Abstract:The Simpsons, as a renowned American situation comedy, focuses on an ordinary American family starting with a series of fascinating stories. Behind this animation reflects the colorful American culture; it is well welcomed by its audiences both domestically and abroad. The excellent subtitle translation to a great extent drives its popularity expect for vivid cartoons and humorous plots. With many American TV series flowing into China, The importance of the subtitle translation is growing. It should convey properly the meaning of the original sentences so that audiences can understand the drama and comprehend American culture, which facilitates the cultural exchange between China and America. In addition, the functional equivalence theory is applied frequently in the subtitle translation of The Simpsons by its flexibility. Therefore, it is beneficial to promote the accuracy of translation and well contribute to the cultural exchange between China and the U.S. by analyzing the subtitle translation of The Simpsons from the point of functional equivalence in this paper.

Key words: subtitle translation; functional equivalence theory; The Simpsons

Contents

Abstract

中文摘要

Introduction-１

I. An Analysis of the English Subtitle of The Simpsons-５

A. Features of the subtitle in The Simpsons-５

B. Difficulties of the Subtitle Translation in The Simpsons-６

1. The Translation of the names of TV Shows and Celebrities-６

2. The Translation of English Idioms-７

3. The Translation of Humor and Satire Color-７

II. The Subtitle Translation from the Perspective of Functional Equivalence-９

A. The Definition of the Functional Equivalence-９

B. Features of Functional Equivalence in the Translation of the Subtitle-９

1. Flexibility-９

2. Understandability-１１

3. Brevity-１１

III. Some Methods of the Subtitle Translation in The Simpsons-１５

A. Addition-１５

B. Omission-１６

C. Idiomization-１７

D. The Defects of Methods of Functional Equivalence in the Subtitle Translation-１８

Conclusion-２１

Bibliography-２３

Acknowledgements-２５