A Functionalist Approach To The Subtitle Translation Of Curse Of The Golden Flower

In the light of functionalism, especially in terms of Skopostheorie and theory of translational action, this thesis conducts a descriptive analysis of the crucial elements influencing the strategies of subtitle translation to point out the possibility of applying the functionalist theory to guide subtitle translation practice. The present research is conducted in three interactive aspects in a functionalist approach.1. In the framework of Skopostheorie, subtitle translation is a purposeful activity and the skopos (purpose) of the translational action is the prime principle that determines the translation process. The basic purpose of subtitling is, with the constraints of time and space and in line with the intention and the assumption of the director and the producer, to convey the most relevant information to the audience in a specific culture. In terms of Skopos rule, each film is produced for a given purpose, which leads to the particular strategies of subtitle translation. The evaluation of the translation is also determined by the degree of adequacy to which the translation fulfills its skopos.2. According to theory of translational action, subtitle translation is also regarded as an interpersonal interaction, rather than an action solely decided by the subtitler. This thesis summarizes the different roles in subtitle translating and focuses on the vital ones played by the initiator and the commissioner, that is, the producer and the director of the film, whose intentions influence the translation skopos of the film as well as the strategies adopted by the subtitler.3. This thesis is also done in a cultural-oriented perspective to analyze the subtitle translation of Curse of the Golden Flower since the nature of translation, viewed by the functionalist theorists, as a cross-cultural communicative event. The producer's and the director's intention of delivering Chinese culture to the majority of the English-speaking audience, namely popularization contributes tothe major part of translation brief. Accordingly, seven strategies, like substitution,reduction, domestication, expansion and so on are adopted to keep the intratextualcoherence of the subtitles, which helps to improve the legibility and connectivity.To sum up, the ultimate goal of translation is to promote cross-culturalexchange—a long, evolutionary process. In each exchange event of this process,therefore, none of the translating strategies can go it alone. For subtitle translation, interms of the functionalist theory, an optimal balance should be established amongdifferent translation strategies and methods depending on the correspondingtranslation skopos and translation brief, which greatly influences the success of thetask.