A Study of the Translation of Humor in English Movies

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  【Abstract】What is believed to be the most important thing in translating English movie subtitle is the transmission of humorous effects. Humor is the development result of language and culture, and it is human’s wisdom. Based on Vermeer’s Skopostheorie theory of functionalist approaches, the thesis suggests that the instrumental translation strategy based on the source text analysis can be used for the translation of humor discourses. The translator can translate humorous languages by way of literal translation, annotation, combination of literal translation and free translation.
  【Key words】Skopostheorie; humor; translation strategies
  I. Classification of Humors in The Big Bang Theory
  1.1 Language Humor
  Language humor is mainly refers to the linguistic elements variation use, often appear in the form of pun. Example 1: H: It’s hot in here, it must be summer.
  This sentence is H when he sees the famous actress Summer Gale on the train as a greeting to say. The use of two pun: one is “hot”, not only refers to the temperature, also implies the actress’s praise, said she is hot; another is the word “summer” contains two meanings, not only refers to the summer, but also the name of the actress.
  1.2 Culture Humor
  Cultural humor contains abundant expression with national, regional characteristics, such as idioms, proverbs, allusions and proper nouns and so on.
  Example 2:L: If we do get a new friend, he should be a guy you can trust, a guy who you’re your back.S: He should share our love of technology. H: And he should know a lot of women. L: Let’s see, money, women, technology. OK, we’re agreed. Our new friend is going to be Iron Man.
  “Iron Man”, is an iron man, is a fictional world in Marvel comics in Marvel Super hero. Iron man is known to every family in American, the audiences can tie with the comic or prototype, and then it’s easy to find the humor.
  1.3 Universal Humor
  Universal humor mainly refers to a humorous situation or humorous incident. This kind of humor has various national similarities, without much knowledge of the language, even a foreigner is also very easy to understand.
  Example 3: S: So if a photon is directed through a plane with two slits in it and either slit is observed, it will not go thorough both slits.However, if it’s observed after it left the plane, but before it hits its target, it won’t have gone through both slits. L: Agreed, what is your point? S: There is no point; I just think it’s a good idea for a T-shirt.   S firstly gave a description of a professional physics phenomenon and he said the theoretical knowledge for complex, just to be used for the T-shirt design. This humor caused by way of speaking and deviating from normal orbit.
  II. Translation Guided by Skopostheorie in Humors
  The translation practice is also in order to achieve a certain purpose or goal, and even produce results and effects in the target context (Attardo 222). It emphasizes the appropriateness rather than equivalence. All kinds of translation behavior has a different purpose, the translator should choose different purposes according to the needs of specific translation situation. In the purpose theory, translation of the original purpose and the translation should be essential for the translator. In the translation of humorous language, in order to maintain maximum faith to the original language, and convey the original humorous style to the audience, it should be taken in literal translation, annotation and the combination of literal translation.
  III. Cultural differences between English and Chinese
  The English and Chinese customs are different a lot. The most typical is the attitude to animals especially dog. The dog is a humble animal in Chinese. In the west English speaking countries, the dog is man’s best friend. Idioms in English often use the dog’s image to describe human behaviors.
  In Chinese and English, humors often produced by the homophone and homophonic, but and reflect the similarity of people’s mode of thinking. The thinking habits of people in English and Chinese are the same in the aspect. There are a lot of similarities of humor in Chinese and English, such as Chinese poetic couplet and English proverbs and so on (Z. Chen 134-136).
  References:
  [1]Attardo,Salvatore.Linguistic Theories of Humor[M].New York:Mouton de Gruyter,1994:222.
  [2]Nida,Eugene A.Language,Culture and Translation.Shanghai:Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press,1993.
  [3]Chen Qin,[陈琴].英汉幽默语比较[J].科技信息,2008(1):170-171.
  [4]Chen Zhi,[陈芝].浅谈英语中的谚语对联[J].大学英语:学术版,2004(6):134-136.
  作者简介:张丹丹(1991-),女,汉族,河南安阳人,研究生在读,英语翻译硕士,研究方向:英语口译。
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