In recent years, a growing number of western audiovisual works come to China, and the demand on audiovisual translation is rising. Against such a background, China’s fansub groups come into being. Fansub groups are groups of amateur translators providing audiovisual translation for free. US sitcoms translated by fansub groups have attracted a large number of followers. This thesis aims to enable us have a better understanding of translation strategies which can be applied to translation of sitcoms and create subtitle translation of high quality. This thesis is based on the Skopos Theory, and it makes a case study of selected examples from the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. Four principal strategies are concluded in this essay including literal translation, web language, comment-making and classical Chinese and dialects. This thesis will attract more attention to translation of humor discourse so that more research on this will be conducted. In this way, subtitle translation of sitcoms can be improved and the audience can enjoy western audiovisual works better.

Skopos Theory;Subtitle translation;Humor discourse;Translation strategies;Sitcoms

[1] Cay Dollerup, On Subtitles in Television Programs [A]. Babel, 1974(20): 197-202. [2] Delabastita, D. Translation and Mass-communication: Film and TV Translation as Evidence of Culture. [A]. Babel 35(4). 193-218, 1989. [3] De Linde and Neil Kay. The Semiotics of Subtitling [A]. Manchester: St Edmundsbury Press Ltd, 1999. [4] Gambier, Yves & Gottlieb, Henrik (eds). (Multi) Media Translation: Concepts, Practices and Research[M]. Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2001.

DOI： https://doi.org/10.62639/sspjiss11.20250203

Published： 2025