Abstract

In recent years, as China continuously opens her door to the outside world, the cultural exchanges between China and other countries have become increasingly frequent. The exchanges contain a large number of aspects, including the movie and television culture. Every year, many foreign film and television works will catch people’s attention. As for Big Bang Theory, it is a popular American sitcom and tells about the stories between four genius but freak scientists and a beautiful blond girl in their neighborhood. The subtitle translation of this TV play is obviously very successful, because it achieves almost the same degree of humor in both English and Chinese. Based on the introductions to Skopos Theory and the three principles of Skopos Theory, this thesis attempts to apply the three principles into the subtitle translation in Big Bang Theory and mentions the translation methods that are consistent with the three principles，which include reduction method，literal translation，free translation and the employment of buzzwords.

Keywords: Skopos Theory; Subtitle Translation; Big Bang Theory; Translation methods

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction-1

2. Literature Review-2

2.1 Previous study on subtitle translation-2

2.2 Characteristics of subtitle translation-2

3. A Brief Introduction to Functionalist Skopos Theory-4

3.1 Three principles of Skopos Theory-4

3.2 The development of Skopos Theory-5

4. Translation Methods of Big Bang Theory under the Guidance of Skopos Theory Rules-6

4.1 Reduction method-7

4.2 Literal translation-8

4.3 Free translation-9

4.4 The employment of buzzwords-10

5. Conclusion-11

Works Cited-13