Abstract

Along with the further development of the globalization, cultural exchanges among different countries around the world are getting more and more frequent. And as a sort of popular mass media，film plays quite an important role in spreading cultures and pushing forward cross-culture communication. However, due to differences among Chinese and English, those English films introduced into Chinese market are hard to be understood and appreciated by the Chinese audiences. Therefore, E-C film subtitle translation，which has been regarded as a newly developed branch, has drawn more attention in recent years.    

Skopos Theory is a concept in translation, which can be traced back to Hans J. Vermeer’s argument in his Framework for a General Foundation of Translation Theory in 1978 together with Reiss. It refers to a translation strategy which focuses on translation as an activity with an aim or purpose，and on the intended addressee or audience of the translation. This paper first introduces the Skopos Theory and then gives a brief introduction to film subtitle translation and illustrates the features and constraints of subtitle translation. Then, by analyzing the examples from the film Life of Pi, this thesis strives to explore the application of Skopos Theory in the translation of film subtitles with consideration of both intention of the director and expectations of target audiences. 

    Key words: film subtitle; Skopos Theory; translation strategies; Life of Pi

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1 Introduction-1

2 Literature Review-1

2.1 Previous Studies Abroad-2

2.2 Previous Studies at Home.2

3 Theoretical Framework: Skopos Theory-3

3.1 A General Introduction to Skopos Theory-4

3.2 Rules of Skopos Theory-4

3.2.1 Skopos Rule-4

3.2.2 Coherence Rule-5

3.2.3 Fidelity Rule-5

4 Film Subtitle Translation-6

4.1 The Definition of Subtitle-6

4.2 The Features of Subtitle Translation-6

4.2.1 Synchronization-7

4.2.2 Instantaneity-7

4.2.3 Popularity-7

4.3 The Constraints of Subtitle Translation-7

5 The Application of Skopos Theory in Subtitle Translation of Life of Pi-8

5.1 A Brief Introduction of Life of Pi-8

5.2 Skopos of Film Subtitle Translation-9

5.2.1 The Intention of the Director-9

5.2.2 The Expectations of the Target Audience-9

5.3 Translation Strategies used in the Subtitle Translation of Life of Pi-10

5.3.1 Condensation-10

5.3.2 Omission-12

5.3.3 Addiction-13

6 Conclusion-14

References-16