从功能翻译角度看电影名翻译

Abstract：Skopostheorie, a newly developed theory, is adopted as the theoretical background of this thesis and an audience-oriented film title translation approach is highly advocated. According to Skopostheorie, translation strategies are determined by the purpose (Skopos) of the target texts. As an important complement to translation studies, the functionalist theory has given a new perspective to the study of the translation of film title. Then, rules and suggestions are put forward to consummate the film title translation, so that the version might be readily understood or accepted by the target language readers，thus the translation Can equal the original in effect functionally，and the success of communication between languages can be ensured．

Key words：Functionalist Theory；Film Titles；Translation

摘  要：本文以新兴的功能翻译理论作为研究基础，提倡以观众为取向的英汉片名翻译方法。该理论强调：目的法则作为一条总的原则决定了翻译方法和策略必须由译文预期的目的和功能来决定。它作为对传统翻译理论的一个重大突破和翻译理论研究的重要补充，为电影片名翻译的理论研究开辟了一个新视角。文章随后提出完善电影片名翻译相关的准则和建议，使得译文能被目的语读者理解和接受，从而达到译文与原文的功能对等，使语际交流取得成功。

关键词： 功能翻译理论； 电影片名； 翻译
Introduction
Film, with its great fascination, is not only a form of entertainment, but also a significant channel for cultural exchange. The success of film translation from English to Chinese enables Chinese audiences to enjoy the wonderful films by sharing the Western values, though their ways of thinking and life are totally different.
Being a special and significant part of translation, the film title translation, however, is an area far from being researched. In fact, film title plays a vital role in the release of a film. And an excellent translated version attributes a lot to the commercial and aesthetic values of a film and attracts the audience's eyes so as to make a hit in the market abroad. A good film with an unforgettable title would be worldly famous and have great influence upon generations of people.
This paper attempts to research how the functionalist theory applies to the translation of film titles. In the translation process, it is the Functional Theory that matters. Different purposes and functions may require different translation strategies. When choosing appropriate strategies, translators should take translation purposes and functions of the target texts into consideration. Therefore, the Chinese and English film titles have their respective characteristics. Furthermore, the film titles are culturally tinged. Therefore, the translation of film titles cannot follow the traditional ways of “faithfulness”. The adequacy of the translation should not stand with a comparison of corresponding lexical meanings, grammatical taxeme, and rhetorical devices. What a translator should pay attention to is the extent to which receptors correctly appreciate the translated text. The translator should have the creative ability to let the translated version achieve the same effect as the original film title does.

1  Analysis of film title
This chapter is devoted to the analysis of film title from three angles: features of film title, characteristic of film title, common strategies in film title translation. Detailed analysis of features of film title will be conducted as an attempt to pave the way for next analysis on how principles and ideas in functionalism can work in the area of FTT.
1. 1 Features of film title
Before the detailed introduction to the profile of film title, it is necessary to elaborate on film categories so as to found a solid ground for later data analysis.
1. 1. 1 Categories of film
According to He Ying in her article “Theory and Method Guiding Film Title Translation”, films are usually divided into three categories: documentary film, science and educational film and feature film.[1] This thesis mainly focuses on feature film. Feature films normally fall into four sub-categories: adventure films, fantasy films, comedy films and lyric films.
1. 1. 1. 1 Adventure films Adventure films include action films, horror films, westerns films and crime (gangster) films. Titles of this kind of film normally feature emotion-stirring effect. Examples are《东港谍影》,《黑三角》, Die Hard, Mission Impossible.
1. 1. 1. 2 Fantasy films Fantasy films are usually scientific, visionary, comic-strip-like, and imaginative with science fiction film as the main component. Titles of this kind aim to reveal new and strange things to the audience. A host of films belong to this group, such as, Deep Impact, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Back to Future.
1. 1. 1. 3 Comedy films Comedy Films are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are light-hearted dramas, crafted to amuse, entertain, and provoke enjoyment. Rich in humorous flavor is the feature of titles of this type of film. Films such as,《不见不散》,《傻冒经理》,《瞧这一家子》, the Nutty Professor, Beverly Hills Cop, Doctor Dolittle are belong to this category.转贴于 酷文网-论文下载中心 http://www.coolwen.net