On Translating Film Names between English and Chinese1.doc

电影名称的英汉互译的探析on translating film names between english and chinesecontentsabstract.1key words.1iintroduction.2ii. literature review.2iii. translation skills of film names.31. the skills of the translation.31) literal translation.32) free translation.32. phonetic translation.43. the connection between phonetic translation and free translation.44. the connection between phonetic translation and literal translation.5iv. translation of film names.51. the study of the subject.52. the types of translating film names between english and chinese.63. classification of translating film names.61) e-c translation.62) c-e translation.7v. different cultural background of the translation.8vi. erroneous zone in translating chinese film names to english.91. time limitation.92. commercial schema.10vii. conclusion.10references.10on translating film names between english and chineseon translating film names between english and chineseabstract: translation is an important skill in language study. it is also regarded as a significant tool for cross-cultural communication. there are many different skills of translation, and we use different skills to translate different kinds of things. the translation of film names is an important step of film translation. as a part of film culture, the translation of film names has its own principles and rules. different types of films also have their own ways to translate. it has many skills in translating film names between english and chinese. because of the cultural differences between english and chinese, it is very hard for us to translate the film names between these two cultures. therefore, to master these translation skills is useful for us to make further study on western culture. in this article, i analyze the characteristics of all kinds of films, and the background of the film, and at last, discuss the translation of film names between english and chinese.key words: film names; translation skills; translation principles; misunderstanding in translation摘 要：在语言学习中，翻译是一门重要的技巧。通常，翻译也被认为是跨文化交际中的一种重要工具。翻译有许多种不同的技巧，我们用这些不同的技巧去翻译不同的事物。电影名称的翻译是电影翻译中重要的一步。电影名称是电影文化中的一部分，翻译的过程中涉及其特定的翻译原则和翻译规律。不同类型的电影也有其不用的翻译方法。电影名称的英汉互译是电影名称翻译的一种类型。因为中西文化差异的影响，电影名称的英汉互译对我们来说显得比较困难。因此，掌握这些翻译技巧对我们更深入地研究西方文化具有重要作用。在这篇文章中，我分析了不同电影的特点及背景，来讨论电影名称的英汉互译。关键词：电影名称；翻译技巧；翻译原则；翻译中的误解i. introduction the translation is one kind of skills which the english specialized student must grasp. the translation skill can be classified to two types: literal translation and free translation. and there are many principles and rules in the process of translation. the translation may divide into several kinds in this paper. i will mainly talk about the translation of film names between english and chinese. translation of film names is always divided into two types: english to chinese and chinese to english. the first type is easier than the second one. there are a lot of connection between the cultural background and the translation. so it is difficult to make the translation perfectly. in this paper, i will give you some examples of the translation that have been translated, and show my own opinion on these translations. ii. literature reviewhe yueming, published an essay which was named countermeasures of present translation of film names(当前电影名称译名中的问题对策) in 1997. the writer expounded a lot of countermeasures to improve our present knowledge and make the translation of film names perfectly. in 1999, a magazine called see movies(看电影) was published in chengdu sichuan province. at the beginning, there are not many translations of film names in this book. along with peoples living standard and the esthetic appeal arising, english movies have received more and more consumers favor in the chinese market and many familiar-sounding titles of films have emerged. as time goes on, the number of the translation increases in the book rapidly. in 2001, heying wrote an essay named theory and methods of film names translation(电影片名的翻译理论和方法). in this article, we can get many theories of translating film names, and use them in practice, so we can translate film names by ourselves. in the same year, xiao lujing also wrote an article called skills of translating english movie names(英语影片名汉译技法探讨). he analyzed many practical skills of the translation. youfei and others began a study of the film names translation between english and chinese for some years. in 2002, youfei published the thesis 世界电影文化思潮. in the book, he points out some skills and principles in this translation process. with the time pasting, more and more people begin to concentrate on this study. the further they study, the better the translation will be.now most translators find that the translation of film names has large relationship with the cultural background, so they pay more attention to the connection between the culture and the translation.this subject is useful for us to understand the different culture. as a student of english major, we should master this skill. it is good for us to understand the translation technical ability completely.iii. translation skills of film names1. the skills of the translationwe all know that there are two skills in translation process, literal translation and free translation. and according to the traditional translation theory, some literature which may be translated literally should be translated literally as far as possible, but according to statistics, hundreds of hollywood big pieces which entered in china in 2001 were translated literally only 20%. so we must get a general idea of the two different types of translation, and make ourselves know whether to translate the film names literally or not.1) literal translationin 1982, zhou xunliang divided literal translation into three kinds: 1) translate the sound instead of the meaning. 