Abstract

A film, which combines artistic character with commercial aims, is an integral part of the modern life, and also one of the most influential contemporary cultural mass media. With the speed-up of Chinese opening-up and the development of cross-country communication, English films are becoming more and more popular in the domestic market. The film title, as an important part of the film, not only attracts the eyeball, but also helps the film win an everlasting fame. The translation work of English films thus serves as a bridge between film and audience, showing its great importance.
This paper takes the Equivalent Translation as the point of departure, and analyzes the four principles for translating movie titles: the informative value principle, cultural value principle, aesthetic value principle and commercial value principle. After the case study of the translation of some English movie titles, the paper expounds on the two translation methods: modification and reconstruction.

Key words: Functional Equivalence Translation; modification; reconstruction; movie title

摘要

电影是一种集艺术性和商业性于一体的艺术形式，是最具有影响力的媒体之一。随着中国对外开放进程的加快以及中外文化交流的发展，英语电影正越来越多地涌入中国大陆市场。作为英语译制片不可或缺的部分，中文译名架起了一座把电影和观众初步联系在一起的桥梁。
本文从翻译的功能对等入手，分析了电影片名翻译的四个原则，即信息价值对等, 文化价值对等, 审美价值对等和商业价值对等，结合英文电影片名翻译的实例，阐述了为达到翻译对等的效果所运用的两种方法：修润和重构。

关键词：等值； 修润； 重构；片名翻译

1.    Introduction
With the process of globalization and the increasing exchange between Chinese and western cultures, a film has begun to rise in popularity in international communication, since it is one of the most widely-spread artistic forms.
In fact, a film title plays a vital role in the release of a film, since the title serves as a mirror, and it is the most direct and quickest way for people to get to know about the film. There is no exaggerating in saying that an excellent translated version not only contributes a lot to the commercial and aesthetic values of a film but attracts the audience’s eyes and leaves a great impact on generations of people.