Subtitle Translation in The Flowers of War from the Perspective of Multimodal Discourse Analysis

【Abstract】Nowadays， we are at an information age， the single language model is not the only method to express the meaning， image， sound， color all can be regarded as the methods to express the meaning. In this paper， we attempt to analyze the subtitle translation from the aspects of its expression， content level， context， and cultural level， moreover， try to discuss some proper translation methods of subtitles， hoping it can give some enlightenment to the study of subtitle translation.

【Key words】multimodal discourse analysis; subtitles translation; translation strategies

【作者简介】乔珂（1995.09.01-），女，汉族，陕西西安人，西北大学，研究方向：翻译。

1. Introduction

With the deepening of the translation work and the development of technology， we are already at digital and information age， the single language model can not be the only method to express the meaning. Therefore， a new method is born at the right moment， scholars called this as multimodality. From the perspective of multimodal discourse analysis， we can pose some significance to strengthen the communication and development in the level of culture.

2. Analysis of Movie Subtitle Translation from the Perspective of Multimodal Discourse Analysis

This part mainly focuses on the subtitle translation，which deals with foreign language material under the guidance of multimodal discourse analysis. According to the theoretical framework proposed by Zhang， we analyze subtitle translation which based on some examples from the perspective of expression， content， contextual， and cultural these four levels.

2.1 Expression level

The transmission of characters emotion as the auxiliary role in the movies， it plays an instructive role. The structure of the subtitles， the sound and the strong emotion all these factors including in the movies. In a word， during the process of the information and context of the movies， the development of the subtitle translation plays an important role in it and we can also find some clues from the movie， for example：原文：走丢了？译文：separated？ 原文：长成这样？译文：He is gram.All these sentences can demonstrate the differences in expression level.

2.2 Content level

The text level includes the meaning of the language what characters said and also the format level. Some exclamation words， name of people， places and some trivial things can be ignored. Under the influence of the factor of time and space， translators should do some appropriate disposal when they do some translation work. There is a dialogue from a dying little soldier：原文：你想說什么？译文：What you are saying？ 原文：快！雨！译文：Hurry！Rain！原文：哪有雨啊？是阎王爷在哭你呢。译文：What rain？ It is depth weeping for you. The translator uses the term “death” to express the sad atmosphere well， it is easy for audience to understand the plot of the movie.

2.3 Contextual level

In a concrete context， the communicative function of a movie will be restricted by the context. A successful subtitle translation should be based on various context. In this plot， the thirteen prostitutes have a argue with the students in that they want to use the bathroom， so they have the following dialogues：原文：小妹妹，你说我们不拉不撒行吗。译文：Little sister， we will not shit or piss in there. 原文：小妹妹。译文：Little sister. 原文：哪个是你妹妹？译文：Do not call me sister？ This can be called situation context. In this plot， the translator expresses the dissatisfaction of students totally， it is a successful translation.

2.4 Cultural level

Cultural level is an important level which makes the multimodality become possible.In order to achieve the purpose and function of the subtitle translation， the translator should not only obey some relevant translation principles，but also attach more importance to the cultural phenomena in translation practice. The title of the movie， the Flowers of War has abundant meanings， it is rich in Chinese characteristics， it imitates the Jinling shier chai in A Dream in Red Mansions， it implies the special flavor of the women in the Qinhuai River. In a word， subtitle translation can better prompt the integration and communication between different cultures.

3. Conclusion

In a word， the differences in expression level， content level， contextual level， and also cultural level are very important， we can have a complete understanding of differences between Chinese and western cultures， and also have a good command of the method of multimodal discourse analysis.

References：

[1]呂健.多模态话语分析视角下影片《金陵十三钗》的字幕翻译研究[J].上海翻译，2012（4）：36-38.