Exploring the Translation Strategy of English Subtitles in the Popular Chinese Series The Longest Day in Chang’an

Abstract

The popular Chinese web series The Longest Day in Chang’an, released in 2019, has received considerable acclaim both domestically and internationally. Concurrently, the translation of its dialogue has sparked lively discussions among the audiences. This paper analyzes the examples of the translation of ancient Chinese poems, cultural terms, and episode titles in the TV series, revealing that due to the instantaneous and annotation-free nature of subtitle translation, the translators primarily employ a strategy of domestication, supplemented by foreignization, to ensure overseas audiences can quickly and effectively grasp the storyline. Additionally, the translators’ method of closely adhering to the theme and identifying narrative threads as the main translation approach offers valuable insights for similar translation efforts.