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keeping everything tidy and organized, by saying: “Oh, C‟ mon! when we were kids,
yours was the only Raggedy Ann doll that wasn‟t raggedy!” The subtitle reads: “拜托,
我们小时候你的“破娃娃”是唯一不破的!” Here the translator has used limited
universalisation as the strategy. As Raggedy Ann dolls do not exist in the target culture,
the translator has used “ragged doll” as an alternative, assuming that “ragged doll” is
a CSI that can be comprehended by Chinese viewers. We can say that this translation is
not effective. Chinese viewers are puzzled. They might perceive “ragged doll” as “worn
doll” or “broken doll”. They do not understand why Americans have toys such as
ragged dolls. When dolls are ragged, they can be disposed of.
My own suggested translation for the HPTE would be:
“我们小时候你的“布娃娃”总是穿得整整齐齐的!” which can be translated as:
“When we were kids, your doll was always well dressed!” To achieve this HPTE,
absolute universalisation was used as an alternative. Dolls are common to both
American and Chinese culture, making this a CSI that is available in both cultures. How
a child looks after a doll reveals the child‟s personality. In general, a child is not an adult
and does not have a strong sense of responsibility as an adult does. Therefore, a child‟s
doll is not likely to be well dressed up. However, if Monica‟s doll is well dressed up, it
clearly tells us that Monica is obsessed with keeping things organised and tidy. Her
behaviour is exceptional for a child. Chinese viewers will understand why Ross uses
this association to describe Monica‟s overly organised and overtly odd behaviour.
Another reference to American institutions is found in Season 1, Episode 4, Scene 10:
In this scene, they are sitting at the Central Perk talking about how to spend New Year‟s
Eve. Chandler says: “It‟s just that I‟m sick of being a victim of this Dick Clark holiday.
I say this year, no dates we make a pact. Just the six of us-dinner. The subtitle reads: “新
年时,我不想再听到迪克拉克。” which can be translated as: “This year, I don‟t wnt to
hear Dick Clark!”. Here, the translator has used repetition as the strategy, by just
translating Dick Clark directly without making any effort to explain who he is and help
the audience understand why Dick Clark is mentioned here.This translation is not
effective, as Chinese viewers do not know who Dick Clark is. “Sick of Dick Clark”
might make viewers think that Dick Clark is somebody Chandler met in previous New
Year Eves and got sick of meeting him again.
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