电影译名差异及翻译技巧

电影译名差异探因及其翻译技巧

Difference in movie names translation and skills engaged

　　Abstract: This study is trying to research the reasons of differences in the translation-movie- names and the skills engaged. By the angles of economy, society, policy and the theories of translation I analysized the differences how to appear and the advantages and the disadvantages of the skills engaged. In general, translation-movie-names can be affected by some elements, what kinds of elements effect on, how they effect on, the result of the influences, are focused on in this thesis, including the styles of the skills engaged.

　　Key Words: translation-movie-names affect skills difference reason

　　摘 要： 该论文研究的是产生电影译名差异的原因以及相关技巧。从经济、社会、政治和翻译理论的角度，我分析了这些差异是如何出现的和相关技巧的优点和缺点。概括地说，电影译名可以被一些因素影响，那么，什么样的因素可以影响，怎么样影响，以及这种影响导致的结果就是本篇论文所关注的，还包括相关技巧的分类。

　　关 键 词： 电影译名 影响 技巧 差异 原因

　　Introduction:

　　Since the movie name was touched by audiences at first. Thus, the translation of it will be very important, especially under the tendency of globalization, Movie names translation is not only a question about commercial benefit but also a kind of recreational art. Different skills of translation will product different movies translation names.

　　American Beauty, which won the best movie award in 2001 Oscar, has three different names when it flowed in China. In mainland it is called 《美国美人》,it was called 《美丽有罪》 in Hong Kong. A more aesthetic and literature name,《美国心 玫瑰情》,appeared in Taiwan. Why does one same movie has three names? The purpose of this article is trying to find out and analyzing these differences, at the same time, trying to find skills used in these different translation.

　　As China is a country with abundant customs in different areas, the same thing may have different cognitions. Especially in recently 50 years, China has experienced great changes politically. These differences inturn can be reflected in field of movie names translation.

　　1. Two stages

　　At first, we can divide the course of Chinese movie names translation into two stages. One is before the year of 1949, the other is after that year.

　　1.1 First stage: before 1949

　　In this period of time, one feature is that it is so unite that there was no different translations for a same movie in most cases. It can be illustrated by some members: according to the statistics, among the eleven movie names before 1949, nine translations of them are completely same in the eleven ones before 1949. It takes nearly 82% in total. However, on the contrary only nine, among 43 were the same after 1949. But it takes approximate only 16% in the total number after 1949. Many reasons can be accounted for the change but may be the most important one is due to the political division. Translation is a kind of goculturics. Local culture may effects the translation and translation there inturn expresses the local culture. A unite country may get the same name more easily than the country that was divided into three parts. Before liberation China was a unite country so the unified translation was found in three areas. Another possible reason is the influence of commercial, reform and opening. This will be further discussed below.

　　The other feature is concerning the translation skill that the translated names usually use the Chinese ancient allusions to compare the similar stories. Simple words can give a lot of meanings. The spirit of the movie was shown completely. There are many appropriate add the touch that bring a life to name of translation. The word used was selected carefully. The liberal translation skill is frequently employed. Following are some representative examples.

　　The most typical one of this period is 《魂断蓝桥》（waterloo bridge） This romantic name is sentimental and it contains a ancient Chinese allusion. "蓝桥"（blue bridge）has special meaning in the Chinese literature. Once upon the time there was a young learner named PeiHang. He met a beauty and fell in the love with her. Finally they married. The allusion is similar with the movie story and point out the use of bridge, where the love started and ended. "魂断"（the hearts is broken）means the failure of the marriage and conveys expressing the grieving ambience totally. People also compared disloyal women with "蓝桥久通"（conservation long at Lanqiao）in ancient China. It hints the heroine's terrible experience.

　　Another example is the translation of Bathing Beauty, a classical music comedy movie. It is translation into 《出水芙蓉》. There is a tradition in China that flowers are analogical meaning of pretties. "芙蓉"（lotus）is a kind of beautiful flower, which grows in the water and fully blooms on the surface of the water. Just like those girls in the movie, they were dancing in the water when the music is powerful and grandeur; suddenly the music turned to soft and the girls dispersed, a most beautiful star girl raised form water slowly. The drops of water on her body are shining, sparkling, glittering and translucent, and the scenes were splendid. The Chinese name fits the sense completely.

