The Processing Strategy of Cultural Image in Film Translation

刘明月

Abstract：Movies are an important form of cultural dissemination，and the audience is very wide. However，due to the different historical accumulations of the Chinese and Western countries，cultural differences have brought many obstacles to film translation. How to make the audience understand the imagery in the movie plays a key role in interpreting the content of the movie. To this end，this article first elaborates the requirements and particularities of film translation，then analyzes the concept of cultural images，and finally proposes the processing strategies of cultural images in film translation from the aspects of image literal translation，image reconstruction，image modification and image conversion.

Keywords：film translation;Chinese cultural imagery;strategy

Nanjing University of Science and Technology ZiJin College，210000

There are differences in the way the language is used. If there is no good translation，it may cause some misunderstandings or cognitive differences. Film translation connects the two audiences. Therefore，film translators are required to not only pay attention to the artistry，but also consider the differences between Eastern and Western cultures，respect Chinese culture，and restore the cultural characteristics of the original film to the greatest extent.

1 Requirements and particularities of film translation

The difference between film translation and literary translation is that the film is a combination of sound and image，so when watching a movie，the audience should pay attention to the characters and plot while watching the translation.Film translation should focus on the needs of the audience，and use colloquial expressions to clear the audience's understanding of obstacles. Movie translation is presented in the form of subtitles，so you need to consider how to synchronize the image and subtitles.This is a great challenge for translators and technicians[1].

2 Overview of Cultural Image

Cultural imagery is the cultural achievement of different countries and nations through long-term historical development. It can show people's religious customs，values，and psychological state under different cultural backgrounds. There are also some cultural images that are directly related to totem worship. After a long time of change，the cultural image has gradually evolved into a symbolic existence，and its connotation is relatively fixed，so as long as a certain cultural image is mentioned，everyone will associate it with the meaning contained in it，and the ideological connection will occur. Understanding the cultural images of different countries is very important for film translation，and it is also an inevitable process of promoting cultural prosperity.

3 Strategies for processing cultural images in film translation

3.1 Literal translation of images

Languages are constantly changing in the process of development，and countries will also be affected by cultural exchanges. Therefore，we should look at film language translation from a development perspective. Cultural exchanges are the result of two-way interaction，such as Coca-Cola，the Internet and Macdonald imported from abroad，while Kungfu and Taiji in China are familiar to many foreigners. . Therefore，there are many images that may be universal in the world. Literal translation is the most common method of film translation[2]. On the one hand，it retains the meaning of the original film，and on the other hand，it can ensure the audience's understanding of foreign cultures. For example，The Silence of the Lambs is translated as "The Silent Lamb"，and Beautiful Mind is translated as "Beautiful Mind". However，due to the differences between Eastern and Western cultures，the meanings of some cultural images are different. This requires translators to fully understand the cultures of the two countries to avoid unsatisfactory words，so as to avoid the spread of the film. Adverse effects.

3.2 Image reconstruction

Image reconstruction is a relatively large adjustment made because the literal translation cannot fully express the meaning of the original film. During the translation process，the translator can look for cultural images that are closest to the original film in meaning and are most easily accepted by Chinese audiences. There is a classic line in "Forrest Gump"："From that day on，we were always together. Jenny and me like peas and carrots." If the literal translation is used，this sentence means "From that day on，we were always together. We are always together. Jenny and I are like peas and carrots.”This translation is bound to make the Chinese audience confused after reading it. In fact，this sentence uses peas and carrots to describe the close relationship between two people，because Foreigners often use peas and carrots in cooking，so translators can use reconstruction methods to translate like peas and carrots as "inseparable"[2]. In the 1980s，the British film Red Shoes was first literally translated as "Red Shoes". The main content of this film is the story of how a British ballerina faced the decision of love and career and how to go into the abyss. In addition to the original English meaning，the film does have the image of red dancing shoes，but the audience may feel that there is nothing new after seeing the title. So later in a touring exhibition of excellent films，the title of this film was translated as "Hong Lingyan". The image of Hongling is a household name in China. Although it grows in silt，it is spotless and slim. The title uses metaphors to portray the life of the heroine in a moving and tragic way.

3.3 Image modification

For the cultural imagery related to the development of national history in the film，the translator needs to modify it as necessary and add more complete information so that the audience can better understand and realize cultural communication. For example，there is a line in "The Grand Hotel"："You aren't responsible for the Sev enth Commandment in your hotel！" The literal translation means "You are not responsible for catching the seventh commandment in your hotel！" Chinese audiences naturally There will be questions about the term "seventh commandment". In fact，many people in Western countries respect Christianity. The meaning of "seventh commandment" is "no adultery"，but there are relatively few Chinese who know this meaning. Therefore，when translating，the translator needs to add this part of the content，which means "you are not responsible for catching the problem of men and women in the restaurant！" In this way，the audience can clearly understand the meaning of this sentence.

3.4 Image transformation

In many cases，the same cultural image has different meanings in different countries，and sometimes it is far from each other. It may be auspicious in China but ominous in foreign countries;negative images in China are positive in foreign countries. If the translator does not handle these cultural images well，it will cause a big error in the audience's understanding. Therefore，the translator can adopt the method of image conversion when necessary to find a suitable image in Chinese to match the image in the original English film. For example，there is a dialogue in "Wuthering Heights"：Edgar："Oh，you want a dragon？" Isabella："Yes，I do. With a fiery mustache." The keyword dragon and the Chinese "dragon" means a comparison close，but the meaning of "dragon" in Chinese and Western cultures is very different：the dragon in English is the devil and is abominable;while in China，the dragon is supreme and can be used to represent the Chinese nation. The meanings of the two are diametrically opposite，so it is inappropriate for the translator to translate the word as "dragon cavalry"，but should be converted to the meaning of "barbarian". This requires translators to understand and deal with the problem of image dislocation so that the audience can better understand the meaning of the film.

4 Conclusion

To sum up，film is a way of cultural transmission，which can help people open their horizons，delight their bodies and minds，and expand their knowledge. It is undeniable that movies play an important role in people's lives. From a fundamental analysis，film is a carrier of cultural exchanges. By watching movies from different countries，people can learn about foreign cultures，which play a positive role in cross-cultural communication. Because of the different historical developments of Eastern and Western countries，unique cultures and ways of thinking have been formed. Therefore，in the process of film translation，different images have specific meanings，and different countries have different interpretations of the same image.

References：

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[3]孔宝兰.从跨文化角度谈英文电影片名的翻译[J].校园英语，2020（31）：229-230.

（作者单位：南京理工大学紫金学院）