A Study of Cultural Default Words in Chinese-English Subtitle Translation

By Wang Jiaqi

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

For the Degree of Bachelor of Arts

Department of English

College of Liberal Arts

Nanjing University of Information Science amp; Technology

May,2018

Acknowledgements

I have benefited a lot from so many people during the completion of my paper. The thesis would not have completed successfully without their help.

To begin with, my sincere gratitude and appreciation to my supervisor, Mrs. Pan Min. Her constant encouragement and guidance make my paper get better and better. With the instructive suggestions and help from Mrs.Pan, this paper could have reached the present form.

What’s more, I also owe a special debt of gratitude to all the teachers in College of Liberal Arts, because I have benefited a lot from their devoted teaching and academically prepared for the thesis.

Finally, I feel thankful to my dear parents. They are the main props of me. And I will remember their loving considerations and caring in me forever. I also want to pay my sincere thanks to my friends and my fellow classmates. During the most difficult course of the thesis, it is my friends and classmates who gave me their genuine assistance and time in listening to me and helping me solve my problems.

A Study of Cultural Default Words in Chinese-English Subtitle Translation

Wang Jiaqi

Department of English

College of Liberal Arts

Nanjing University of Information Science amp; Technology

Abstract: With the rapid development of cross-cultural communication, Chinese film and television industry not only expects to occupy more share in the global market, but also undertakes the significant mission of promoting Chinese culture. In addition to dubbing, subtitles are also the most important means of communication which enable foreign audiences to watch Chinese TV dramas and learn more about Chinese culture. While the cultural default is the biggest problem for the target language audiences to understand and enjoy the TV programs.

The thesis takes the subtitle translation of Nirvana in Fire as the examples of the research, adopting the methods of description and exemplification to explain the phenomenon of cultural defaults and explore its compensation strategies. And this thesis is written to call more attention to Chinese-English subtitle translation, to improve the quality of subtitle translation of Chinese TV programs. And in this way, we can spread Chinese culture widely and make more contributions to cultural exchange.

Keywords: subtitle translation, cultural default, Chinese-English differences, Nirvana in Fire

摘 要

在跨文化交流日益发展的今天，中国影视不仅期望在全球市场占得一席之地，同时也承担着向外国观众展示中国文化的重要使命。配音能够让外国观众更好地观赏中国影视剧，除此之外字幕也是让他们了解中国文化的极为重要的沟通手段。但是影视作品中的文化缺省却会给外国观众们造成理解上的问题。

本文以《琅琊榜》中的字幕翻译为研究实例，采用描写和例证的方法，对文化缺省现象进行了阐释，同时提出了相应的补偿策略。本文的目的是为了呼吁并引起更多人对汉英字幕翻译的关注，以提高中国电视节目字幕翻译的质量。这样我们才能更好的宣扬中国文化，促进文化交流。

关键词：字幕翻译，文化缺省，汉英差异，《琅琊榜》

Contents

1. Brief Introduction to Nirvana in Fire 1

2. Subtitle Translation 1

2.1 Introduction to Subtitle Translation 1

2.2 Definition of Subtitle Translation 2

2.3 Limitation of subtitle translation 2

3. Cultural Default 4

3.1 Definition 4

3.2 Influencing Factors of Cultural Default 5

3.2.1 Mode of Thinking 5

3.2.2 Value System 6

3.2.3 Religious Belief 7

3.2.4 Customs and Habits 7

3.3 The Effect of Cultural Default on Subtitle Translation of Film and TV Plays 8

4. Translation Strategies of Cultural Default 10

4.1 Transliteration 10

4.3 Replacement 11

4.4 Generalization 12

5. Conclusion 13

References 14

Brief Introduction to Nirvana in Fire

In 2015, a Chinese ancient costume series, Nirvana in Fire, kindled the enthusiasm of the US subtitle fans for the Chinese costume drama again. Since the storyline is to rehabilitate grievances, support the enlightened ruler and create a prosperous history, American fans regard it as the Chinese version of The Count of Monte Cristo. Then the title of this series was changed from The Rankings of Langya to the Nirvana in Fire, which means reborn of fire and nirvana.

The feudal Southern Liang is one of the vassal states of 4th-century China, and a war breaks out between the Northern Wei and Southern Liang dynasties. Lin Xie, the General of Liang takes his only son Lin Shu, into battle. And they successfully conquer the hostile Wei army. But the most fatal attack comes from a political rival of General Lin Xie, it causes the deaths of 70,000 Chiyan army soldiers. In the end, only Lin Shu can escape with the hope of a loyal subordinate. And 12 years later, Lin Shu becomes the Chief of the Jiangzuo Alliance and attracts many talents. Then he returns to the capital for revenge.

Subtitle Translation

2.1 Introduction to Subtitle Translation

As a part of art, audiovisual product is also one of the most influential mediums. The rapid development of mass media makes the communication of cultures from various countries much easier and more diversified. As a result, subtitle translation is becoming more and more important. Western theoretical research on subtitle translation has been carried out extensively and deeply. In contrast, the study of film and television translation in China started relatively late and lagged.

Subtitle translation is a new branch of literary translation, at the same time, it has the prominent characteristics that differ it from other literary translation. And the process of translation is restricted by many aspects which make it more difficult for the subtitle translator. In addition, there are a lot of cultural default phenomena in subtitle translation.

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