Achieving translation acceptability: translation strategies for preset trigger phrases from a cultural adaptation perspective—a case study of friends
实现译语可接受性：文化适应视角下预设触发语的翻译策略——以《老友记》为例

摘要

为了探究情景喜剧中预设触发语的翻译如何实现译语可接受性，本文以美剧《老友记》为语料，从文化适应视角出发，结合预设理论与翻译策略分析，考察承载文化负载的预设触发语在汉译过程中的处理方式。本文依据预设触发语所承载文化信息的存在形态，将其划分为实体指涉型、概念观念型与语言固化型三类，并分别采用异化保留、文化补偿和归化替代三种文化适应策略，以此应对目标语观众在认知空白、认知冲突与认知错位等方面的理解障碍。研究发现，实体指涉型倾向于异化保留以拓展认知，概念观念型倾向于文化补偿以弥合鸿沟，语言固化型主要采用归化替代以实现幽默等效，其共同目标在于促成译文与目标语观众期待视野的融合，使中文观众能够像源语观众一样领会台词中的幽默与文化意味，从而实现译语可接受性。

Abstract

To explore how the translation of presupposition triggers in sitcoms achieves acceptability in the target language, this study uses the American TV series Friends as its corpus. From a cultural adaptation perspective, it combines presupposition theory with translation strategy analysis to examine the treatment of culturally loaded presupposition triggers in the process of Chinese translation. Based on the form of cultural information conveyed, these triggers are categorized into three types: referential, conceptual, and linguistic. Three cultural adaptation strategies—foreignization retention, cultural compensation, and domestication substitution—are employed to address comprehension barriers such as cognitive gaps, conflicts, and misalignments among target-language audiences. The study reveals that referential types tend toward foreignization to broaden understanding, conceptual types favor cultural compensation to bridge gaps, and linguistic types primarily employ domestication to achieve humor equivalence. Their shared objective is to integrate the target text with the audience's expectations, enabling Chinese viewers to grasp the humor and cultural nuances in dialogue as effectively as the original audience, thereby ensuring the acceptability of the translation.