In recent years, more and more Chinese films have been exported abroad. This thesis intends to explore the subtitling of Chinese cinema into English, with Zhang Yimou’s films as a case study. Zhang Yimou is arguably the most critically and internationally acclaimed Chinese filmmaker, who has experimented with a variety of genres of films. I argue that in the subtitling of his films, there is an obvious adoption of the domestication translation strategy that reduces or even omits Chinese cultural references. I try to discover what cultural categories or perspectives of China are prone to the domestication of translation and have formulated five categories: humour, politeness, dialect, history and songs and the Peking Opera. My methodology is that I compare the source Chinese dialogue lines with the existing English subtitles by providing literal translations of the source lines, and I will also give my alternative translations that tend to retain the source cultural references better. I also speculate that the domestication strategy is frequently employed by subtitlers possibly because the subtitlers assume the source cultural references are difficult for target language subtitle readers to comprehend, even if they are translated into a target language. However, subtitle readers are very likely to understand more than what the dialogue lines and the target language subtitles express, because films are multimodal entities and verbal information is not the only source of information for subtitle readers. The image and the sound are also significant sources of information for subtitle readers who are constantly involved in a dynamic film-watching experience. They are also expected to grasp visual and acoustic information. The complete omission or domestication of source cultural references might also affect their interpretation of the non-verbal cues. I also contemplate that the translation, which frequently domesticates the source culture carried out by a translator who is also a native speaker of the source language, is ‘submissive translation’.
Table of Contents
Chapter One Introduction
Chapter Two Literature Review
Chapter Three Subtitling Humour: The English version of A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop (Zhang Yimou, 2009)
Chapter Four Politeness in Subtitling: To Retain or Not to
Chapter Five Dialect in Subtitling: The Flowers of War (Zhang Yimou, 2011)
Chapter Six Historical Subtitling: Archaisms and the Unstable Decades of Contemporary China
Chapter Seven The Subtitling of Songs and the Peking Opera in Zhang Yimou’s Films
Chapter Eight Conclusion
Research Objective and Core Themes
This thesis explores the subtitling of Chinese cinema into English, utilizing Zhang Yimou’s films as a primary case study to investigate how cultural references are handled. It argues that a prevalent "domestication" strategy often reduces or omits essential cultural nuances, and proposes a more balanced, neutral approach that respects both the source culture and the target language reader.
- The impact of translation strategies (domestication vs. foreignization) on Chinese film subtitling.
- Categorization of cultural elements prone to omission, including humour, politeness, dialect, history, and musical performances.
- The multimodal nature of film subtitling and the role of non-verbal cues (visuals/sound) in bridging cultural gaps.
- The critical importance of "cultural confidence" and respectful translation practices for international distribution.
Excerpt from the Book
The significant debates
The translation of the pair in Kung Fu Hustle did not initially draw my attention to film subtitling, but very well revealed to me an intricacy that the optimal translation seems to be non-existent. As a translator myself, I am apt to try to understand film subtitle translation from a translator’s point of view and from a translation studies perspective. Also, because of my particular research background in the English language and translation studies, this thesis will frequently involve theories from translation studies, but I will attempt to contemplate subtitle translation within film studies as much as I can. Another fact that contributes to the preliminary idea of the current thesis is the fairly scanty research on the subtitling of Chinese films into English. The release of a Hollywood blockbuster in Chinese cinemas is invariably followed by multiple journal articles analysing the subtitling of that film, which reflects Chinese scholars’ enthusiasm. They are apt to criticise the over-reduction of English-speaking culture-bound expressions, sayings and renditions that seem to be orientated to Chinese popular culture (Meng, 2012; Wang and Wang, 2013). And yet, there appears to be less concern about how Chinese films are translated for international distribution. More recently, some Chinese scholars have started to pay more attention to the subtitling of Chinese films into English. Even if some scholars lay their eyes on Chinese-into-English subtitling, their attitude is somewhat dubious to me. They more often than not support or affirm the names, culture-related expressions, phrases and other terms in Chinese being rendered into English cultural-bound expressions, or simply being omitted (Tian, 2006; Ji and Song, 2007; Ji, 2007). They rarely question the strategies the subtitlers have opted.
