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Translation and Foreign Language Learning

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ArticleTranslation Theories and Skills http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/tfll.2025.10.013

On the Translatability of Chinese Culture-loaded Expressions in Film Subtitling: A Perspective Based on Audience Reception Analysis

Yan Li

Inner Mongolia University of Finance and Economics, Huhhot 010070, Inner Mongolia, China.

*Corresponding author: Yan Li

Published: October 31, 2025

Abstract

The global dissemination of Chinese films offers a crucial way for international audiences to gain insights into Chinese culture. Culture-loaded expressions in Chinese film subtitles encapsulate deep connotations of traditional Chinese culture; however, their translation presents significant challenges due to cultural disparities and the inherent difficulty of achieving complete linguistic equivalence. Therefore, before deciding on a translation approach for these culture-loaded expressions, translators should first consider a fundamental question, i.e. whether its translation is warranted. Audience comprehension and acceptance are pivotal metrics for assessing translation quality. Through the audience reception analysis, this study delves into the translatability of culture-loaded expressions by scrutinizing semiotic interactions and audience decoding mechanisms. This perspective not only encourages translators to reconsider the constraints of conventional translation viewpoints — often overshadowed by subjective intentions—but also contends that the translation of Chinese culture-loaded expressions in subtitling should be anchored within a framework of semiotic meaning compensation, while also considering intertextuality during semiotic engagements.

Keyword

Subtitle translation; semiotic interaction; decoding; intertextuality

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Copyright

© 2025 by the author(s).
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) license, which permits non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not modified or adapted.
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How to cite this paper

On the Translatability of Chinese Culture-loaded Expressions in Film Subtitling: A Perspective Based on Audience Reception Analysis

How to cite this paper: Yan Li. (2025). On the Translatability of Chinese Culture-loaded Expressions in Film Subtitling: A Perspective Based on Audience Reception Analysis. Translation and Foreign Language Learning1(3), 475-479.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/tfll.2025.10.013