师范英语-关于奥斯卡最佳影片奖片名的翻译-毕业设计(论文).doc

On the Translation of English Movies’ Titles

Author: Zhang Juan
Supervisor: Wang Yueli

A Thesis
Submitted as a Partial Fulfillment of
the Requirement for the Degree of B.A in English

College of Information Engineering
Fuyang Teachers College, Anhui Province

March, 2009

学位论文

关于奥斯卡最佳影片奖片名的翻译

章娟
（200822010627）

指导教师姓名 职称
单 位 阜阳师范学院信息工程学院
专业名称 师范英语 申请学位级别 学士
学位授予单位 阜 阳 师 范 学 院

2009年 3 月

On the Translation of Oscar Best Films’ Titles

【Abstract】Foreign films, which embody various kinds of foreign cultural elements, make possible cultural exchange via the visual language. Film title invariably brings out the theme of the film and usually conjures up a specific image pertaining to the film and leaves a first impression on the audience. This thesis attempts to present a tentative panorama of the translation of titles of Oscar Best Picture winners by analyzing the possibilities and limitations of film title translation, as well as the translation methods adopted, such as semantic translation communicative translation and transliteration, the underlying translation principles and the effects achieved. The translation of titles of Oscar Best Picture winners, which is most typical of title translation of English films, may be supposed to shed a flood of light on the issue of film title translation. However, this thesis aims to be provocative rather than prescriptive and by no means to set rigid and solid standards exclusive with film title translation. Hence, film title translation is observed and examined from such perspectives as translation adequacy, intertextual translation and translator’s visibility. It is claimed that, from some perspective, film title translation quality may be in direct and perfect proportion to the visibility of the translator.

【Key Words】Film Titles; Translation Adequacy; Intertextual Translation; Translation Quality; Translator’s Visibility   

I. Introduction
Foreign films are, in a way, a form of cultural exchange via the visual language. However, the film dialogues in the source language seem to cause an insurmountable hindrance to the target audience’s understanding of the film. This makes either dubbing or subtitling necessary to ensure full understanding on the part of the target audience. However, the translation of film titles is a peculiar part of film translation.
Film title shows the important touch that brings the specific work of film art to life and leaves a first impression on the audience. As the saying goes, first impressions are half the battle. To win immediate acceptability, intelligibility and even popularity of the film, it is essential to make sure that the translation of a foreign film title creates an image of evocative power in the minds of the target audience just as the film title does when it crosses the minds of the audience speaking the source language.
Granted the Academy Awards for their excellence in film production, Oscar Best Picture Winners can also be seen as an epitome of American cultures and are thus introduced into China as a medium of cultural exchange. Hence, the translations of their titles play an important role in cultural exchange and produce far-reaching effects upon the Chinese audience as film title mirrors the soul of the film.
This thesis attempts to present a tentative panorama of the translation of titles of Oscar Best Picture winners by analyzing the possibilities and limitations of film title translation, as well as the translation methods adopted, the underlying translation principles and the effects achieved. For the sake of convenience, the first film granted the Academy Award of Best Picture in the year of 1929 will be referred to as Film 1, the second in the year of 1930 Film 2, and so on and so forth. This thesis, dealing with film title translation in terms of translation adequacy, translation intertextuality and translator’s visibility, aims to be provocative rather than prescriptive and by no means to set rigid and solid standards exclusive with film title translation.

