6.6.1 Typology Reflects on the Data
The typology of subtitle translation consists of 10 subtitling strategies: “expansion,paraphrase,transfer,imitation,transcription,dislocation,condensation,decimation,deletion and resignation” (1992: 166).
The frequencies of using the typology and the two new strategies found in the corpus are shown in the following table:
Table 7
According to the above results,the uses of typology (except for decimation,deletion and resignation),globalization and localization are found in the collected data.As for expansion,there are six films where it is used much more frequently than in others because the subtitle translations of these films involve an opening song,a prologue or specialized terms.This means that subtitlers of these films need to apply the strategy of expansion in order to make the lines of a song or a prologue sounds rhythmic,or to explain specialized terms in more detail.For the uses of paraphrase,transfer,transcription and condensation,the entire data show that these are the main strategies in the E-C subtitle translation of animation films.In The Smurfs film series,the translation of the smurfs’ names is used in terms of paraphrase and dislocation.For the rest of the selected films,in the translation of proper nouns,such as characters’ names,some subtitlers directly transfer the original English names to the translated subtitles,while other subtitlers apply the traditional E-C translation method,i.e.,they transliterate the names by transcription or imitation.Except for the translation of names,however,the use of imitation is not frequent.As for dislocation,I found that subtitlers prefer to use this strategy in the translation of episodes,such that the more episodes there are in one film,the higher the frequency of the use of this strategy.I also noticed that there are always over 10 episodes in English animation films.For examples,there are 10 episodes in Despicable Me 1,12 episodes in Madagascar 1 and 17 episodes in Madagascar 3.In most of the selected films,the strategy of dislocation is used in the translation of the lines of the episodes; however,in Frozen,The Smurfs 1 and Rio 2,the translations of their opening songs mainly use the strategy of expansion.This means that no subtitle is translated by deletion,decimation or resignation.For me,the reason may be because the original English text is brief and simple,and the original length of subtitles is always short.In order to retain the full extent of the original information,subtitlers should use these three strategies more carefully.Regarding localization and globalization,although they are relatively new strategies,their use in the given data shows that subtitlers of English translated animation films are reasonably aware of producing a translation in both a globalized and a localized way.
In the following section,I will analyse some specific examples of the given data in order to further discuss the uses of typology and the two new strategies in the E-C subtitle translation of animation films.
a) Expansion
The following examples from the corpus involve the use of the expansion strategy in the released subtitles,although not necessarily according to my observations.Therefore,some suggestions are made with a view to arriving at a translation.
① 00:05:04,500 to 00:05:07,100
Unless they’re dead… (Original subtitle)
如果死了就不会到处乱跑了…… （Released translation）
They go wherever they want to go unless they’re dead.(Back translation)
死了就不会了。 （Suggested translation）
They won’t do this unless they’re dead.(Back translation)
(Despicable Me 1,2010)
This example has been analysed and discussed in Chapters (p.194).
② 00:06:49,800 to 00:06:55,050
They’re saying he makes all other villains look lame.(Original subtitle)
他们都说跟他相比我们这些其他坏蛋都算是太菜了。
(Released translation)
They’re saying,compared to him,all us other villains are all too lame.(Back translation)
(Despicable Me 1,2010)
This example has been analysed and discussed in Chapters (p.187).
③ 00:01:52,846 to 00:01:59,072
Born of cold and winter air,and mountain rain combining.(Original translation)
它来自寒冷的冬天，裹挟着山中的雨滴。（Released translation）
It comes from a cold winter’s day,combined with the mountain rain.(Back translation)
④ 00:02:00,171 to 00:02:03,574
This icy force,both foul and fair.(Original subtitle)
冰雪的力量——让人难以忍受但绝对公平。（Released translation）
It is unbreakable but extremely fair.(Back translation)
⑤ 00:02:03,575 to 00:02:07,379
Has a frozen heart worth mining.(Original subtitle)
它有一颗值得探索的冰冻的心。（Released translation）
It has a frozen heart worth exploring.(Back translation)
⑥ 00:02:07,820 to 00:02:11,073
So,cut through the heart,cold and clear.(Original subtitle)
我们来剖开它的内心，它冷淡而透明。（Released translation）
We come to cut through the heart,it’s cold and clear.(Back translation)
(Frozen,2014)
The above four examples are part of the opening song in Frozen.In the released translation of the lyrics,the subtitler uses the strategy of expansion (the patterns are underlined).The translation of lyrics requires a special kind of translation because translators need make the translation sound rhythmic,with the length of the translation seeking to match the corresponding beats.
