A multimodal approach to subtitle translation of Mulan (1998)

Abstract

Mulan, a Chinese heroine featuring patriotic devotion, filial piety, and unwavering courage, is not only one of the epics in Chinese folk tales, but also the pillars of Chinese cultural embodiment. Adapted from Mulan’s story, Disney’s remake Mulan was released in 1998 and displayed a hybrid image of the woman warrior from the perspective of the west. This paper analyzes the subtitle translation of the film Mulan (1998) from four aspects: culture, context, content and expression. In addition, this paper investigates the interactions between different modalities and their influence on the subtitle translation. The study employs Zhang Delu’s multimodal discourse analysis as the theoretical basis for analysis and discussion. It is suggested that the interaction of different modalities can facilitate the understanding in semantic connotations of subtitles and portray a vivid description of Mulan through visual, verbal and audio means.