A Functionalist Analysis of the Film Subtitle Translation: A Case Study of 'The Flowers of War'

摘要

With the rapid development of economy and culture, the cultural communication in the world is increasing. Nowadays film is an important way of cultural communication and entertainment. Plenty of foreign films appear in China, meanwhile a wealth of Chinese films roll in the world film market and gain wide popularity. No doubt it is a good opportunity for foreigners to understand Chinese culture. As a new and special translation mode, subtitle translation can add more success to movie, it will attract more people's attention. And it will not only make people acquire better enjoyment, but also promote the communication of different culture. If Chinese films want to hold a leading post in the world, great attention must be paid to successful subtitle translation. According to the perspective of functionalist, the translation principle is the purpose of translation activity. So subtitle translation is a purposeful activity. This thesis analyses the case study of the subtitle translation in The Flowers of War from the perspective of functionalist. It tries to explore the guiding theory of subtitle translation, analyze feature and influence elements, and put forward some translation principles and strategies in subtitle translation practice.