关联理论指导下《一代宗师》字幕翻译中的文化再现研究(2)
3.2 Difficulties for Culture Reproduction in Subtitle Translation.…7
3.3 A Relevance-theoretic Account of Cultural Elements 8
4 A Case Study on the Grandmaster 9
4.1Culture Elements in the Grandmaster 9
4.2 A Relevance-theoretic Analysis for Strategies Adopted in the Grandmaster 12
4.3 Untranslatability 17
5 Conclusion 19
Bibliography20
1 Introduction
The most likely candidate for breakthrough international success might be the Chinese Kung fu, a symbol of Chinese culture which has long been the epic theme of Chinese films to grab global attention. While in reproducing the unique Chinese culture in the English language, cultural differences make the largest barrier ahead the project of cultural diffusion. Meanwhile, subtitle translation remains a rarely-touched subject with few theoretic frameworks applicable. Therefore, studies on subtitle translation of culture-embedded films are urgent to be done for sake of cultural diffusion.
1.1 Research Background
Early in the sixties and the seventies of the twentieth century, films starred by Bruce Lee demonstrated to the westerners not only the magnificent Chinese Kung fu, but also a new image of the Chinese nation, challenging the former stereotype of the Chinese, the conquered. Thereafter, Chinese Kung fu films are encouraged to export as a representation of Chinese culture.
Among all the styles of Chinese Kung fu lie the Shaolin style, Baguazhang, Drunken Boxing, Eagle Claw, Five Animals, Xingyi, Hung Gar, Monkey, and others. Here in this essay, the case study of the Grandmaster, Wing Chun and the Sixty-four Hands are concerned as the mostly-introduced ones, all carrying their stories. However, target receptors cannot have a concise understanding of Chinese culture through films as native speakers do, due to the language barrier and culture gap. Therefore, subtitle translation, as the main mode of film translation, carries the responsibility of translating the embedded Chinese culture to the alien film viewers. Since Chinese films require an international market for cultural diffusion, this thesis singles out the Chinese to English subtitle translation and explores how the strategies applied to subtitling help reproduce Chinese culture.
Subtitle translation remains a rarely-touched subject with few theoretic frameworks applicable. However, it is currently urgent for that theoretic system to be completed and thus the subtitle translation to be perfected. For one reason, China remains a developing country accepting more alien culture than it diffuses its own. To grow into a developed country whose national culture gains high acceptance, China has to have a means of marketing its own culture--- film. Why film? This is the other reason. Rapid economic expansion is affecting people’s way of accepting new information. They are nodding goodbye to classic literature and are welcoming adaptations, or shortened version of the classic. Information acceptance now includes another principle that all should be in a brief summary. Therefore, film turns into an efficient channel for cross-culture communication. Just take a look at how the impressive lines in a popular film become the top hit in twitter and one will understand the significance of a film which can even change people’s way of communication.