　　At than time, there appear a lot of excellent movie's names. They are still the good models for today translation. For example, 《红菱艳》、《乱世佳人》、《蝴蝶梦》，and so on.

　　Chinese culture has its own sediment and accumulation in thousands of years. A lot of stories, tales and allusions were passed on orally or in the write form. The culture has its own value tendency. Old tradition was kept in that period of time. At that time people attach great importance to likely literature. People thought the education is important. The translation of movies must pay much attention to the taste of those translators. The agriculture was attached greater importance to and the commercial was looked down on at that time.

　　2.1 second stage: since 1949

　　Things have greatly changed in this stage. The situation is more complicated. This study will discuss the different feature of movies names translation in mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan one by one, and the reasons engaged.

　　Literal translation Liberal translation Percent Rename translation Percent

　　Mainland Before1949 Percent After 1949 Percent 7 13% 8 15%

　　6 55% 33 77%

　　Hong Kong 5 45% 11 26% 16 30% 20 37%

　　Taiwan 5 45% 15 35% 22 40% 14 26%

　　2.1.1 mainland

　　Literal translation is main tendency, which can be seen from above table obviously. There are totally 39 names among the 43, which be translated by literal method and the percent is 72%. At this stage, for one thing, people became conservative and mainly construed word to word. There are some examples: 《勇敢的心》（brave heart）,which makes people feel insipid, without its own features. It comes from word to word while there is no big error for the story of movie. It is uncanny for 《幽灵》（ghost）. Although it was metaphrased, it is discrepancy for the story, which is a beautiful and impressive love story.《雨人》 （Rain Man） is a touching story about two brothers especially the little one how to realize the real relationship between two brothers. But the literal translation loses the tasty of the movie and let people think it is a scenic fantastic movie. Literal translation belongs to text-centered and it is the easiest and most conservative kind method. The advantage is as close as the old name, but the disadvantages are dull and mechanical. Sometimes the foreign movie names like use some common names of people and places. It is not difficult for their people to understand. But to Chinese people, they are totally strange to those names and place. Thus this kind of translation cannot wake the interesting of them. Be soaked in thousands of years the thought of Confucianist, mainland was not effected by commercial economy very much. Though reform and opening have happened, the commercial consciousness of mainland was also light. Naturally, simple and unadorned were thought good characters, and the reason of the natural thoughts happened is based on the thoughts of agriculture.

　　Perhaps we can explain these phenomena as follows: one reason is that politically mainland has a cultural system quite different from that in the old society, that's why our translation is relatively conservative compared with our Taiwan and Hong Kong counterparts. Another possible reason is that mainland market set strictly limited control on the foreign movies, which probably leads to less experienced situation and the translations can only be loyal to the original names.

　　2.2. Hong Kong

　　Here, the main translation skill is rename translation, which should be the style of author-centered form. We can also see this feature from the table. The advantages of liberal translation are that the course of recreate will be freely; the works of recreation are vivid. The disadvantages are the recreated works often be far away from the original names. Hong Kong also has such characters: strong commercial, oral and plebeian. The entertainment is the first choice and the culture of paparazzo is very popular. Hong Kong has its own culture features. Translation names meet the taste of local audiences. Even some sexy, violence and sting words are used to attract audience and make the stirabout influence. There are great many of local people speak Guangdong dialect, some elements and morphemes that just can be made in Guangdong dialect appear in the translation names. There are also some names, which can't be understood by those who don't know the Guangdong dialect. There are some typical examples for the feature：

　　Brave Heart was translated for 《梅尔吉布森之英雄本色》. It not only points out who played in the movie, but also uses the same name of a famous movie directed by WuYushen, which has mighty affection in the local culture. The characters of Hong Kong translation names are expressed completely. 《杀戮战场》（Platoon） makes people know that it is an action movie. The name was filled with the air of violence, but it had no relationship with its original name. It was said that Shawshank re Demption was translated for 《刺激1995》just because the movie was put on at Hong Kong is in 1995. Moulin Rouge was translated as 《情陷红磨坊》only in Hong Kong. This translation tends to emphasize the love component in the movie so that can attract more audience. American beauty is translated as 《美丽有罪》is based the same reasons. 《生死时速》（Speed） is also a wonderful translation name. It emphasizes the theme of the movie and closes to the English name. 《咪走鸡》（chicken run） ,the literal meaning is that to telling the chicken in the movie to run fast, but the other meaning in Guangdong dialect is telling the people should watch the movie. But the names that like 《线鬼衰人》（the cable guy） and 《口力女》（clueless） are that can not be understood kind.

