A Study Of The Subtitle Translation Of The TV Series Shake It Up Chicago!: From The Perspective Of Verschuren’s Adaptation Theory

With the continuous development of globalization and the deepening of China’s reform and opening-up, foreign films and TV series, as a reflection of culture, are constantly coming into the Chinese market. As a special style of translation, subtitle translation becomes the carrier of such cross-cultural communications. Under the circumstances, the study of subtitle translation has attracted the attention of a growing number of experts, and scholars. Even some audience cannot help but feel curious about the translation of subtitles. Despite the recent progress of subtitle translation in China, the academic circle cannot offer a systematic and theoretical framework for the research in this field. It is fair to say that to some extent, this situation negatively affected the development of the entire film-television industry in China and impeded the research and appreciation of audio-visual translations.Early studies on subtitle translation originated in the West. As early as1950, many scholars and experts have expressed their opinions on the strategies and quality issues of subtitle translation. From then on, more and more scholars devoted themselves to the study of subtitle translation and the research topics started to include aspects, such as the standards and limitations of subtitle translation. Compared with the situation of the western countries, there exist many limitations and shortcomings in China’s current research. For instance, some studies are merely conclusions based on the experience of subtitle translators and their suggestions; others are limited on a single perspective. Therefore, this thesis is intended to adopt Verschueren’s Theory of Linguistic Adaptation as a theoretical framework and make a tentative research on the translation of subtitles in the hope of providing suggestions for subtitle translators and amateurs. The data analyzed in the thesis is selected from the American sitcom "Shake It Up, Chicago!", a production of the Disney Channel.Verschueren’s Theory of Linguistic Adaptation indicates that language users are constantly making choices in different contexts so as to satisfy the needs of the current communication. The choices of language users are based on the three properties of the language, namely variability, negotiability and adaptability. The use of language is a dynamic adaptation to structures and context of the language. On the basis of this premise, the author proposes that the subtitle translator also needs to make constant choices in the process of translation, so as to complete the conversation. As a result, the thesis puts forward the notion that in order to produce a better translation, the translator should be aware of the important role that the Theory of Linguistic Adaptation plays in the process of subtitle translation. To prove the above mentioned statement, the author has selected data from subtitles translated by Deefun Subtitle Studio and analyzed the texts to further elaborate on the guiding influences of Verschueren’s Theory of Linguistic Adaptation on subtitle translation.The thesis consists of five chapters, including Chapter Ⅰ, the introductory chapter, Chapter Ⅱ, literature review of subtitle translation, Chapter Ⅲ, theoretical framework, Chapter Ⅳ, application of linguistic adaptation theory to subtitle translation and Chapter Ⅴ, summary. During the data analyze section, the author put forward some commonly used translation strategies and influential factors. The author then comes to the conclusion that Verschueren’s Theory of Linguistic Adaptation can serve as an effective theoretical framework, providing guidance for the translation of subtitles. At the same time, by summarizing translation strategies and analyzing influential factors, the author hopes to offer valuable suggestions for subtitle translators and help to erase linguistic and cultural barriers of the target audience.