A Relevance Theoretical Approach To The Translation Of Film And TV Play Subtitles

Film and TV plays (FT) are an important channel for people to get entertainment and information. Due to the art form of FT, the translation of film and TV play subtitles (TFTS) has its own principle and requirements. This thesis is an attempt to study TFTS from the perspective of Relevance Theory (RT). Through a descriptive analysis of TFTS, it seeks to deduce the principle, requirements and practical methods of TFTS, so as to provide some theoretical and methodological reference for TFTS.The thesis is composed of an introduction, four chapters, and a conclusion.The Introduction presents the research background, research objective, theoretical framework and the general structure of this thesis.Chapter One gives a survey of the past studies on TFTS.Chapter Two examines the specific features and technical constraints on TFTS, and comes to the conclusion that the basic principle of economy should be followed and the four requirements of situationalization, characterization, colloquialization and correspondence met in TFTS.Chapter Three first introduces Sperber and Wilson's relevance theory and Gutt's translation theory, and then analyzes TFTS with relevance to RT. It argues that the principle of economy in TFTS should be carried out under the guidance of the principle of relevance with the ultimate goal of creating optimal relevance for the target audience.Chapter Four proposes several methods of TFTS including condensation, brief explanation, omission, addition and reshuffling of explicature and implicature, emphasizing the use of whatever method should be in accordance with the principle of relevance.The Conclusion summarizes the whole thesis and restates the proposition that the principle of relevance should be followed in TFTS.