A Study Of Film Title Translation From The Perspective Of Reception Theory

Film title translation is important and creative work. An excellent translated version may play an important role in introducing a new film and contribute a lot to the box-office sale of a new film. In the past two or three decades, film translation has been developing quickly. However, as a special and significant part of translation, film title translation is a far less explored field. Few monographs at home and abroad have discussed this topic. Nevertheless, up to now no one has offered a systematic and feasible principle to pilot film title translation. Reception theory, a newly developed discipline, offers us a new perspective of the relationship between a film and its audience. In recent years, with the rise of readers'reception theory, readers'role in translation study and practice has been changed from passive receptors to the active receiver, even the judges for the quality of translation works. That is to say, a translator should give priority to the receptivity of the audience and bear the implied audience in mind and take them into full consideration whenever he starts creating works. This thesis focuses on studying the film title translation from the perspective of reception theory, with a purpose to explore a systematic and feasible principle to pilot film title translation, which helps the unity of film title translation in Mainland, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.With the guidance of reader's reception theory, this thesis employs a qualitative research to study film title translation. Through analyzing the application of reception theory in film title translation, this thesis attempts to explore a new perspective of the relationship between film and its audience.The appearance of reception theory overthrows the traditional translation theories and marks a transition of the concern from the author and the text to the relationship between the text and the reader.