Summary of Chapters
Chapter One Introduction: Outlines the research focus on subtitling Chinese cinema into English, highlighting the prevalence of domestication and the need for a semiotic, multimodal approach to translation.
Chapter Two Literature Review: Examines the development of "New Chinese Cinema" and the Fifth Generation filmmakers, while exploring scholarly debates on cultural translation and the reception of Chinese films in the West.
Chapter Three Subtitling Humour: The English version of A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop (Zhang Yimou, 2009): Analyzes how humor and culture-specific references are often lost through domesticating translation strategies and advocates for better retention of these elements.
Chapter Four Politeness in Subtitling: To Retain or Not to: Investigates the treatment of Chinese address terms and self-denigration as politeness strategies across four of Zhang Yimou’s films, highlighting the tendency to simplify or domesticate these complex social markers.
Chapter Five Dialect in Subtitling: The Flowers of War (Zhang Yimou, 2011): Focuses on the challenges of translating the Nanjing dialect and demonstrates how standardisation strategies can effectively erase regional identity.
Chapter Six Historical Subtitling: Archaisms and the Unstable Decades of Contemporary China: Explores the translation of archaic terms and history-bound vocabulary from the Cultural Revolution, discussing how simplification can mask political and social contexts.
Chapter Seven The Subtitling of Songs and the Peking Opera in Zhang Yimou’s Films: Discusses the significance of musical elements in Zhang Yimou’s films and criticizes the frequent omission of song lyrics in English subtitles.
Chapter Eight Conclusion: Synthesizes the findings, confirming that while domestication is common, it often leads to unnecessary loss of cultural information, and reiterates the need for more respectful and accurate translation practices.
Keywords
Subtitling, Chinese Cinema, Zhang Yimou, Domestication, Foreignization, Cultural Translation, Multimodality, Humour, Politeness, Dialect, Archaisms, Cultural Confidence, Submissive Translation, Film Studies, Translation Studies
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this thesis?
The thesis fundamentally investigates the strategies used in subtitling Chinese films into English, specifically analyzing the frequent, and often unnecessary, use of "domestication" which obscures original cultural references.
What are the central themes discussed?
The work focuses on humor, linguistic politeness, regional dialects, historical archaisms, and the role of music/opera within the films of Zhang Yimou.
What is the primary research question?
The research asks what categories of source cultural specifics are lost in translation, how their essence can be better retained, and how these elements correlate with visual and acoustic information to affect the viewer's interpretation.
Which methodologies are employed?
The author adopts a combined methodology utilizing theories from film studies, translation studies, and specific Chinese cultural studies to provide a semiotic and dynamic analysis of film subtitles.
What does the main body cover?
The main body consists of five case-study chapters, each dedicated to a specific cultural domain—humor, politeness, dialect, history, and music—analyzing specific examples from Zhang Yimou's filmography.
How would you characterize the keywords?
The keywords center on the intersection of translation theory and film studies, emphasizing the specific cultural challenges presented by Chinese cinematic language and its adaptation for international audiences.
What is the author's argument regarding "submissive translation"?
The author defines "submissive translation" as a strategy where a source-language speaker domesticates content to court target-culture expectations, often born out of a perceived lack of cultural confidence.
How does the role of the translator-editor (Zhang Mo) complicate the study?
As the daughter of the filmmaker and the subtitler/editor of several of his recent films, her dual role makes it difficult to distinguish between translation choices made for audience accessibility versus intentional editorial decisions by the production team.
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- Yilei Yuan (Autor:in), 2016, Subtitling Chinese Cinema: A Case Study of Zhang Yimou's Films, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/974177
