2.8　Translating Chinese ldioms in AVT

Zhang and Wang (2013) analyse the application of Chinese idioms in subtitle translation.They emphasize four advantages of using idioms in subtitling: brief,understandable,idiomatic and artful.I agree with them because the use of Chinese idioms may make the target audience feel that the translated subtitles are more like real-life language.Moreover,the use of Chinese idioms in subtitle translation can sometimes make the subtitle shorter than its corresponding literal translation.Therefore,after defining the principles of creating subtitles (in order to make the subtitles brief,easy to understand and limited by mechanical constraints),Zhang and Wang recommend using Chinese idioms in subtitle translation in order to satisfy these principles (pp.138-139),In their further discussion,Zhang and Wang propose a criterion for the ideal length of a one-line subtitle: “within 14 Chinese characters” (p.139) (for a complete discussion on the ideal length of a translated Chinese subtitle,please see Chapter 5).However,in their study,Zhang and Wang make no mention of effective ways of using Chinese idioms in subtitle translation or criteria when using idioms in subtitling.In this book,in consideration of the age range of the audience for animated films and to make the translated subtitles more readable,I will test the frequency of using idioms in the selected films,as well as discuss effective criteria for using idioms in the subtitle translation of animation films.(https://www.daowen.com)

Furthermore,since Chinese idioms are always taken from ancient moral stories and traditional customs,I am minded that they are forms of culturally loaded words.Therefore,research into the translation of culturally loaded words is also relevant.Yang and Rong (2012) recommended the strategies of foreignization and domestication for dealing with the translation of culturally loaded words.They emphasize that “cultural equivalence” is the key criterion when translating culturally loaded words (p.149).Meanwhile,Sun (2009) recommends using these two strategies in combination (p.86),whereas He (2015) places emphasis on “keeping the original meaning” in the process of translating Chinese idioms,which is also relevant to E-C translation (p.115) given that,when in translating,subtitlers should find appropriate idioms in order to translate the original meaning of the English subtitle patterns,thereby ensuring a successful translation.Zhang and He (2001) point out that,when choosing culturally loaded Chinese words in subtitle translation,subtitlers should anticipate the literacy level of the target audience,since their reading capacity,vocabulary and social experience are all factors that should be considered when determining translation difficulty (p.290).I agree with the above scholars’ discussion on the translation of culturally loaded words and believe the use of Chinese idioms in subtitle translation is a means of cultural exchange between the source culture and the target audience.