美剧字幕翻译研究以《绯闻女孩》为例

摘    要
本文首先对字幕翻译的文献研究资料进行了回顾，然后分析了影响字幕翻译中的两大限制因素：时空限制和语言限制。同时阐述了文化因素在字幕翻译中重要意义及翻译文化因素所运用的主要翻译策略：归化法和异化法。最后以美剧《绯闻女孩》为例，分析了文化因素在其中的体现以及归化法和异化法在该剧字幕翻译中的实际应用。通过论述，本文作者得出结论：由于美剧的主要观众群为学生及受过良好教育的白领，因此在做字幕翻译时，在不影响剧情台词的理解的前提下，译者应该尽量使用异化法的翻译策略来保持原有的异国文化。

关键词：字幕翻译，翻译策略，归化，异化，文化因素
ABSTRACT
This paper first presents a brief literature review of subtitling translation. Then it explores the two constraints in the process of translating the subtitle: technical constraints and textual and linguistic constraints. Moreover, it focuses on the significance of the cultural elements in subtitling translation and the main strategies used in the process: domestication and foreignization. At last, by giving examples in the American TV series Gossip Girl, this paper illustrates the cultural elements and the practical use of foreignization and domestication strategies. To sum up, the author claims that since the main audiences of the American TV series are students and well-educated white-collar employees, the foreignization strategy should be more favored in the translation process to retain the foreignness as long as a proper understanding of the lines is assured. 

Keywords：Subtitling translation, translation strategies, foreignization, domestication, cultural elements

Contents

1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………......1
2. Literature review of subtitling translation………………………………………....2
2.1 Definition of subtitling translation……………………………………………….….2
2.2 Previous studies on subtitling translation abroad……………………………….…...2
2.3 Previous studies on subtitling translation in China……………………………….....3
3. Constraints of subtitling translation……………………………………………..…3
3.1 Technical constraints of subtitling translation………………………………….…....4
3.2 Textual and linguistic constraints of subtitling translation…………………………..4
4. Culture turn in translation……………………………………………………….…5
5. Translation strategies: foreignization and domestication…………………….…...6
5.1 The definition of foreignization and domestication………………………………....6
5.2 Foreignization and domestication in this study……………………………………...7
6. Case in study: Gossip Girl…………………………………………………………...7
6.1 An introduction of Gossip Girl………………………………………………………7
6.2 The cultural elements in the text of Gossip Girl…………………………………......8
6.2.1 Words concerning celebrities………………………………………………….…...8
6.2.2 Words concerning famous brands……………………………………………….....9
6.2.3 Words concerning geography………………………………………………….…10
6.2.4 Words concerning sports……………………………………………………….....10
6.2.5 Words concerning English language…………………………………………...…11
6.3 The application of foreignization and domestication strategies in subtitling translation…..12
6.3.1 Tactics employed to achieve foreignization………………………………………13
6.3.1.1 Annotation……………………………………………………………………...13  
6.3.1.2 Preservation and explanation…………………………………………………...13
6.3.2 Tactics employed to achieve domestication……………………………………...13
6.3.2.1 Substitution…………………………………………………………………..…14
6.3.2.2 Paraphrase………………………………………………………………………15
7. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………..16
Acknowledgement……………………………………………………………………..17
Reference………………………………………………………………………………18

 
1．Introduction

In this information age when information, in various forms such as audio, video, multi-media products, transmits almost instantly around the globe, a particular merit of is that one can download the latest episode of the American TV series he or she likes almost without a time-lag. But there is still a big question getting in the way. The language barrier between the original TV show and its ardent Chinese viewers has greatly hindered the appreciation of these high-quality TV programs. Therefore, there is a huge need for good subtitling translation. Fortunately, there are currently many translation practitioners volunteering their effort in this field, and some of them have contributed a great deal. On the other hand, it seems that the study of subtitling translation does not keep up the pace. This study focuses on the main hallmarks of subtitling translation, and introduces some tactics coping with the culture-loaded materials in subtitling translation.

2. Literature review

2.1 Definition of subtitling translation

Subtitling translation can be defined as the translation of the spoken or written source text of an audio-visual product into a written target text which is added onto the images of the original text at the bottom of the screen[ ]262. Its object, subtitle, originates “from what we nowadays call ‘intertitle’ or ‘insert title’,” which means parts of text, drawn or printed on paper, being filmed and placed between parts of the film action. “At the time, these terms meant something totally different from what they mean today: an ‘intertitles’ or ‘insert titles’ was a replacement shot for a part of film that contained verbal information in the original language” [ ]11 

2.2 Previous studies on subtitling translation abroad

The first academic article regarding the study of film translation appeared in a special edition of the magazine Babel, under the title Cinéma et trauction, in 1960. Since then a variety of works has been published. However, the study of subtitling translation had not received high attention until the 1990s, when the massive use of internet had accelerated the pace of globalization. 
Gambier, as a leading figure in the this area, edited with Henrik Gottlieb a book in 2001 named (Multi)media Translation: Concepts, Practices, and Research, which is a collection of 26 articles pertaining to the subject of subtitling translation. At the beginning of this book, he wrote: “Globalization, in many ways a cliché, does have some pretty direct implications for us all, as modern Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is changing a large part of our daily lives.”[ ]iii Furthermore, “The challenges are not only industrial, political, social, administrative, juridical, ethical; they are also cultural and linguistic. Change in technology is always faster than change in our behavior, as supply in technology is often ahead of consumer demand.”[iii]iii
The co-editor of this book, Henrik Gottlieb, is also a very productive scholar in the field of subtitling translation. He began to delve into this area in 1990s, and concentrate himself on the strategies and the linguistic respect of subtitling translation. On top of that, he also explored the area of the training and teaching of subtitling.
Other scholars have contributed in the study too. For instance, Ivarsson provided us an elaborate history of the technical aspect of subtitling translation and a general review of subtitling translation for the disabled people like the ones with difficult in hearing in his 1992 book subtitle translation for the media[4]. In 2000, Karamitroglou's doctoral thesis, Towards a Methodology for the Investigation of Norms in Audiovisual Translation, put subtitling translation in the context of target culture instead of the linguistic perspective[5].