功能目的论视角下《黄飞鸿之凌云壮志》(1991)英文字幕翻译研究

A Study on the English Subtitle Translation of Once upon a Time in China (1991) from the Perspective of Skopos Theory

摘要: 本文以功能目的论为理论框架，以1991年版《黄飞鸿之凌云壮志》英文字幕为研究对象，分析其翻译策略。该片作为中国香港地区新派武侠电影的代表作，台词中密集承载了世俗文化负载词、复杂人物称谓体系及武术文化表达三类富含民族文化特色的词语，构成跨文化传播的主要障碍。本文从目的原则、连贯原则和忠实原则三个维度，分析译者在三类词语处理中的策略选择及其理据。研究发现：目的原则是最高准则，字幕翻译首先服从于让英语观众快速理解剧情的交际目的；连贯原则通过简化、归化等手段保障字幕在有限时空内的可理解性；忠实原则在保留文化特色方面发挥调节作用，但整体服从于总体翻译目的。功能目的论能够较好解释武侠电影字幕翻译策略，为中华文化影视传播提供参考。

Abstract: This paper adopts Skopos Theory as its theoretical framework and takes the English subtitles of the 1991 film Once Upon a Time in China as its research object to analyze the translation strategies employed. As a representative work of Hong Kong’s new-style martial arts cinema, the film contains a large number of culturally distinctive expressions, including culture-loaded words related to everyday life, a complex system of forms of address, and martial arts terminology, all of which constitute major obstacles to cross-cultural communication. Guided by the three principles of Skopos Theory—namely, the Skopos Rule, the Coherence Rule, and the Fidelity Rule—this study examines the translator’s strategic choices and underlying rationale in dealing with these three categories of expressions. The findings indicate that the Skopos Rule serves as the overriding principle, requiring subtitle translation to prioritize the communicative purpose of enabling English-speaking audiences to comprehend the plot efficiently and achieving the communication between different culture. The Coherence Rule ensures the readability and comprehensibility of subtitles within the constraints of time and screen space through such strategies as simplification and domestication. Meanwhile, the Fidelity Rule functions as a regulating principle in preserving cultural characteristics, while remaining subordinate to the overall translation purpose. Skopos Theory provides a sound explanatory framework for subtitle translation strategies in martial arts films and offers useful insights into the international dissemination of Chinese culture through audiovisual media.