A Study Of Humor Subtitle Translation In Friends Under Relevance Theory

Research on subtitling gradually emerging as a new discipline, has drawn more attention than ever owing to the increased popularity of subtitled films. Subtitles of good quality not only can help audiences overcome language barriers for better appreciation of foreign films but also are conducive to getting a better knowledge of the customs and cultures of other countries. Recent years have witnessed a great deal of research on translation strategies and methods of subtitles, yet much of this research lacks theoretical support. By examining humor subtitle in the American sitcom Friends and humorous effects achieved -in the target culture, this thesis attempts to analyze the translation strategies and methods applied in the process using Relevance Theory as the framework for analysis in order to shed light on subtitle translation.Combining with the special features of subtitle translation that it has time and space constraints as well as audio and visual information supplements, this paper adopts theoretical analysis as its main method and employs Relevance Theory as its principle in discussing a set of examples extracted from Friends to study the application and effects of different translation strategies and methods such as Foreignization and Domestication, Addition and Condensation, Recreation and Annotation in humor translation. It proves the explanatory power of Relevance Theory in sitcom humor translation.