Translation Strategies for Culture-bound Terms in Film Subtitles from a Teleological Perspective: A Case Study of Chang’an

Abstract

With the development of international cultural exchanges, an increasing number of Chinese films rich in cultural distinctiveness are reaching global audiences. As cinema becomes a key medium for overseas viewers to understand Chinese culture, subtitle translation has transcended mere linguistic conversion to serve as a vital bridge for cross-cultural communication. Guided by the three principles of Skopos Theory, this study examines the translation strategies of culture-bound terms in the Chinese animated film Chang’an, a cinematic masterpiece imbued with historical and poetic elements. The analysis demonstrates that translators must flexibly employ techniques to strike a balance between cultural authenticity and audience comprehension, adapting to both the features of culture-specific items and viewers’ reception capacity. A tiered strategy is proposed as an effective approach, applying differentiated methods (e.g., transliteration with annotation, cultural adaptation, contextual paraphrasing) according to the cultural distance and cognitive load of target audiences. This research aims to provide actionable insights for translating Chinese cinematic culture-bound terms, thereby enhancing the global dissemination of China’s cultural narratives.