Finals Trans 4

Back to Finals_Trans and to Course Homepage.

Group 4

王晶 Wang Jing Gina 女 Special:Contributions/Wang_Jing

专业术语翻译规范及翻译技巧在医学翻译中的运用 The Application of Professional Terminology Translation Standards and Translation Techniques in Medical Translation

This article will explore which terminology translation conventions to follow in medical translation, and how to use these specifications and translation techniques to make the translation more professional and easier to understand.

王敏 Wang Min Minna 女 Special:Contributions/Wang_Min

Translation of Musical Subtitles Guided by the Theory of Functional Equivalence - The 25th Anniversary Live Edition of The Phantom of the Opera as an Example

Abstract: Musical theatre is a comprehensive art form that combines drama, music and dance, and narrates its storyline mainly through singing. Therefore, a good translation of musical subtitles helps the audience to deeply appreciate the emotions of the characters and the deeper meaning of the story. Neda's theory of functional equivalence strives to make the translation and the original text functionally equivalent in terms of language, so that the reader's psychological response is the same. This is the case with The Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary Live Edition, which enables the audience to understand the general meaning of the lines while satisfying the audience's aesthetics.

Keywords: functional equivalence theory; subtitle translation; musical; The Phantom of the Opera

I.Introduction As the process of globalisation deepens and accelerates, exchanges between different countries and peoples have long existed in many fields, such as economy, culture, science ...... and so on. It is worth mentioning that many Western musicals have been introduced to China, and more people are beginning to understand and appreciate this relatively unfamiliar form of theatre art in the Chinese cultural environment, and the translation of musical subtitles is particularly important at this time. However, as musicals have not been introduced to the Chinese market for a long time, many translators do not have a good understanding of the purpose and characteristics of musical translations, resulting in a wide range of translation standards. Therefore, this paper discusses the translation of musical subtitles from the perspective of musical translation, combining Eugene Neda's theory of functional equivalence with the subtitle translation of The Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary Live Edition video by the famous domestic subtitle groups "plx Subtitle Group" and "TLF Subtitle Group" as an example. In this paper, we discuss the subtitle translation of musicals, in the hope that more people will pay attention to and think about the subtitle translation of musicals.

II.The Importance of Musical Translation The first thing that comes to mind when you think of a musical is a group of people singing and dancing on stage, with the actors confined to a square inch of the stage. The exaggerated movements and flamboyant costumes always attract the audience's attention and make them lose sight of the storyline. It is true that music, dance and staging are the first elements that attract the audience, but it is the lyrics and dialogue that are the heart and foundation of a musical. They make up all the musical text and add a narrative function to the music and dance, while the rich emotional expression and psychological activity of the characters guide the plot and ending. It can be said that "without the dramatic poems, music in musical theatre loses its narrative dramatic function and is unable to advance the plot of the play, making it difficult to develop the portrayal of the dramatic characters." (Lo Wei, 2013:4). In addition to being a visual and aural delight, the classic musicals are invariably characterised by grand or profound dramatic themes, as well as evocative singing that leaves a lasting and moving impact. This is inextricably linked to the excellence of the script and the poetry of the play. Thus, for audiences from different cultural backgrounds and speaking different languages, the music and performances help to form a vague, superficial impression of the plot and characters, but it is only with the help of translations that the deeper emotions of the characters and the moral of the story can be appreciated. In addition to the translation of the text, as musical theatre is a theatre culture, there is also a consequent translation of the subtitles for musicals. The use of subtitles in live performances is not only a matter of adding subtitles to the language (lines, lyrics) performed by the actors on stage and playing them at the same speed as the performance, but also of the quality of the translation, the size of the subtitles and the speed at which they are played. All of these issues have an impact on the performance.

III.Musical Subtitles Translation Musical subtitles can be broadly divided into musical theatre captions and musical video captions. According to Qiu Ye, a long-time translator and editor of musical intertitles, musical intertitles refer to "subtitles that are played on a projection or screen during a live performance, following the verbal content (lines, lyrics) expressed by the actors during the performance, in a synchronised rhythm." These subtitles are usually shown on a bar above the stage or on rectangular screens that stand on the walls on either side of the stage. As with opera subtitles, the length and speed of the captions are adjusted to take into account the size of the screen and the stage performance.The quality of the subtitles depends not only on the quality of the content. The quality of the subtitles depends not only on the quality of the translated content, but also on whether the number of characters is appropriate for the size of the screen and whether the playing time is synchronised with the stage performance. Although musicals are mainly enjoyed live on stage, for many domestic music fans there are not many opportunities to see famous foreign musicals live, so they have to rely on official recordings, or what is commonly known as 'official photography'. This article focuses on the subtitling of musical recordings. This form of subtitling is similar to that of video subtitling in that it is subject to the constraints of space and time. For the sake of aesthetics and clarity of presentation, subtitles generally do not exceed two lines of the screen. Moreover, "subtitles are fleeting, and those that have been broadcast cannot be watched again and again and pondered over and over again ...... Even if people are free to rewind backwards and forwards, it affects the mood of the viewer and the coherence of the story." (Zhang Qinghong, 2009 (01): 73-78)Therefore, the translation of the subtitles of a video should be as clear and concise as possible. In addition, as musicals, like ordinary film and television productions, have channels of expression other than text, such as music, movement and dance that need to convey extra-textual information. The translation of subtitles should also be as clear and concise as possible. Therefore, the subtitle translation should also convey extra-textual information as appropriate.

IV.Nida Theory of Functional Equivalence In order to have a standard for translation between source and target languages and to reduce differences, Eugene A. Naida, from a linguistic point of view and according to the nature of translation, put forward the famous "dynamic equivalence" theory of translation, that is, "functional equivalence". In this theory, he states that "translation is the reproduction of information from the source language in the most appropriate, natural and reciprocal language, from semantic to stylistic". Neda's definition of translation indicates that translation is not only about lexical equivalence but also about semantic, stylistic and stylistic equivalence, and that the information conveyed by translation is both superficial lexical and deep cultural information. The equivalence in 'dynamic equivalence' includes four aspects: 1. lexical equivalence, 2. syntactic equivalence, 3. stylistic equivalence, and 4. stylistic equivalence. Of these four aspects, Neda argues that "meaning is the most important, and form is the second most important". Form is likely to conceal the cultural meaning of the source language and impede cultural exchange. Therefore, in literary translation, according to Neda's theory, the translator should use the four aspects of dynamic equivalence as the principle of translation to accurately reproduce the cultural connotation of the source language in the target language.

V.Translation of Musical Subtitles from the Theory of Functional Equivalence The theory of functional equivalence requires the elimination of cultural differences between the source language and the target language, and in order to achieve this, the translation of musical subtitles can start from the following three aspects. The first is to try to create a translation that both conforms to the semantics of the original and reflects the cultural characteristics of the original. However, the two languages represent two completely different cultures, which may have similar elements but cannot be identical. Therefore, it is impossible for a perfect translation to fully express the cultural connotations of the original, and the translator can only reproduce the culture of the original to the greatest extent possible, which requires that the translation of musical subtitles should minimise the barriers to understanding in the target language, such as using colloquial language and avoiding awkward "translation styles"; using "The use of 'transplants' or paraphrases to dissolve unfamiliar cultural concepts. Secondly, if meaning and culture cannot be taken into account at the same time, the translator can only give up formal equivalence and achieve the purpose of reproducing the semantics and culture of the original text by changing the form of the original text in the translation. The translation of musical subtitles is based on reading comprehension, thus reducing the rigid requirements for rhythm and rhyme, so that in this case the translation of subtitles can achieve the purpose of allowing the audience to understand the direction of the plot in a timely and accurate manner by reading the letters. Thirdly, if the change of form is still insufficient to express the semantics and culture of the original language, the translation technique of "re-creation" can be used to resolve the cultural differences, so that the source language and the target language can achieve a meaningful equivalence. The term "re-creation" refers to the conversion of the deep structure of the source language into the superficial structure of the target language (Guo Jianzhong, 2000, p. 67), that is, the cultural connotation of the source language text is elaborated and illustrated by the vocabulary of the translated language. Because of the variety of forms of musical expression, the texts are presented in a variety of styles, from spoken dialogue, to dramatic repertoire, to powerful choral singing, to poetic, lyrical solos. Very often, the style of these texts is only reflected in the particular singing. The translator therefore needs to be familiar with the musical as a whole, to appreciate the message beyond the text, to distinguish between different emotions and to recreate the text when necessary to better align it in meaning with the source language text.

