An Adaptation-theoretical Study Of The Chinese Translation Of English Film Titles

As an important media for cultural change, film begins to attract every nation's attention and thus plays an important role in the cultural exchange. Therefore, film translation is regarded as an important means of bringing in the foreign culture as well as spreading the native one. Film title translation is an important part of film translation. Although many researchers have made explorations, some of which are useful, however, the study of film title translation is far from perfect and no complete and satisfactory theory has been proposed to guide this phenomenon. This thesis is intended to make a tentative study of English-Chinese film title translation under the framework of Adaptation Theory in order to establish a workable model which can guide the practice of film title translation.Verschueren's Adaptation Theory is a new-born but more encompassing theory. Verschueren proposes that using language must consist of the continuous making of linguistic choices.The reason why human beings can make choices in the process of language is that language has three hierarchically related properties: variability, negotiability and adaptability.The present thesis begins with the sources, features and functions of film titles and revisits film title translation from a pragmatic perspective of adaptation. The present author intends to reveal how, based on this theoretical framework, different factors in the translation process play their roles in film title translation.