II. Features of Oscar Best Films’ Titles
If the film is the comprehensive body between art and business value, then the title of the film is the expression of this comprehensive body. In the rich and colorful entertainment industry, the film wants to attract customers away from TV, online games and other entertainment media Body and get into the cinema; the most important thing is the name of the film. Throughout 81st Oscar best film titles, which mainly have three characteristics: Being concise and brief, being popular, and being brilliant
A. Being concise and brief
Because of the movie screen dimensional limitation, movie titles are often highly mention refined. They will concentrate the movie content; which often use the concise language, and it generally consist of three English words. For example, "Sunrise" "Hamlet" "Casa- Blanca "" Titanic" "Grand Hotel" "The Godfather" "The A- Partment ""Slumdog Millionaire". Among the 82 department of the award winning film, 65 Film title for three or the following English words composition, occupy 80%, and the longest movie titles only has 10 words, namely "The Lord of The Rings: the Return of the King
B. Being popular
The movie is a kind of mass media, which is for ordinary people entertainment, and appreciation. The Art is not for a few experts and scholars to do academic research, so it should avoid obscure words, difficulty words, uncommon word, or professional strong terms, but use Easy words for understanding, otherwise it will not be popular and fast Spread among the general public widely. It is the award winning film following the principle. For example, "Winds" "All Quiet on the Western Front" and "Going My Way" Gone “With the Wind "" the Lost Weekend" "American Beauty" "My Fair Lady" "Million Dollar Baby
.C. Being brilliant
The movie is a kind of business behavior, so it must pay attention to the box office value, otherwise it can't live and develop. But on the box office success, the title must have such a great attraction that draw the audience attention so as to stimulate the tickets desire to get into the cinema ,i.e. it is the brilliant, thought-provoking draw the audience's eye, which is the biggest characteristic of film titles and is also available high magic weapon of the box office. For example, "It Happened One Night (a breeze Flow) ", It is what happened in the night mainly attract many viewers to get into the cinema. Be like again, "Slumdog Millionaire (slums the millionaire) ", slums is the poor man's residence, how can appear a rich Wong? People's curiosity is stimulated; so they want to get into the cinema figuring out.
III. Methods of the Translation of Oscar Best Films’ Titles
On the 81 Oscar for best film, we find that the Chinese title Translation methods of three kinds: literal translation, free translation, transliteration. Specific see table 1:
Translation methods
literal translation
Liberal translation
Transliteration
Movie number
30
45
7
Proportion
55%
37%
8%
,

