橫跨時空──臺灣影視字幕規範探究

Abstract

過去字幕翻譯論文多半以文字語言為重，對於字幕本身的研究相對較少。本論文跳脫了語言為主題的研究框架，旨於呈現臺灣影視字幕規範的成因和流變，建構字幕社會面及科技面的背景脈絡。並以此為本，經邏輯演繹修正既有字幕翻譯中的時空限制概念，重新闡明現代字幕功能、目的和角色。 規範（Norm）的概念本身來自描述性翻譯研究，反映的是在特定脈絡下，一群人對於一件事該如何執行的概念和價值觀，從觀察由規範所產生的人類規律行為，研究者得以去捕捉、形塑行為背後的背景，乃至從更大的社會脈絡框架探討規範成因。本論文呈現各年代影視字幕文本，舖陳出1980-2014年的字幕規範變化，並與既有研究的字幕翻譯時空限制概念對照，重新審視字幕功能、目的和角色，梳理、辯析其中矛盾之處，闡明在臺灣脈絡下，影視文本翻譯的特殊之處。This thesis re-examines the purpose, function and role of subtitles, as well as their time-and-space constraints through observing the constantly changing techno-cultural norms influenced by the social and technological backgrounds of subtitling in Taiwan. The concept of norms applied in descriptive translation studies is borrowed from sociology and psychology. Norms originate and persist within a social background and technical constraints and their observation can explain the general values, ideals and accepted patterns of behavior shared by society. This thesis describes the changing techno-cultural norms of subtitling in Taiwan based on a collection of audiovisual texts from 1980-2014 and analyzes the social and technological factors. Results show that the concept of time-and-space constraints and the purpose, function and role of subtitling currently held in subtitling studies are no longer applicable for the norms and practices under Taiwan’s present socio-cultural context.