To sum up,the use of expansion is not frequently observed in film subtitle translations.In some specific cases,however,the use of expansion is acceptable in order to make the translation stronger or enhance the overall effectiveness of the whole translation work.
b) Paraphrase
According to the corpus data,in Cars 1,the following subtitles are translated by effectively using the strategy of paraphrase.
① 00:04:03,850 to 00:04:06,450
He’s been Dinoco’s golden boy for years! (Original subtitle)
他一向都是狄纳哥的常胜将军。（Released translation）
He’s been Dinoco’s “ever-victorious general”! (Back translation)
② 00:04:14,830 to 00:04:16,990
Chick thought this was his year.(Original subtitle)
奇克认为今年时机已到。（Released translation）
Chick thought that his time had come.(Back translation)
These examples reflect the use of paraphrase in the subtitle translation from English into Chinese.The first underlined translated pattern involves a Chinese idiom，while the second involves a Chinese archaism.These two expressions belong to the family of traditional expressions in Chinese.As per the previous discussion，in subtitle translations from English into Chinese，the use of these two kinds of expression can explain the original meanings in a more artful way in order to be more acceptable to Chinese target audiences.If the two examples are translated directly word for word，the target audience may experience difficulty in or even have no way of understanding what is meant by these two sentence patterns： for the first example，the direct translation of “golden boy for years” is “近年有成就的男人”； for the second example，the direct translation of “this would be his year” is “这是属于他的一年”，which，due to a lack of full information，needs to be complemented with a clear expression，such as “这一年是属于他的一年，他一定会赢” （This year is his year，it must be a winner）.From this analysis，the use of paraphrase in the first example not only correctly expresses the original meaning，but is shorter in length.The use of paraphrase in the second example provides full information by using a four-character archaism.Therefore，the strategy of paraphrase is a main strategy in producing Chinese subtitles for English language films.
There are more examples highlighting the benefits of using this strategy in order to create brief and vivid translated subtitles.
③ 00:03:14,986 to 00:03:18,581
Three weeks,and we’re still no closer to cracking this.(Original subtitle)
都已经三周了我们还是毫无头绪。（Released translation）
Three weeks has passed,and we’re still don’t have a clue.(Back translation)
④ 00:03:46,893 to 00:03:49,278
This is the best party ever! (Original subtitle)
这是有史以来最棒的派对！（Released translation）
This is the best party ever! (Back translation)
(Despicable Me 2,2014)
⑤ 00:02:04,790 to 00:02:07,250
Well,I aged well,but the rest of you looked terrible! (Original subtitle)
我老了还挺帅，可你们都变得惨不忍睹了！（Released translation）
I aged but still handsome,but the rest of you looked too terrible to look at!
(Back translation)
⑥ 00:03:03,430 to 00:03:07,890
Hey! Fifth Avenue...with no traffic! (Original subtitle)(https://www.daowen.com)
第五大道……畅通无阻！（Released translation）
Fifth Avenue...unimpeded! (Back translation)
(Madagascar 3,2012)
All in all,the use of paraphrase in E-C subtitle translation is frequent,since some typical Chinese expressions,like idioms and archaisms,not only offer an appropriate “equivalent” to the original meaning in a target culture but are also always superior in length.
c) Transfer
Compared with the previous strategy,transfer is sometimes similar to paraphrase.Besides finding equivalent expressions,such as idioms and archaisms in Chinese,the strategy of transfer may contain more forms of expressions and be varied in the styles of expression.
