Subtitle Translation Techniques Of American TV Dramas

With the continuous deepening of the intercultural communication, the connection between China and western countries is getting closer and closer. Gradually, audiovisual products become an indispensable part in the cross-cultural exchange between the East and the West. Every year a large number of foreign audiovisual products pour into the Chinese market, making subtitle translation more and more important in the intercultural communication. However, compared with other cultural products such as novels and poems, the current research on the subtitle translation is still at the early stage in China. Nowadays there are many subtitle translation groups on the Internet, which have made great contributions to the popularity of the foreign audiovisual culture. However, due to the spotty quality of subtitle translation on the Internet, how to deal with subtitle translation with appropriate techniques is still a subject worth exploring.This thesis studies the subtitle translation techniques of American TV Dramas based on the translation project of True Detective. On the basis of a detailed introduction to the background and process of the translation project, the author analyzes the features of subtitles and discusses some corresponding translation principles which served as guidelines during the translation process. Meanwhile, different kinds of problems encountered during the translation are listed and many translation techniques are summarized in this paper to serve as solutions to the translation obstacles caused by language and culture.Through the study of this translation project, the author has got some findings. First of all, audiovisual subtitles, different from other kinds of translation materials, bear their own features and characteristics which require the translators to follow the translation principles of being accurate, concise and colloquial. In addition, among all the translation techniques, free translation is most frequently employed to solve the problems encountered during subtitle translation. As a free and flexible approach, free translation becomes the top priority because it is not restricted by the language structure and cultural difference of the source language. Last but not least, an internet subtitle translator should always bear in mind the cultural difference between China and the western world. Besides, having a good command of Chinese language is also needed for a subtitle translator in order to present the high-quality subtitle translation for the Chinese audiences.Through the tentative discussion and study of subtitle translation, the author hopes that all the findings will be helpful for the future subtitle translation. The translation principles and practical techniques employed in the translation can be a reference for subtitle translators. The author also looks forward to engaging more and more experts and scholars in this field for a better improvement on the quality of subtitle translation and a joint contribution to the promotion of cross-cultural exchange.