Semantic Transformation of Film Titles, Translated to Russian

Abstract

The article focuses on the issue of semantic transformations that occur when translating the titles of feature films using partial and complete replacement strategies. The research material includes 104 film titles, 31% of the total number of English-language films released in Russia in 2018. The paper attempts to highlight the semantic center in the film titles and classify them according to the type of the center. The analysis of the semantic structure of film titles in the original and translated versions made it possible to identify six groups with the semantic center of “character (s)”, “numbers”, “objects”, “chronotope”, “storyline”, “idea”. In 39% of the names, a shift in the semantic center with partial or complete replacement is observed. The name as a verbal component of a complex unit - filmtext is involved in the formation of the first impression of a potential audience. Film titles transformations can entail a shift in the focus of the addressee and affect his perception of film text as a whole. The study reveals a general tendency of transferring from abstract to concrete and from personal to event when translating the film titles from English to Russian.