A Case Study of Subtitle Translation In Friendsfrom the Perspective of Functiona

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[Abstract] As the acceleration of economy development and the deepening of openness, China and other countries in the world have more and more cultural exchanges, most of the parts are about movies and TV plays. This study is a target oriented research. The analysis of Friends has been focused on. According to the functional equivalence approach put forward by Eugene Nida, the various factors influencing audiovisual translation and applicable translation strategies are attempted to find out.

[Key words] audiovisual translation；equivalence theory；case study

1. Translation Strategies of subtitles of the Sitcom Friends Under the Principle of Functional Equivalence

From the previous study, it is obvious that subtitle translation is different from that of essays, novels, poems, medicines, etc. due to the characteristics of irreversibility and the constraints of time and space. These require subtitles to be brief and clear. Thus, many pundits in subtitle translation have proposed that the main translation strategy should be reduction.

Subtitle translators are always confronted with the need of reduction of original information. The reduction can be partial (condensation) or total (elimination) and should always abide by the principle of functional equivalence, that is to say, making sure the essential and major meaning is not changed or deleted and the receptors can always get the sense which is similar to the original audience.

Concerning about subtitle translation, Li Yunxing once stated in his thesis that subtitle translators ofen need to adopt reduction strategy as subtitle translation has time and spatial constraints. He then subcategories it into condensation, reductive paraphrasing and deletion (李运兴 2001，39).

2. Condensation

(1) Waitress: Can I get you some coffee?

Monica: (pointing at Rachel) Decaf (To All) Okay, everybody, this is Rachel, another Lincoln High survivor. (To Rachel) This is everybody, this is Chandler, and Phoebe, and Joey, and- you remember my brother Ross?

服务员：想来杯咖啡吗？

莫尼卡：无咖啡因的。各位，她叫瑞秋，另一位从林肯高中生存下来的人。这位叫钱德勒，菲比，乔伊。还记得我哥罗斯吗？

(Seson 1 episode 1)

This scene happens when Rachel runs away from her wedding, and comes to find Monica. The guy with a big hammer tells her that Monica is at central perk. She is very exciting to see Monica, and Monica introduces Rachel to everyone. Here the sentence “This is everybody” is Left out as the redundancies in order to enhance the coherence for the audience, to follow the speaking speed of Monica, so the strategy of condensation is supposed to be used. For another example:

3. Reductive Paraphrasing

(1) Ross: So, I’m guessing you had an extra ticket and couldn’t decide which one of you got to bring a date?

Chandler: well, aren’t we Mr. “The glass is half empty”.

一定是你多了一张门票，找不到人一起去看。

我们不是“悲观之人”。

(Season 1 episode 4)

Here Chandler and Joey want to take Ross to watch the ice hockey game. And they have bought hockey tickets to Ross when Ross answered. If it is translated literally as“叹杯子半空之人”, the target audience will get puzzled and confused about the meaning and this translation will affect their response and make it not be the same one as the original audience can appraicate. Here the reductive paraphrase is a good adoption and makes the translation a functional equivalent.

4. Addition as the Second Strategy

In subtitle translation, the strategy of reduction is very important, which does not mean to exclude the use of other translation strategies that should be adopted. All the reductions are made because of the constraints of TV plays but translators also have to take the consistency of the sitcom into consideration rather than spoil it. In some cases, translators adopt other translation strategies, such as addition, to make up some information.

(1) Ross: No，no ,no, she gets a credit, hey, I’m in there too.

不，功劳全让她抢了,我也在场。 (Season 1episode 2)

Here Ross and Susan both accompany Carol and both want to name the baby. Susan wants to name the baby Helen Willick Bunch, and Ross doesn’t agree on the decision and argues with her. Carol can’t bear their quarrel and becomes angry at them. At that time Ross feels very sad and begins to complain. The translation here is cleverly added with“抢”. The word expresses the mood of Ross at the time very properly, and lets the audience feel the same feeling of the character. The translated version thus functions in the similar way as in the original text.

5.Conclusion

The thesis adopts the theory of functional equivalence as the theoretical basis in subtitle translation of TV shows. The form of language must be changed or sacrificed sometimes, in order to convey the actual meaning of the original TV show as much as possible according to the special features of TV shows and differences in languages and cultures. It is an ideal situation to reproduce a completely equivalent translation of the original, but a good and successful translation functions similarly with the original show to achieve an almost equivalent response of the target receptors is possible.

Bibliography:

[1] Ashen, R.E., and J.M.Y Simpson. The Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics.

[2] Vol.2, 8, 9. Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1994.

[3] Baker, Mona, In Other Words: A Coursebook on Translation, Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, 2000.

[4] Baker, Mona, Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies, Shanghai:Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2001.

[5] Bassnett, Susan, Translation Studies (Third Edition), Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign.