An Analysis of Methods for Finding Parallel Texts from the Perspective of Translating Film Shooting Tutorials

Due to the differences in language and culture, translators often encounter difficult technical terms or idiomatic expressions during the translation process. In such cases, searching for parallel texts becomes an efficient method to determine suitable terminology. To make translations clear and understandable, translators should delve deeply and develop strong information retrieval skills.

In a narrow sense, parallel texts refer to articles, encyclopedic entries, dictionary definitions, and examples related to the content of the original text. In a broader sense, parallel texts encompass any reference material that is close to the original content. Subtitle translation in film and television is often constrained by time limits, making it crucial to quickly find appropriate Chinese vocabulary. Parallel texts play a significant role in helping translators accurately select linguistic styles and authentic vocabulary.

When translating subtitles for film shooting tutorials, I first searched for numerous resources and websites related to film production to ensure the accuracy of terminology, and established a suitable corpus based on previous translations. Below are some common methods I employ.

First, there are numerous technical terms in film shooting, primarily categorized into aspects like shot types, camera movements, editing, and art direction. Moreover, many idiomatic expressions in Chinese differ from those in English. In this case, leveraging encyclopedic entries can help determine most corresponding Chinese terms. Subsequently, these terms can be used as keywords to search for relevant expressions on platforms like Baidu or Bing.

Next, if the terminology is established but the sentence structure still poses issues, one can search relevant websites or tutorials to find suitable texts. For example, consider the sentence, "Soon into the scene, we land off the shot the over the shoulder medium close-up." Knowing that "shot" as a noun specifically refers to a shot in the field of film production, one can first search for "镜头类型" (types of shots) to find related articles. The latter part indicates "中近景的过肩镜头" (over-the-shoulder medium close-up). Initially, I translated the first part as "场景开始后不久，我们把镜头..." (Shortly after the scene begins, we...); however, upon reflection and reviewing some Chinese tutorial videos, I concluded that a more idiomatic expression would be "这场戏开始后不久，画面切到..." (Soon after this scene begins, the shot switches to...).

Finally, during the process of finding parallel texts, if you come across particularly useful texts, it is recommended to save them using your preferred note-taking software. This way, when faced with similar issues in the future, you can quickly refer back to them.

Searching for parallel texts is a continuous learning and exploration process in new fields, which is precisely where the joy of translation lies.

◀️：Exploration of Parallel Text

▶️：The Help of Parallel Texts in Translation