A study on subtitle translation strategies and effects of British black humor from the perspective of relevance theory: taking the British TV series Slow Horses as an example
关联理论视角下英式黑色幽默的字幕翻译策略与效果研究——以英剧《流人》（Slow Horses）为例

摘要

随着全球影视交流的日益频繁，字幕翻译成为跨文化传播的重要桥梁。关联理论将翻译视为一个明示-推理的交际过程，译者需根据原文意图和观众认知环境进行权衡，寻求最佳关联。本文通过以英剧《流人》（Slow Horses）字幕翻译为研究对象，旨在深入探讨其英式黑色幽默字幕翻译的策略与效果。基于关联理论，通过对《流人》中语言幽默、文化幽默及普遍幽默的分析，探讨其字幕翻译中的直接翻译、间接翻译及创造性重构等策略，在保持幽默效果与文化特质间寻求平衡。研究结果表明，在关联理论指导下，译者通过灵活运用多种翻译策略，能够有效传达《流人》独特的英式黑色幽默风格与人物塑造语言，增强观众的理解与共鸣，为影视剧英式黑色幽默字幕翻译提供了实践参考。

Abstract

With the increasing frequency of global film and television exchanges, subtitle translation has become a vital bridge for cross-cultural communication. Relevance Theory views translation as an ostensive-inferential communicative process, in which translators need to balance the original intent and the audience's cognitive environment to achieve optimal relevance. This study takes the subtitle translation of the British TV series Slow Horses as its research object, aiming to explore in depth the strategies and effects of translating British black humor in its subtitles. Based on Relevance Theory, the study analyzes linguistic humor, cultural humor, and universal humor in Slow Horses, examining translation strategies such as direct translation, indirect translation, and creative reconstruction to strike a balance between preserving humorous effects and cultural characteristics. The findings indicate that, guided by Relevance Theory, translators can effectively convey the unique British black humor style and character-building language in Slow Horses by flexibly employing various translation strategies, thereby enhancing audience’s understanding and resonance. This research provides practical insights for the subtitle translation of British black humor in film and television works.