Abstract:

“Translator behavior criticism” is a theoretical system of translation criticism proposed by Professor Zhou Lingshun. It is a critical study of translators’ behaviors in a broad sense from the perspective of sociology. The theory has undergone constant development ever since its introduction, and it focuses on the socialization of translators (i.e., the role shifting of translators) in translation activities and the general patterns of translators’ behaviors during their work on a text. Based on the theory of translator behavior criticism, this paper assesses the truthfulness and effectiveness of the subtitle translation of Lost in Russia, a comic film first released in 2020 in the Chinese mainland that quickly aroused great discussion on the topic of film translation. This study includes an interview with Yao Dianna, the subtitle translator of the film, and an analysis of her translation behavior on the basis of the “truth-seeking-utility-attaining” continuum mode of evaluation. The findings demonstrate that the translator’s translation decisions in this specific film are inclined to be utility-attaining rather than truth-seeking, and such behavior is related to the translator’s identity as well as her knowledge system. The conclusion of this paper proposes recommendations for the selection of subtitle translators and their specific behavior during the process of translation. In particular, scholarly translators should be invited to participate in subtitle translation and cooperate with industry-based translators, constructing a model that will maximize the truthfulness and effectiveness of subtitle translation and contribute to the “going out” of Chinese films.

Keywords: subtitle translation; translator behavior criticism; truth-seeking; utility-attaining

摘要：

“译者行为批评”是由周领顺教授首倡并构建的翻译批评理论体系,是在社会学视域下,以译者为切入点、对译者行为所作的批评性研究,是对于译者在翻译社会化过程中的角色化过程及作用于文本的一般性行为规律特征的研究。本文将电影《囧妈》的字幕翻译置于“求真—务实”的译者行为连续统评价模式下,基于该片字幕的翻译实例,结合与译者的直接交流,分析该片字幕翻译的文本求真度和效果务实度,发现该片译者行为偏向务实而非求真。研究认为,译者的行为与其身份背景和知识体系有关。文章最后对从事影视翻译的译者群体选择和译者行为提出了建议。

关键词: 字幕翻译, 译者行为批评, 求真, 务实