① 00:05: 12,522 to 00:05: 16,030
Sorry.You know dogs.They go wherever they want to go.(Original subtitle)
抱歉，这也没办法，狗就是喜欢到处乱跑。（Released translation）
Sorry,there is no solution,dogs like running around.(Back translation)
(Despicable Me 1,2010)
In this example，“You know dogs” is the English way to express the statement that “you are supposed know dogs well”，but，in Chinese，the common expression is “这也没办法”，whose indicative meaning is “this is nature； we have no solution to change it”.The strategy of transfer is needed in E-C subtitle translation in order to make the target audience better understand the film’s script in light of the different customs of expression in English and Chinese.
② 00:01:14,840 to 00:01:15,780
The young French Canadian (Original subtitle)
这位年轻的法裔加拿大人（Released translation）
The young French Canadian (Back translation)
③ 00:01:15,790 to 00:01:17,420
… is making quite an impression.
……在印第赛车场的处子秀。
… is making quite an amazing debut
④ 00:01:17,590 to 00:01:19,760
… in his debut here at the Motor Speedway.(Original subtitle)
……就来了个惊艳登场。（Released translation）
… here at the Motor Speedway.(Back translation)
(Turbo,2013)
In the above three examples，the first one involves a standard and official translation about a “French Canadian”，i.e.，“法裔加拿大人”，which is considered to be an appropriate equivalent in translation and a correct transfer in meaning.There are two more transfers in the second and third examples.The use of “处子秀” emphasizes that it is the first show of the young French Canadian，while “惊艳登场” expresses the fact that his first show is impressive.By using the strategy of transfer，even though the subtitler did not translate the original subtitle word for word，the released translation conveys the key meaning of the original text.These two examples show that the benefits of using transfer are： 1） making the expression in the target language natural and acceptable； and 2） seizing the main idea of the original text in translation.
d) Imitation
Attempting to translate the names into Chinese may lose the original English meaning and,in practice,there may be no reasonable equivalence.Furthermore,given the rapid development of globalization,people are increasingly familiar with foreign countries and their cultures.To this extent,keeping the original names of the characters is a way to promote intercultural communication and respect the original meanings inherent in foreign people’s names.Therefore,in view of the readable length,the tendency towards globalization and improved levels of English among Chinese people,I suggest that subtitlers use the original English names as much as possible.
In the observation of the corpus data,I found that,in some films,the translation of the characters’ names adopts a transliteration approach as a kind of imitation.This kind of imitation is only partial imitation,however,because,when the names are translated into unisonant Chinese characters,they actually fail to convey the original meaning of the names and even have no real meaning in Chinese.For more examples,see below:
① 00:05:32,670 to 00:05:34,470
Good morning,Blu.(Original subtitle)
Blu，早安。（Released translation）
布吕，早安。（Unisonant Chinese characters）
(Rio 1,2011)
② 00:01:22,820 to 00:01:26,060
Alex! Do not interrupt me when I’m daydreaming! (Original subtitle)
亚历克斯！我做白日梦的时候不要打扰我。（Released translation）
(Madagascar 1,2005)
③ 00:02:41,777 to 00:02:44,781
All right,Greedy,I’m gonna race you! (Original subtitle)
我让着你呢，馋馋！（Released translation）
④ 00:03:53,683 to 00:03:56,778
No problem,Clumsy.You keep me employed! (Original subtitle)
没关系吧，笨笨，你让我有活干了！（Released translation）
⑤ 00:04:04,235 to 00:04:06,738
Whether it’s Handy Smurf the builder I can’t stay.Rehearsal time! (Original subtitle)
巧巧负责建筑。我不能停下。这是排练时间！（Released translation）
(The Smurfs 1,2011)
The first two examples show the different ways of translating with regard to the released translation of the two films.In Rio 1，the subtitler kept the original name of the leading role，Blu，in his translation，and also used the strategy of transcription （this will be discussed in the following section） rather than imitation.However，I added to my translation by using the strategy of imitation，that is，“Blu” for “布吕”，in order to make the following comparison.
