Abstract：With the development of globalization and foreign communication, films are becoming an indispensable part of entertainment of modern life. A good film can reflect social reality and convey abundant cultural information. As an eye-catcher, film title not only offers a brief introduction of the film but also attracts audience to watch it. 

However, the research on the translation of film titles is still immature and many researches lack theoretical guidance. Therefore, this essay discusses different translation methods under the guidance of Skopos theory with the films directed by Zhang Yimou as the example. Four practical translation methods for Chinese film titles are proposed in this paper, which are literal translation, free translation, combination of literal translation and free translation, and transliteration, with the hope to give some references to future research.

Keywords:  Skopos theory  film titles  Zhang Yimou  translation methods 

Contents

Abstract

中文摘要

Chapter One Introduction-1

1.1 Background and Significance of the Thesis-1

1.2 Organization of the Thesis-1

Chapter Two Introduction of Skopos Theory-3

2.1 Main Concepts of Skopos Theory-3

2.2 Three Rules of Skopos Theory-3

Chapter Three C-E Translation of Film Titles Under the Guidance of Skopos Theory-5

3.1 Functions of Film Title-5

3.2 The Feasibility of Skopos Theory in C-E Translation of Film Title-6

3.3 Translation Methods for Chinese Film Title with Case Study-7

3.3.1 Zhang Yimou and His Films-7

3.3.2 Literal Translation-8

3.3.3 Free Translation-9

3.3.4 Combination of Literal Translation and Free Translation-11

3.3.5 Transliteration-12

Chapter Four Conclusion-14

References-15