本文从目的论出发,以奥尼尔的两部戏剧为例,对如何翻译好戏剧中的潜台词进行初步探索。文章经过分析发现,戏剧潜台词翻译中仍存在由于处理不当而出现文化缝隙、无法完美阐释作者意图等问题。要解决这些问题,译者需在戏剧翻译中采取不同的翻译技巧,在将异国戏剧尽量完好无损地引入本国的同时,还要使其符合本国文化,与受众文化相契合。 Starting from the theory of purpose, this article takes O’Neill ’s two plays as an example to make a tentative exploration on how to translate the subtext in the drama. After the analysis of the essay, we find that there are still some problems in the translation of subtexts, such as improper handling of cultural gaps and inability to fully explain the author’s intention. To solve these problems, the translator needs to adopt different translation skills in drama translation. While introducing foreign drama into the country as intact as possible, it also needs to conform with the culture of the audience and the audience culture.