A Study on the English Translation of Culture-Loaded Terms in Empresses in the Palace from the Perspective of Eco-Translatology
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: 电视剧《甄嬛传》作为中国宫斗剧的经典之作，其海外传播为跨文化翻译研究提供了丰富语料。剧集蕴含大量具有鲜明中国历史文化特色的文化负载词，其英译成功与否直接关系到目标语境观众的接受与理解。本研究以生态翻译学为理论框架，聚焦《甄嬛传》Netflix官方英译字幕中文化负载词的翻译实践。通过系统分析剧中文化负载词的翻译案例，本文深入探讨译者在“语言维”“文化维”和“交际维”三个维度上的适应性选择转换策略。研究发现，成功的译文并非简单的直译或归化，而是在充分考量源语文化生态与译语接受生态的基础上，通过创造性转换，在语言形式、文化内涵与交际意图之间达成动态平衡。本研究旨在揭示官方译者在商业平台与跨文化传播双重约束下的适应性选择智慧，并为中国古典题材影视作品的对外译介提供策略性参考。The Chinese television drama The Legend of Zhen Huan (also known as Empresses in the Palace), a classic of the Chinese palace intrigue genre, has provided a rich corpus for cross-cultural translation studies through its overseas transmission. The series is characterized by a wealth of culture-loaded terms with distinctive features of traditional Chinese history and culture. Whether these terms are successfully translated directly affects the reception and comprehension of target-language audiences. Guided by the framework of Eco-translatology, this study focuses on the translation of culture-loaded words in the official English subtitles of The Legend of Zhen Huan on Netflix. Through a systematic analysis of translation cases of culture-loaded terms from the series, the article explores in depth the adaptive selection and conversion strategies employed by the translator across the three dimensions of Eco-translatology: the linguistic, the cultural, and the communicative. The findings suggest that successful translation is not a matter of simple literal translation or domestication; rather, it involves achieving a dynamic balance among linguistic form, cultural connotation, and communicative intention through creative adaptation, based on a thorough consideration of both the source cultural ecology and the target reception ecology. The study aims to unveil the wisdom embedded in official translation practices under the dual constraints of commercial platform requirements and cross-cultural communication, and to provide strategic insights for the international dissemination of Chinese historical drama series.
Source: Modern Linguistics
Author: 婉琴 郑
Institution: Southwest University of Science and Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Language and Linguistics
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7170761059