2) translate according to the word meaning. 3) translate not according to chinese language custom and word order but according to original text structure or word order translation. because most film names are always translated literally, so when we translate film names, we should first choose which method we can use.in the film names translation, we can also use the literal translation to translate the film names. for example, americas sweethearts (美国甜心), six days seven nights (六天七夜), scent of women (女人香), water world (水世界), air force one (空军一号), brave heart (勇敢的心), true lies (真实的谎言), roman holiday (罗马假日), modern times (摩登时代), the first blood (第一滴血), moscow does not believe in tears (莫斯科不相信眼泪), new man (新人), pearl harbor (珍珠港), artificial intelligence (人工智能), the princess diaries (公主的日记), love story (爱情故事), cider house rules (苹果酒屋的规则).these translations do not alter the original words and the meanings. they take words as their basic units and the translations may have nothing to do with the context of the film. they are easy for the audience to understand, and we also can get some general ideas of the film. 2) free translationfree translation is an alternative approach which is used mainly to convey the meaning and spirit of the original without trying to reproduce its sentence patterns or figures of speech. it translates something according to the original text idea, but not make the word for word translation. this translation is most frequently adopted when it is really impossible to translate the original literally. and in film names translation, there are also many examples of free translation, the wedding planner(爱上新郎), the others (小岛惊魂), cast away (荒岛余生), little nicky (魔鬼接班人), of mice and men (芸芸众生), kate and leopold (隔世情缘), the mexican (魔枪), glitter (明星梦), serendipity (缘分天注定), rebecca (蝴蝶梦), annatasia (真假公主), cleopatra (埃及艳后), deuce bigalow (如鱼得水).the above translations can not be translated literally; otherwise the chinese editions would make no sense at all, so let alone the original meaning. with the past time, we know that, although free translation is more beautiful than literal translation, it always has a lot of ambiguity. so if we choose to use this method in translating film names, maybe it will make the audience confused. so if we use free translation, we must pay more attention to the words we use and try our best to make the translation clear.2. phonetic translation besides literal translation and free translation, there is another translation called phonetic translation. this type of translation connects the translation with the sound of the name. for example, jane eyre (简爱), hamlet (哈姆雷特), macbeth (麦克白), casablanca (卡萨布兰卡). this translation is all about the famous person or the event in the history. these film names always contain some special names of the people or the places. if we use literal or free translation to translate these film names, it may have some confusion or misunderstanding. so we use phonetic translation to translate these kinds of film names. but according to many examples, there are a few phonetic translations in film names translation, because there are a lot of names of people or places which we are not familiar with. if the translator wants to use this method to translate, he or she must make further consideration.3. the connection between phonetic translation and free translationbecause there is no clear distinction between literal, free translation and phonetic translation, nor is it necessary to distinguish one from the other. so there are still some film names which can not be translated only by literal translation or free translation or phonetic translation. and we combine the phonetic and the free translation together. for instance, shriek (怪物史莱克). if we just translate the film name as 史莱克, the audience can not get a clear understanding of what the shriek is. when the two words “怪物”are added, we can firstly know it is a cartoon film, with vivid translation. in translation of film names, there are many examples like this, titanic (泰坦尼克号), elizabeth (伊莉莎白女王), tarzan (人猿泰山), philadelphia (费城故事), forrest gump (阿甘正传), joe dirt (乔德特历险记), stuart little (小老鼠斯图尔特).these translations are very close to the context of the film, and also easier for the audience to remember. this kind of translation can get the curiosity of the audience. it is a good method to translate film names.4. the connection between phonetic translation and literal translationthe connection between phonetic translation and literal translation is not considered as the good method in film name translation. but this translation is based on the original story of the film, and it can draw the most attention to the audience. so this kind of translation is widely used while translating. for example, a walk in the clouds (云中漫步), waterloo bridge (魂断蓝桥), madison county bridge (廊桥遗梦), the bachelor (亿万未婚夫), bandits (完美盗贼), the fugitive (亡命天涯), pretty woman (风月俏佳人), speed (生死时速), the net (网络情缘), first knight (剑侠风流), the piano (钢琴别恋), the opposite of sex (异性不相吸), blood and sand (碧血黄沙), the independence day (独立日烽火), the three musketeers (豪情三剑客), she is so lovely (可人儿), in the hear of night (炎夜), the wizard of oz (绿野仙踪), volcano (地火危城), ghost (人鬼情未了), the legend of the fall (燃情岁月), best in show (宠物狗大赛), the thomas crown affair (天罗地网).according to the above examples, although this method is not the best one in film name translation, but if we use this method properly, we also can make good use of it.iv. translation of film names1. the study of