Subtitle Translation Methods of The Good Wife From Functional Equivalence Perspective

The Good Wife is an American TV series that focuses on women’s independence, politics, and law. The drama has been remade in China, Japan, and South Korea. This research aims to use Nida’s Functional Equivalence Theory to analyze the methods of its English-to-Chinese subtitle translation by considering social, cultural, and historic backgrounds between China and America. After data collection and case analysis, the study found that: (1) Five major translation methods are adopted in the subtitle translation of The Good Wife. They are free translation, variation, literal translation, addition, and omission. Among them, free translation is the most frequently used, while omission is used least. (2) The subtitle translation of films and TV series is limited by time and space restrictions, social-cultural differences, and other factors. When translating, translators should try to use humorous words, euphemism, intonation, and other ways, and combine different methods such as literal translation, free translation, variation, addition, omission, and other methods to seek equivalence both in the meaning and function of subtitles under the guidance of Functional Equivalence Theory.

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