Abstract: In recent years, American TV shows have become very popular, especially among theyoung people in China. The subtitle has played an important role in understanding those American TV shows. Since there are a lot of slangs in the TV shows, it is necessary to explore the translation of slangs in the subtitles of American TV shows. Skopos Theory has been developed since 1970s. It includes three classical principles. They are Skopos Rule, Coherence Rule and Fidelity Rule. According to the theory, all translation must obey the Skopos Rule, and one of the most crucial factors that decide the translation purpose is the audience—— the receiver of the translation. Under the guidance of Skopos Theory, this paper explores the translation of slangs in the subtitles of American TV series with a case study on the Desperate Housewives, and summarizes four translation strategies for slangs, namely, explicitation, omission, domestication and conversion.

Key words: American slang; subtitling; Skopos Theory; Desperate Housewives

CONTENTS

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction1

2. Literature Review.2

  2.1 American Slang

  2.2 Researches on American Slang and Subtitle Translation 

3. Skopos Theory.3

  3.1 Skopos Rule

  3.2 Coherence Rule

  3.3 Fidelity Rule

4. The Chinese Translation of American Slang in the Desperate Housewives from the Perspective of Skopos Theory5

  4.1 Explicitation

  4.2 Domestication

  4.3 Omission

  4.4 Conversion

5. Conclusion .9

Bibliography10

Acknowledgements.11