the subjectnow many translators will accept this kind of translation theory: unlike the translation of the books, the translation of movie titles is one transmission method which adds something meaningless intentionally for a practical need. the translation of movie titles has not been translated strictly according to the authors original intention and made every effort to be excellent. therefore, many translations as the advertisement translations can be changed differently from the original edition in order to adapt the local market. but despite this, english film titles also should have some restriction, which makes every effort to achieve the unification faithfulness, expressiveness, elegance, not just for pursuing the pure economic interest to give up all principles just to cater to the audience. the translation of film name is one important step in the movie translation. the movie title is a part of the movie culture, so it has specific translation principles and rules in the translation process. as a student of english major, we should master this skill; it is good for us to understand technical ability completely in translation. speaking from another aspect, there are numerous chinese and western cultures and language habits in movies which are difficult to understand. the translation of foreign film names is a way to convey different cultures; so it is regarded as a cultural medium.2. the types of translating film names between english and chinesetranslation of film names is always divided into two ways: english to chinese and chinese to english. the first type mainly contains europe and the united states films, as well as a small amount of japanese, hong kong, taiwan and other parts of the films. the second type contains the mainland, hong kong and taiwan films. there has been more literal translation in english to chinese translation, and it is relatively simple. due to larger cultural differences between chinese and english, it is more complex to translate chinese to english. therefore, we have to solve a lot of problems in c-e translation.3. classification of translating film names the translation of film name is one important step in the movie translation. the movie title is a part of the movie culture, so it has specific translation principles and rules in the translation process. in order to translate the film names better, we discuss the translation in different types.1) e-c translationtranslation of film names is always divided into two ways: english to chinese and chinese to english. the first type mainly contains europe and the united states films, as well as a small amount of japanese, hong kong, taiwan and other parts of the films. it is considered easier. we can use both literal translation and free translation to translate this kind of film names. along with peoples living standard and the esthetic appeal arising, english movie has received more and more consumers favor in the chinese market, and many familiar-sounding titles of films have emerged, like casablanca (卡萨布兰卡), ghost (人鬼情未了), pretty woman (风月俏佳人). however, most translated names have actually encountered very many conservative translators critique. their accusation mainly comes from two aspects: on one hand, according to the traditional translation theory, some literature which may be translated literally should be translated literally as far as possible, but there are not so many film names translated literally. such as one flew over the cuckoos nest (飞越疯人院), unforgiven (未被饶恕), the age of innocence (纯真年代), human factor (人性因素), natural born killers (天生杀手), coquette (弄情女子), the perfect world (美好世界), pearl harbor (珍珠港), americas sweethearts (美国甜心), original sin (原罪), training day (训练日), monsters. inc. (怪物公司), spy game (间谍游戏); on the other hand,60% of the translation is not so satisfied to some extent, like white sister (空门遗恨), lady hamilton (忠魂娟血离恨天), you cant take it with you (浮生若梦), deeds goes to town (富贵浮云), the story of louis pasteur (万世流芳), lucky lady (风云龙虎凤), the equals (雌雄宝刀), the divine lady (薄命花), cavalcade (乱世春秋) and so on. these translations are criticized as philistine and exaggerated.2) c-e translationthe other type of translating film names is c-e translation. this kind of translation is more different than the former one. because china has a 5000years splendid cultural background, it is very hard for people from other countries to understand many things which happened in china. for most of chinese film names, we use free translation to translate. but also it can make the foreigners confused. so many translations are not satisfied. for example, 霸王别姬was translated as farewellmyconcubine. in chinese it means “再见了，我的小老婆”,大腕was translated as funeralofthefamousstar (明星的葬礼),刘三姐was translated as thirdsister liu (第三个姐姐刘),生死抉择was translated as fataldecision (致命的抉择),阳光灿烂的日子was translated as intheheatofthesun (在炎热的太阳下) and so on. all these film names were translated not so well, because there was no relationship between the story and the translated name. the problem may be that the translator does not know more cultural differences between chinese and english. if we want to make our translation easier to understand, we should get a general idea of the film, find the connection between the content and the name and then translate the name.there are still some good c-e translation of film names, such as 满城尽带黄金甲（curse of the golden flower）. the main conflict of the characters was included in this translation. other examples, 独自等待(waiting alone),看上去很美(little and flower),再说一次我爱你(all about love),理发师(the music box).these good translations are all combined the film names with the stories. they are not difficult for