　　The act of language （including translation） is the act of humanistic. It can't be separated from social actions, experience, thoughts, and feelings of human. In the word, translation was close relationship with the logic and experience of life. Hong Kong was ruled by Britain since the Opium War, and affected by British culture. At the same time, the own area culture has a deep-rooted influence in Hong Kong. Hong Kong has its special culture atmosphere. It is an important financial city in Asia, even in the world. The level of commercialization is high in Hong Kong. But in the same time the people of Hong Kong lack the feeling of belonging-to. Most of them feel homeless and rootless. With the heavy pressure of life, they accept some relaxative, shallow, things easily. Hong Kong has a very special history. And the people of Hong Kong have used their own dialect indicates that they have a relative closed culture circle.

　　2.3 Taiwan

　　The main skill used for movie names translation is liberal translation. This kind of form is often used and belongs to the reader-centered form （the character of movie lead to it should to be accepted by audiences, so the audiences are put to an important position）. This kind of translations is so hard to reach excellent. And it requires the translators and audiences both have high level of literature. An outstanding feature of Taiwan translation is that it keeps the surviving traces of translation before mainland was liberated. The feature of Taiwan is of more literature, higher culture-inside-information, and vivid imagination. But some times some word games are used and some translation names are a little artificial, at the same time, the form was seeked excessively. The aesthetics is common which lead to some morphemes was used mistakenly. The appearances put the English name away and take the other name, which are pleasant to hear, is also very common.

　　For example: 《一树梨花压海棠》（Lolita）is a poetic sentence. ZhangXian, a poet in Beisong dynasty, married an 18 years old girl when he was 80 years old. His friend, another great poet, SuShi wrote a poem to congratulate. "一树梨花压海棠"is the last sentence in the poem. "梨花" （the flowers of pear tree）means ZhangXian and "海棠" （the flower of Chinese crap apple tree）means the pretty girl. It right fits the content of the movie, which the old people fell in love with so little girl. 《门当父不对》（meet the parents）, it fits the content of the movie and it is a very rightly name with a Chinese proverb: 门当户对（be well-matched in social and economic status ） which is usually used in case of marriage. 父（father）and 户（the status of family） are homophony words. In the movie, the daughter brought her boyfriend to meet her parents, all things are OK, but just her father is unsatisficially. It is a proper name by change word in a Chinese proverb. 《不羁夜》（Boogie Night） is a mixture. The first word is translated as its tone, but the second word is translated literally. It's a movie to express the life of pornographic actors and actresses. The most time they have their movements in night, and their actions could be called uninhibited. It's very lively, so it is a excellent name.

　　《美国心 玫瑰情》（American Beauty）is a very delicate in form and pleasant to hear. Thought it is concerned with the content of movie, does not point out the theme. 《惊世未了缘》（brave heart） is a little artificially. Mel Gibson is a hero to lead the independence of nation and could be called "惊世"，but love, which is the main meaning in translation name is just a small part in the movie. The theme of the movie is the spirit of freedom. And this name can be used for many movies, has no its own sole feature.

　　Taiwan translators like using series names to a series of movie, which are played by a same actor or is in a same type. The case is that if one movie is succeed at Taiwan then the element of movie's translation name will be used broadly in the movies after it especially those the same types or acted by the same actor.《魔鬼总动员》（Total Recall）, which acted by Arnold Schwarzenger, have succeed in Taiwan and attracted a lot of audiences. Then all movie acted by him after it are translated with the two words "魔鬼"（devil）. For example, a comedy movie was translated to be 《魔鬼孩子王》（Kindergarten Cop）. 《终极警探》（die hard）acted by Bruce willies is also good, so the other movie after it was called 终极XX. This mostly made for commercial benefit. And maybe the movie businessmen think the series names are easy to be remembered by audiences.

　　Taiwan was ruled under the same government that ruled mainland before the year of 1949. we can see there is no wonder why we find the surviving traces of translation before the year of 1949.