The standard of subtitle translation in English movies is concision, Situation association and conforming to the cultural background. The limited factors such as time and space require the subtitle to be concise; the function of subtitle itself requires it should be associate with the situation; as the original language is English, when translating it into Chinese, its cultural background do need to be taken into consideration. In this way, the translation of subtitle will be the best.
II. The Entertainment of Subtitle Translation in English Movies
2.1 Slang
Slang is a kind of language that is unofficial, oral and easy to understand, which comes from daily life and has strong vernacular character. As slang is an informal language, the translation of slang needs more information of culture background, which helps us to have a better understanding of the meaning in slang, then get accurate coordination with the target language.
The entertainment of subtitle translation in English movie is to translate the original subtitle into slang of target language. In this way, the subtitle can be easier for people seeing a movie to catch the idea at the moment that the character talks. And the use of slang increases people’s interest of this movie, which makes up some differences between English movies and target language movies. Slang is a sort of thing for people in any areas, countries, and ages to accept willingly in communication, because of its special features in making speakers feel close.
In English movies, many sentences and words are translated into slang in target language. For example:
“Open your eyes. We got company.” Leon
招子放亮点,有人找碴来了。
Shit, that’s hard. Brokeback Mountain
真够你受的。
“Being Stupid.” The Pursuit of Happiness.
冒傻气。
This is company property. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
这是公家的东西。
I think you’re being very modest. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
你还挺厚道的。
The slang “招子”, “找碴”are often seen in oral communication, they are informal, life-like to express the speaker’s real feeling and the same real to the listener. “够你受” usually used in the situation that something or somebody is tough to deal with or too heavy to bear. And “冒傻气”often describes something or someone looks fool; “公家的” is for public property; “厚道”is for honest of one’s moral quality. They are used in oral language and informal situation, almost everyone knows their meaning and can use them properly in appropriate conversation. Thus slang in target language is quite popular and well used. It is a successful change from an English word to slang in Chinese, which makes people feel much interesting, and this change is a kind of culture expression of target language basing on the original culture. 英文电影字幕翻译的趣味性和规范性(2):http://www.youerw.com/yingyu/lunwen_18547.html