On Chinese-English Translation of Documentary Subtitles from the Perspective of Skopos Theory: A Case Study of Aerial China

Abstract

Documentary subtitles convey geographical and cultural information through language that can also be condensed and expressive. This article examines Chinese–English subtitle translation in Aerial China through the Skopos, coherence, and fidelity rules. Three selected bilingual examples are analysed in detail: a river-related idiom, agricultural continuity on the Loess Plateau, and a simile describing the Great Wall. Close reading compares source meaning, information structure, and rhetorical form with the accompanying English renderings and suggested alternatives. In the river example, cultural explanation can clarify figurative meaning while preserving its connection to a local reference. Condensation can consolidate repetition while leaving a distinct proposition implicit or shifting the emphasis from transmission to preservation. Expressive reformulation may retain a source image yet alter the spatial relationship that gives the image its function. These findings support an integrated application of the three rules, in which communicative purpose guides a choice and coherence and fidelity test its consequences. The article identifies specific criteria for assessing explanation, reduction, and reformulation in documentary subtitling. Its conclusions concern the selected textual examples; audiovisual suitability and audience comprehension require further investigation.