An Analysis Of Subtitle Translation Of Kung Fu Panda From The Perspective Of Translator's Subjectivity

Audiovisual translation is a new area which attracts increasing attention in translation studies in recent years.Being an important form of screen translation,subtitling is irreplaceable in cultural transmission.While during such process,the translator is a significant participant in national culture construction and the subject of translation.However,the translator's subjectivity and status are ignored for a long time,and the cultural status is marginalized.Along with the “cultural turn” in translation studies,research on subject of translation is given gradual attention.Domestic and foreign studies on translator's subjectivity construct the theoretical basis for this paper.Translator's subjectivity refers to the subjective initiative shown by the translator who is the subject of translation during the entire process of translation activity under the premise of respecting the objective translation environment.Its features include the translator's cultural consciousness,manipulation of language and aesthetic creation.During the process of translation,the translator shall initiatively promote communication between different cultures,introduce the foreign culture while pursue a deeper understanding of the native culture.In case study,this paper selects a movie series of Kung Fu Panda produced by DreamWorks Animation and received worldwide appraisal since its release.This paper analyzes subtitling in the films from cultural elements,vocabulary and context,explores English and Chinese cultural images appeared in the films,and discusses the rendering of character names,kung fu holds,places,food,monologues and dialogues,etc.Through such analysis,translator's subjectivity in subtitle translation is elucidated from translation purpose,the translator's understanding of the source text and manipulation of language,aesthetic creation and re-creation of the source text,as well as cultural consciousness and background.Moreover,the translator's subjectivity shown in subtitle translation is constrained by various factors,such as the requirements of movie sponsor or organizer of the translation activity.It is concluded that the translator's manipulation of cultural factors in the source and target language helps produce desirable translation which tend to be well received among the target audience.Regarding the theoretical significance,this paper provides a new angle for studies on subtitle translation: analyzing translated text from the perspective of translator's subjectivity;as for practical significance,it assists the translator in handling the source text and weighing various influencing factors,and helps film companies in choosing appropriate subtitle translators of specific movies.