Higher Education of Chu Hai College
English Department
ENG268B Introduction to Translation II Michelle, Yip Yuen Man èÂÂå©ÂæÂÂ
Translation Essay : Question 2 201212203H
Q.2 In translating for subtitling, what are the main consideration guiding the translator in the choice of translation strategies?
Under the influence of globalization and the rapid internet flow, many people can enjoy the Korean drama 'My Love from the Star', Taiwan drama or the famous western movie, like 'Gravity'. The audience needs the subtitle with their original language to understand what the foreign actor or actress said, and the further development of the story.
Subtitling may be defined as a translation practice that consists of presenting a written text. Generally, it always appears in the film, movie, soap opera, and any video. They are usually displayed at the bottom of the screen and the textual versions of the dialogue. Most importantly, subtitle is additive, immediate, synchronous and poly-media.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (soundtrack)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (comics)Before translating the subtitle, every translator should understand the aim of subtitle translation and the time and space limitation. In this article, I will find out how Eugene Nida's theory of functional equivalence can help in subtitle translation.
Aim of subtitle translation
As we know, majority of audience always focus on the performances, facial expressions and action of the characters. But, if it is the foreign drama, the clumsy and difficult subtitle will affect the comprehension of the film. Therefore, every translator should consider the audience's language level, sentence structure, and social culture.
The ultimate goal of subtitle translation is to help the audience to understand the content of drama or film and the message or meaning of it without the difference of language and culture. Every sentence or lexical of subtitle in one scene should be short, clear and readable and...