Proposta di sottotitolaggio della serie televisiva cinese “Bailu yuan” con commento traduttologico

Abstract

Since the expansion of the TV series industry as well as the constant interest by the audience in new contents presented by the media, China’s efforts to create a wide range of products, where the “Made in China” brand assumes a completely new meaning, are being rewarded: historical dramas, medical dramas, romances, fantasy and politics, all genres already explored by Chinese directors. Although they all gained success in the last few years, historical dramas are the most popular. Directors consciously know that the best way to teach history is through the stories of lively characters. They want to show how those characters react to events that actually happened, try to make the audience reflect about their actions and the feelings they provoke. The bonds directors create between audience and characters are human, as the language they both speak. In the 20th century barriers and gaps are not insuperable, especially those between languages. Technology has provided us with many ways to meet market needs and promote its products all over the world. Subtitling and dubbing are the two precious methods that allow us to appreciate films and TV series from all around the world. Chinese directors are aware of the possibilities these fields open and of the progress made to provide the best experience to the audience. Audio-visual translation has been evolving and improving thanks to the numerous requests by curious users for new contents and to the power media have in the educational field. In order to learn a new language, students can use TV series or films with subtitles to practise their skills and that has proved to be extremely effective. This thesis provides the translation of three episodes of the Chinese TV series Bailu yuan, analyses the questions and issues encountered during the process of translation from Chinese to Italian and the subtitling strategies used.