On the Chinese Translation of Swearwords in English Films Under the Polysystem

This study focuses on the translation of English swearwords to Chinese through the ages,drawing mainly on the correlation between the position of translated films and the translation strategies.With the results,the study aims to testify the applicability of principles of the Polysystem theory for translated films.The sample consisted of English subtitles and their Chinese fansubs of 21 English films.With a combination of quantitative study and qualitative analysis,the study classified the translation strategies the Chinese fansub use and examined how their choice correlates with the position of translated films in three different periods in China,based on Masood Khoshsaligheh’s(2018)taxonomy of the translation strategies of taboo language items.The findings revealed that the Chinese fan subtitle attempted to translate swearwords into Chinese with a milder or toned-down degree of offense and insult.As the translated films strove from a peripheric margin for a higher position in China’s film market,the selection of strategies was inclined to move from the preference for acceptability to adequacy.