss Li Xiaosa, who offers valuable suggestions to me in my academic studies. During the preparation of the thesis, she has spent plenty of time reading each of the draft and provided me with useful advice. Without her patient illustration, perspicacious criticism and professional guidance, the accomplishment of this thesis would not have been possible.

I would also like to voice my gratitude to all the people who helped me during the process of this thesis, especially to my friends and classmates who gave a lot encouragement to me. Last but not least, my gratefulness also extends to my family members who have been assisting and supporting me all the time.

A Tentative Study on the Amusement Rewriting Phenomenon of Subtitle Translation

Xing Jingwei

Department of English

College of Liberal Arts

Nanjing University of Information Science amp; Technology

Abstract：The thesis focuses on the application of amusement rewriting in subtitle translation with reference to Andre Lefevere’s rewriting theory. After analyzing the characteristics of subtitle translation briefly, the author presents the concept of amusement rewriting. Based on the concept, the author then analyses the reflection on the amusement rewriting in subtitle translation with examples in the hit movie Thor 3. The author points out the present development of the theory and its influence on the field of subtitle translation. The thesis holds the view that the amusement rewriting of subtitle translation is an irreversible trend which breaks traditional translation rules to some extent. However, the rewriting of subtitles should take into consideration the multiple factors in order to avoid disrespect of the movie caused by unnecessary abuse.

The constraint factors, types of rewriting and some notices about the amusement rewriting are also discussed in the thesis. It is the author’s hope that this thesis might help translators in the field of subtitle translation.

Key words：subtitle translation, amusement rewriting, Thor

摘要

本文基于安德烈·勒菲弗尔的改写理论，研究字幕翻译的娱乐化改写在电影当中的运用。文章首先对字幕翻译的特点进行了一个简单分析，接着引出娱乐化改写这一概念，并以这个概念为基础，以前段时间热映的电影《雷神3》为例，分析娱乐化改写在电影字幕翻译中的体现，最后总结指出这一理论在当今的发展以及对当今影视字幕翻译的影响。笔者认为：字幕翻译的娱乐化改写这一翻译倾向是一个不可逆转的趋势，它一定程度上打破了传统字幕翻译的旧规范，但改写时要综合考虑多重因素以避免不必要的滥用导致对电影本身的不尊重。

本文同时讨论了字幕翻译的限制因素、改写的具体类型以及娱乐化改写的一些注意点。笔者认为：对于字幕翻译工作者来说，字幕翻译的娱乐化改写不失为一个较好的选择。

关键词：字幕翻译，娱乐化改写,雷神

Contents

Acknowledgements I

Abstract II

摘要 III

1. Introduction 1

1.1 Background 1

1.2 Significance of the study 1

2. Subtitle translation 2

2.1 Definition 2

2.2 Importance of subtitle translation 3

2.3 Constraint factors of subtitle translation 3

2.3.1 Time 3

2.3.2 Space 4

2.3.3 Culture 4

3. Rewriting 5

3.1 The origin of rewriting 5

3.2 Brief introduction to rewriting 5

3.3 The Amusement Rewriting 6

4. A Case Study of the Subtitle Translation in Thor 6

4.1 A brief introduction to Thor 6

4.2 Examples of Rewriting in Thor 7

4.2.1 Popular language 7

4.2.2 Jargon and slang 8

4.2.3 Ancient phrases and idioms 9

4.2.4 Language habits 9

4.3 Two types of amusement rewriting 10

4.3.1 Rewriting at the language level 10

4.3.2 Rewriting at the artistic level 11

5. Conclusion 11

5.1 Major findings 11

5.2 Limitations of the study 12

5.2.1 The limitations of the thesis 12

5.2.2 The deficiencies of the amusement rewriting 12

5.3 Conclusions and Suggestions 13

References 13

Introduction

Background

With the deepening of China’s opening to the outside world, more and more foreign films, especially British and American films, have poured into the Chinese film market and are welcomed by the audience. In the market, the demand for subtitle translation of foreign language film has been growing and quite naturally, film subtitle has caught our attention.

Among the popular American films in recent years, the science fiction film Thor gains a high popularity in the world, which was first on the screen in 2011 and continues its development until now. It is definitely a great success for it maintains the world-wide audience, high visibility and deep influence. Although the story is far away from reality, films are solemn and sacred but full of wisdom and sense of humor. The emergence of this phenomenon is largely due to the success of subtitle translation. Network subtitle translation group use the network buzzwords, China characteristics or comedy proverbs sayings based on rewriting theory to express the drama in an entertaining way, making the language very unique and amusing.

In many former domestic and foreign articles, the research perspective of the big bang mainly focuses on linguistic and cultural aspects, especially on their verbal humor, narrative characteristics and cultural connotations. There are relatively few articles on the study of the subtitle translation of the play, and in the few articles, the majority of the studies are based on the theory of relevance and the theory of functional equivalence. In view of this, this article holds that the most obvious feature of the subtitle translation of the popular film “Thor” is the embodiment of the rewriting theory in the translation.

1.2 Significance of the study

Film subtitle translation is a new field of translation which is different from other forms of translation. It has higher requirements in terms of logic, art and appeal. Compared with mere literary translation, movie subtitle translation is more popular and extensive. Therefore, the real difficulty in the translation of film and television does not lie in the vocabulary or the preciseness and meticulousness of articles, but in the most ordinary and most local language.

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