VI.Introduction to "The Phantom of the Opera" Musical In a Parisian opera house, strange things happen frequently, the original prima donna is nearly smashed to death and a creepy disembodied male voice appears in the theatre. This voice comes from a "ghost" who lives in the underground labyrinth of the theatre. He falls in love with the actress Christine and secretly teaches her to sing to help her get the leading role, while Christine is in love with the theatre's patron Raoul, which leads to a series of jealousy, chases and murders. In the end the "ghost" realises that his love for Christine has become more than personal and possessive, so he frees Christine, leaving his cloak and mask behind, and disappears alone into the dark underground labyrinth. The play is based on the novel of the same name by the French writer Gaston Leroux, as is our film Singing in the Night. Although the original novel is not very exciting, its mysterious and romantic plot and thrilling and suspenseful atmosphere have inspired many artists. In contrast to the novel and the film, the musical adds romance and a subtle touch of the human side of the Phantom. Since its production in London in 1986, the show has become popular around the world with its twists and turns, moving music and gorgeous choreography, and has become one of the four most famous musicals in the world.

VII.Application of Functional Equivalence Theory in The Phantom of the Opera 1.Lexical equivalence Lexical equivalence does not simply mean equivalence in lexical meaning, but rather finding a word that is culturally equivalent to the source language word and replaces it so that the target language reader reacts in the same way as the reader of the original. Language is a vehicle and a part of culture. Each language reflects the characteristics of a different culture. English and Chinese, as two completely different language systems, both reflect the spirit and characteristics of their cultures, and the differences between them, respectively. Therefore, considering the different status of culturally-based vocabulary in Chinese and English, translations should be based on the principle of intercultural equality. The message of the source language should be given as much weight as possible, taking into account the capabilities of the target reader, so that the purpose of cultural exchange is truly achieved.

Example 1：Of Elysian peace!天堂般的安宁！ Example 2：You little lying Delilah!你这妖妇！

The Elysian Fields, in ancient Greek legend, refers to the paradise where souls who have attained immortality finally rest, and Elysian is used to mean blissful, heaven-like. Considering that Chinese audiences were not familiar with this legend, the translator simply omitted Elysian, meaning heavenly peace. The original meaning of Delilah in Example 2 refers to the biblical prostitute who seduced Samson, a warrior with divine power, with her beauty, but betrayed her lover for money. Due to cultural differences, the translators have explained the metaphorical meaning of Delilah in terms of a demon woman, which is clearer and easier to understand. 2.Syntactic equivalence Syntactic equivalence is much more complex than lexical equivalence and requires the translator to master a specific grammatical structure. Syntactic equivalence means reproducing the style and features of the source language as closely as possible and preserving the grammatical form in a text structured in the target language. However, when there is a deep gap between the target language and the source language in terms of form and content, we should be guided by Neda's theory of functional equivalence, which sacrifices formal equivalence in favour of content equivalence. The translation should focus more on the reciprocity of content than on the formal reciprocity of the source language. Lengthy dialogue and excessive subtitles not only take up a lot of space, but also interfere with the audience's understanding. Therefore, the translation of musical subtitles can be guided by the theory of functional equivalence to change the form of the source language in order to convey the semantics and spirit of the dialogue in the source language. 3. Formal equivalence By formal equivalence, it is meant that the information in the target language should correspond as closely as possible to the different components of the source language. It emphasises the form and content of the message itself, so it hopes to achieve absolute equivalence between the original and the target text, and to reflect to a certain extent that the vocabulary, grammar and syntactic structure of the original are close to those of the original, which has a great impact on the accuracy and correctness of the translation. Due to the constraints of time and space, the translation of musical subtitles needs to be brief and clear to achieve equality in the translation of musical subtitles while keeping the semantics intact. According to the theory of functional equivalence, this statement is in line with the connotation of formal equivalence. Example 3：Burning glances, Turning heads.目光交汇，热情燃烧 Example 4：Leering satyrs, peering eyes.目光交织，眼神挑逗 Example 5：Take your fill.酒池肉林 Example 6：Let the spectacle astound you.纸醉金迷 In the opening song of the second act, 'The Masquerade', the lyrics use short, fast-paced nouns or verbal phrases to portray the joy and excitement of the ball. However, if translated directly into Chinese, the words are confusing and unattractive. The translator uses the four-character words flexibly, taking their meaning and discarding their form, to recreate the lively scene of the ball. In examples 3 and 4, for example, the translator rewrites the noun phrases in the original text into a subject-predicate structure, which is more catchy and easier to understand. In addition, in Example 4, the translator omitted the word "satyrs", taking into account Chinese culture and the more subtle nature of Chinese expressions. In examples 5 and 6, the original meaning is to exhort the guests to fill their bellies and enjoy the ball. The translation is free from the source language and uses the familiar Chinese idioms of "wine, pools and meat" and "paper and gold", which, in addition to being rhythmically strong, also evoke images of lavish ancient banquets and thus resonate with Western balls. 4. Semantic equivalence Semantics refers to the connotation of a sentence. It includes grammatical meaning, denotative meaning and emotional meaning. According to Neda, there is a semantic loss in any translation, and it is the translator's job to minimise this loss. It can therefore be seen that semantic equivalence requires the achievement of close equivalence in meaning. Furthermore, Naida claims that we should maintain formal equivalence as much as possible in order to convey the message of the source language and to maximise its semantic meaning to the audience of the target language so that they can have a similar feeling to that of the source language, Yan Tingzhong. However, if formal equivalence is blindly pursued at the expense of semantics, it can confuse the target language audience, and the translator can then change the form of the source language as necessary to achieve this. Example 7：Good heavens!I have never known such insolence.天啊，你们都鬼迷心窍了吗？ Example 8：It’s all a plot to help Christine这些都是帮助克里斯汀上位的“鬼”计 Example 9：She is the behind this,Christine Daae克里斯汀戴耶，这都是她捣的鬼 None of the words ghost or phantom appear in these three lines, but the translator has cleverly used the expression "ghost" in the translation. Not only does it translate the original meaning very well, but it also adds the image of 'ghost', which echoes the main character 'phantom' in the whole play, thus creating a punning effect. Although the word 'ghost' in example 7 is not equivalent to the word 'insolence' in the original, the effect is the same. The principle of trying to convey as much semantics as possible is reflected. VIII. Summary Musical theatre is a special form of theatre art that combines various elements of music, dance, drama and literature. At the same time, it is also a form of entertainment for the general public. Because of the complexity of musicals and the lack of a systematic theory of musical translation, the author believes that Neda's theory of functional equivalence is the best choice. This is because Neda's functional equivalence theory requires the target audience to respond to the target language text in a similar way to the source language text. At the same time, when translating musical subtitles, in order to maximise formal and semantic equivalence, translators should fully consider the linguistic conventions and differences between the source language and the target language, and adopt various translation strategies with the linguistic conventions of the target language in mind. Only in this way can the differences between the target language and the source language text be minimised, and the best balance between 'fidelity' and 'freedom' be achieved.

