As an emerging field in the translation circle, subtitle translation is unique in nature which merits our attention。 Gottlieb (1992:162) vividly illuminated the nature of subtitles by using five words — written, additive, immediate, synchronous and polymedia。 Restricted by many factors such as space, time and cultural backgrounds, subtitle translation is an exceedingly complex and challenging task。 The duration of the film subtitle showing on the screen is about five seconds and its screen space is also very limited — usually at the bottom of the screen。 Generally speaking, it is no more than eighteen characters per line。 Furthermore, cognitive levels of the audiences and lips of actors determine features of the Chinese subtitle。 The film subtitle translation should be colloquial and easy to understand so that the audience can grasp the useful information promptly; it should also embody properties of simplicity and satisfy both refined and popular tastes。 Most importantly, the subtitle translation should be consistent with the image, the sound and the audio system as much as possible。

Compared with western countries, China commences studying audiovisual translation much later and lags far behind。 It is a pity that until now there is no systematic theory in China where literary translation continues to play a dominant role among many others。 The number of dissertations and disquisitions pertaining to audiovisual translation is very limited。 This paper introduces some of the leading figures in this part。来*自~优|尔^论:文+网www.chuibin.com +QQ752018766*

Professor Qian Shaochang who works at Shanghai International Studies University is a protagonist in the field of audiovisual translation in China。 He has long been engaged in the front line of audiovisual translation, translation of movies and television works, the majority of which are rather popular among the Chinese audience, such as the US TV drama Growing Pains, Grand Hotel, the Thorn Birds and the like。 What’s more, he also has made great contributions to the development of domestic audiovisual translation theory。 In 2000, his book , Film Translation—A More and More Important Branch in the Audiovisual Translation Field (2001,1), was published。 In the book, he claims that more attention should be paid to audiovisual translation。 He emphasizes the significance of audiovisual translation and sums up its five characteristics。 

Professor Ma Zhengqi in Communication University of China has been delving into translation and cross-cultural communication for nearly three decades。 In 2005, his monograph entitled ‘Introduction of Film Dubbing’ (2005) came out。 This book elucidates the notion of the dubbed film from the perspective of the essence, and explores the foreign nature, properties and foreign existence。 On top of this, it discusses the rule of the art of movie dubbing from the aesthetic perspective and analyzes the aesthetics of film translation problems and the voice of artistry。 The author also worked to put forward his own theory to foreign appreciation and criticism。