Abstract

As foreign movies become increasingly popular among Chinese audience, the translation of movie subtitles has attracted stronger curiosity and attention from movies viewers, English learners and translation researchers. As an emerging field of translation, subtitle translation has its own characteristics and requirements. With examples of the subtitle translation of Pride and Prejudice’s in China and taking into account the characteristics of subtitle translation, this paper probes into the applicability of the criteria of "faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance" by Yan Fu to the translation of subtitles. Pride and Prejudice’s English lines are very simple and easy to understand.  From target viewers' point of view and according to Yan Fu's theory of "Faithfulness, expressiveness, elegance" , the translator adopts addition, omission, literal translation, meaning translation and domestication to translate and tries to use the natural language and expressions to translate the original text so as to enable the target viewers to understand and accept subtitle translation better. It holds that "faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance" could be the criteria for the translation of movies subtitles.

Keywords: faithfulness, expressiveness, elegance; subtitle translation; Pride and Prejudice’s

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction-1

1.1 Background of the Study-1

1.2 The purpose and significance of the Thesis-1

2. Brief survey to translation in Film’s subtitles-2

2.1 Features of Film’s Subtitles Translation-3

2.2 Functions of Film’s Subtitles Translation-3

3.Introduction to Yan Fu ＇s Three-Word Translation Theory-4

3.1 Definition of “Faithfulness” -4

3.2 Definition of “Expressiveness” -5

3.3 Definition of “Elegance” -5

4. Application of Yan Fu＇s Three-word Translation Theory in Translation of the Movie--Pride and Prejudice’s subtitle-6

4.1 Brief Introduction to the Film Pride and Prejudice-6

4.2 Introduction to the application of Yan Fu＇s Three-word Translation Theory in subtitle Translation.-7

4.3Translation Skills in the movie --Pride and Prejudice’s subtitle from Yan Fu＇s Three-Word Theory-7

4.3.1 Skills in “Faithful” Translation-8

4.3.1.1 Choice of Equivalent Meaning-9

4.3.1.2 Addition and Omission of the Original Meaning-9

4.3.2 Skills in “Expressive” Translation-10

4.3.2.1 Literal Translation and Free Translation.-10

4.3.2.2 Restructuring of the Original Text.-11

4.3.3 Skills in “Elegance” Translation-12

5. Conclusion-13

6. Works Cited-14