A Study on Subtitle Translation Strategies of Kung Fu Panda 2 from the Perspective of Adaptation and Selection Theory

Abstract

In recent years, with economic globalization, international cultural exchanges are getting closer. Many foreign film works have been introduced into China, especially the English films popular among Chinese audiences. In order to realize film appreciation between different languages, subtitle translation comes into being. However, as an emerging field, subtitle translation studies are not mature compared with traditional translation studies. The Adaptation and Selection Theory is the core theory of the eco-translatology which is a novel and relatively complete system of translation theory put forward by Hu Gengshen, a Chinese scholar. This thesis adopts the Adaptation and Selection Theory as the theoretical basis. Firstly, the research on subtitle translation at home and abroad is reviewed. Secondly, the development, main principles and applicability of the Adaptation and Selection Theory are elaborated. Finally, under the guidance of this theory, this thesis analyzes how translators choose appropriate translation strategies, based on the specific example of subtitle translation in Kung Fu Panda 2, to select and transform from the three dimensions. Besides, how to get a translation with a high “degree of holistic adaptation and selection” are also explored.