A. Literal translation
As for the definition of the literal translation, it has always been controversial. It is the common belief that the form and content are consistent with the original is defined as the literal translation. Literal translation is keep the the basic form and content unchanged .At the same time, the requirement of the language is easy to understand. The emphasis of literal translation is "Like", claiming that the original content of the original text according to form (including word order, language Sequence, mood, structure, the rhetoric method, etc) expressed in the target language.
For the literal translation of the English films, it is according to the characteristics of English and Chinese, the maximum retain the content and form of English title. The advantages of literal translation are: on the basis of the absorption of the useful new factors and reflecting the objective existence of the things and exotic emotional appeal, it can further avoid the interference of objective factors. When in the expression form without the other monarch it can also achieve grounds faithful to the original text content, the translator naturally adopt the literal translation.
Language is a social phenomenon, is the carrier of culture and an important component part Points. There are many differences between Western and Chinese language and culture, but we still can find the great similarities. In addition, title literal translation can keep the movie "the truth" the original wind ". This is from another side to explain why translators often choose literal translation. In 82 the best picture, there are 30 film title literal translation, accounted for 37%. In the actual film translation, some title sequence in both Chinese and English are equal to each other almost completely .which can use completely one-to-one translation .For example, the film "Sunrise" "Grand Hotel" "The Godfather" "The Lost Weekend" "A- American Beauty "and" The Last Emperor "" Million Dollar Ba- By ", respectively for 《日出》《大饭店》《教父》《失去的周末》《美国丽人》《末代皇帝》《百万宝贝》". And some titles, English and Chinese word order not consistent, translation will Shall be in accordance with the Chinese characteristics, change the sequence of English, but in general it is still with English Form is consistent. For example, the film "The Life of Emile Zola" "The Sound of Music "and" The Silence of Lambs ", respectively for 《埃米尔·左拉传》《音乐之声》《沉默的羔羊》".
B. Liberal translation
The so-called free translation (liberal translation), "is mainly refers to catch the important aspect of content and metaphor meaning, sacrifice image, combined with the context to convey the original intention flexibility". That is, the language of the translated text perfectly follows the principle of the original language, and without considers the expression form of the original language, but also be faithful to the original meaning. There are similar points between English and Chinese language, after, but the differences between Chinese and western in social development, education background, aesthetic value, customs, legal method rules and ethics are so common that we can’t direct translate in most situation. If we literal translate stubbornly, it may lose the essence of the original title at lest, or it makes audience bewildered. In this case, we can only do “the injury Form, the god "and carry on the free translation. For example, if the film "Gone with the Wind "literal translated into the《随风逝去》, it will have no lasting appeal, but also can't reflect the original colorful connotation. While , if free translated into the《乱世佳人》, it's a feeling of lasting appeal, and also reflect the warring era appropriately, and the hero fight with the fate helplessly. Be like again, according to Canadian writer mike Er · wong (Michael Ondaatje) of the best-selling novel of the same name and into "The English Patient", which tells during the world war II era, the actor and the actress go across a moral boundary and an romantic beautiful love story. Novel honor In UK booker prize for literature. In the international reputation, retaining the original item is very attractive to Europe audience. And the Chinese audience knew very little about the novel, if literal translated into "English patient", instead seeming trite, so the other translator translated into《英伦情人》, it not only the poetic flavor is abundant, and tightly abide the film touching the love theme. In addition, the film "All Quiet on the Western Front" "Hamlet" "It Happened One Night" "All About Eve" "One Flew Over the Cuckoo 's Nest "" the Apartment “translated into《西线无战事》《王子复仇记》《一夜风流》《彗星美人》《飞越疯人院》《公寓春光》respectively.
C. Transliteration
The so-called transliteration (transliteration), according to the source language pronunciation rules, directly translated into the target language and the same or similar words pronunciation language. This is the simplest and the most convenient translation method, and it also one of the most commonly method. If the Title for related people's names, places are familiar to audience, or has the important historical significance, it should be transliteration. The advantage of transliteration is to keep the original title of rhythm, and be appeal to a wider audience with its strong characteristic of different region. The film "Bin-Hur" "Tom Jones" "Gandhi" "Titanic", which in turn for《宾虚》《汤姆琼斯》《甘地》《泰坦尼克》.
D .Other methods
An effective way of contrasting film title translation with other types of translation involves emphasizing the distinctive features of film title, the linearity of the film content and the multi-linear potential of the translation of the film title in question. In so far as film title translation is concerned, translation may be dealt with in terms of translation adequacy, which can be classified into the following three divisions, though this might be an incomplete reflection on inconclusive grounds. Another property of film title translation to ensure functional adequacy is intelligibility, which means making the title translation be immediately acknowledged by the audience at first sight. The addition of some word(s) into the title translation may go a long way towards attaining intelligibility, such as the addition of “车” (car) in Film 78, “号” (ship) in Film 70, “正转” (biography) in Film 67, “杀” (killing) in Film 65, “野战” (field operation) in Film 59, “母女” (mother and daughter) in Film 56, “贩毒” (drug smuggling) in Film 44, “将军” (general) in Film 43, “雾都” (fog capital) in Film 41, “走红” (popular with people) in Film 39, “彗星” (comet) in Film 23, “歌舞” (song and dance) in Film 9, and “喋血” (bloodshed) in Film 8. The omission of some word in the original title also plays a role in imparting adequate naturalness to the translation, such as the omission of “One” in Film 48, “My” in Film 37, and “Our” in Film 19, though something original is missing of course.
IV Values of the Translation of Oscar Best Films’ Titles
A. Information Value
As the Oscar best films, we can appreciate the value of the art on one side, and we can get the information from the movie, we can know the western culture and the differences between the china and English language country.
1.1 Marketability
Film title is a suggestive expression of the film’s theme and the translation of the film title is supposed to equally embody the subject-matter of the film. The top priority of a film as well as the translation of a film title is its commercial concern. For the sake of the marketability of the film title, occasionally sacrificed is rigid faithfulness to the original linguistic form, which may fail to stimulate the target audience’s imagination or reproduce the corresponding image in the mind of audience. Hence the following three predominant