At first,I agree with the method of transcription in this case because Blu in this film is a scarlet macaw with beautiful blue-coloured feathers.It is assumed that the original author of this story wanted to emphasize the features of a scarlet macaw with its blue feathers,which is why he chose to use the name of Blu for the scarlet macaw,thereby explaining the presence of the homophones “Blu” and “blue”.In China,the English word “blue” is regarded as a well-known word in Chinese people’s English vocabulary.Children in kindergarten will learn about the most common colours in English including “blue”.Therefore,this kind of transcription in translation can be accepted by Chinese target audiences.Compared with this method,I also translated this name by using imitation.But this imitation only happens from the perspective of pronunciation; it cannot convey the original author’s purpose in using the name “Blu”.Therefore,I think the released translation,which uses transcription,is more effective.
However,in Madagascar 1,I found that most of the characters’ names are translated into unisonant Chinese characters.In the past few years,this kind of translation of original names has been considered as a standard translation approach in formal-styled documents.However,as a pattern within film subtitles,this kind of translation has two inevitable weaknesses in terms of the comparison between the length difference and the unique feature of Chinese characters in word formation,while the use of unisonant Chinese characters may always appear longer than the original names (e.g.,the second example given above).Meanwhile,in The Smurfs 1 and 2,the subtitler used neither of the above two methods to translate the smurfs’ names.Followed by the translation style of The Smurfs (1987) television series,the subtitlers of The Smurfs 1 (2011) and 2 (2013) used the strategy of imitation in their translation of the names.The above last three examples were collected from the corpus data of The Smurfs 1,with all the smurfs’ names translated by using the reduplicated words in Chinese.These reduplicated words not only have similar meanings as the original names (each original name shows varied characteristics of each smurf),but they also always use childhood names from Chinese culture.
Generally,in the E-C subtitle translation,imitation is used on some occasions.When it is used in translating the names,I recommend imitating the original meanings of the names,rather than imitating the original pronunciation of the names.Again,the imitation strategy in subtitle translation of The Smurfs serial is another recommended way of translating names (E-C).The advantage of this kind of imitation involves striking a balance between loyalty to the original expression and acceptance by the target culture.
e) Transcription
The use of this strategy is discussed in the translation of names.
f) Dislocation
Similar to the translation of Despicable Me 1,other data in the corpus,such as the opening songs and episodes in The Smurfs serial,the Rios serial,Madagascar 2 and 3,and Frozen all use the strategy of dislocation in order to make the translations of these songs sounds metrical.Thus,although dislocation is not a commonly used strategy in film translation,it is applicable when dealing with the translation of rhythmic patterns of subtitles,such as the above situations.
g) Condensation
When observing the selected 15 animation films,I found that this strategy is frequently used by subtitlers for two main reasons: 1) the use of traditional Chinese expressions (e.g.,idioms and archaisms) condenses the length of the translated subtitles compared to the corresponding word-for-word translation; 2) the tendency towards colloquial expression helps to create translated subtitles,which are simple and brief.
① 00:38:32,634 to 00:38:36,889
Nothing.I’m excited.
I’m excited about all the concept ideas.(Original subtitle)
没啥。我兴奋。5
为那些奇思妙想兴奋不已。11 （Released translation）
(Back translation: Nothing.I’m excited.Excited about all the amazing ideas.)
没什么。我就是兴奋。8
所有的想法和观点都令我兴奋。13 （Direct translation）
(Back translation: Nothing.I’m just excited.All the ideas and opinions make me feel excited.)
(The Smurfs 1,2011)
In this example，the first two underlined words represent a kind of colloquial expression in Chinese，compared with the direct translation （this translation is much closer to the written expression），as it is simpler and briefer，with less use of three characters than the direct one.In the second line，the released translation also involves two idioms，namely，“奇思妙想” and “兴奋不已”.The use of these two idioms further results in condensation with regard to the length of the translated subtitle.Moreover，“奇思妙想” can indicate that the nature of “the ideas” is positive and impactful，even though the direct translation of “所有的想法” offers no such indication.For the other idiom，“兴奋不已” is more vivid and stronger when describing and expressing people are feeling than “令……兴奋”.Therefore，the use of condensation in this sense when creating subtitled translations is effective.
In view of the mechanical limitations of making film subtitles,the strategy of condensation is recommended to be used.In particular,since Chinese involves hieroglyphic characters in word formation,a smaller number of characters in the translated subtitles will be easier for the audience to finish reading in a very limited time frame.
These strategies of decimation,deletion and resignation are not seen in the given data.