English Subtitling of Culture-Loaded Words in Chinese Yu Opera: Strategies and Quality Assessment

Abstract

Subtitling culture-loaded words poses significant challenges for subtitlers to maintain cultural nuances and conveying intended meaning in audio-visual context. This qualitative study aimed to investigate a professional translator’s subtitling strategies for culture-loaded words in the Chinese Yu Opera Cheng Ying Rescues the Orphan and assess the quality of the translation of these words. The current study is underpinned by Pedersen’s (2011) typology of subtitling strategies and his (2017) quality assessment model. Key findings revealed that most of strategies proposed by Pedersen were employed. The study also found that the strategy of translating formal language into informal was used by the subtitler. The quality evaluation revealed that most subtitles were of high quality, with only a few minor errors. The study contributes to the growing body of knowledge in opera translation, enriching our understanding of professional translator’s subtitling strategies and the translation quality to enhance cross-cultural communication through the medium of traditional Chinese opera.