吴瑾如 Wu Jinru Giesburg 女 Special:Contributions/Wu_Jinru

Translation and exchhange of Chinese and Western cultures 中西文化的翻译以及交流

When translating Chinese traditional culture into foreign languages, one faces some translation difficulties due to the cultural differences between China and the West, such as how to translate traditional Chinese architecture, literary texts and personal names. This paper will look for solutions among many theories to achieve the purpose of cultural exchange and understanding between China and the West 摘要:

这个文章是关于，在将中国传统文化翻译成外文的时候面临一些由于中西方文化差异而导致的翻译困难的问题，比如中国传统建筑学，文言文以及人名。本文将从众多理论之中寻找解决的办法，以达到中西方文化交流与了解的目的。

向宇涵 Xiang Yuhan Undine 女 Special:Contributions/Xiang_Yuhan

标题：研究信息型文本中的语义翻译及交际翻译——以二十大报告德文版本为例

Titel：Analyse der semantischen und kommunikativen Übersetzung in informativen Texten—am Beispiel der deutschen Fassung des Berichts auf dem 20 Parteitag der Kommunistischen Patei Chinas

摘要 ：纽马克在第一部著作《翻译问题探讨》中提出了语义翻译和交际翻译，这两种翻译方法在不同文本类型中发挥着不同作用。本文将以德文版本二十大报告为载体，探讨语义翻译及交际翻译在信息类文本中的体现，并分析两种翻译方法的优势与局限性。

Inhaltsangabe: Neumark stellte in seinem ersten Buch Approaches to Translation die semantische Übersetzung und die kommunikative Übersetzung vor, diese zwei Übersetzungsmethoden spielen in verschiedenen Textsorten unterschiedliche Rollen. In diesem Artikel wird anhand der deutschen Fassung des Berichts auf dem 20 Parteitag der Kommunistischen Patei Chinas untersucht, wie semantische und kommunikative Übersetzung in Informationstexten sich verkörpern, und die Vorteile und Grenzen der beiden Übersetzungsmethoden werden auch analysiert.

肖家玉 Xiao Jiayu Tjara 女 Special:Contributions/Xiao_Jiayu

翻译目的论——以二十大报告为例，研究政论文翻译中需要注意的地方