Translating queer elements in Bohemian Rhapsody in China

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article investigates how Bohemian Rhapsody’s queer elements were translated in the official subtitled version for theatrical release in mainland China. In the official Chinese subtitled version, homoerotic desires were transformed to homosocial relationships. Approximately four minutes of relevant plot was excised, and the translator chose to deemphasize the taboo, erase the queer, and downplay the presence of AIDS, even at the expense of continuity. The authors apply Marc Démont’s three modes of translating queer elements to Bohemian Rhapsody and analyze its translation. Though homosexuality is neither recognized nor excluded by Chinese culture and law, few queer-related films have ever been released on the mainland. The release of Bohemian Rhapsody shows a new and complex attitude towards homosexuality in China. The translator’s ambiguity about the homoerotic elements in the film is reflected, therefore, in the way that the three translation methods – which are usually clearly divided – overlap. In China’s complex cultural context, a hybrid translation method has emerged.