Research on the Role of Machine Translation in Movie Subtitle Translation—A Case Study of <i>The Wandering Earth</i> Series

本文以《流浪地球》系列电影为研究对象，基于尤金·奈达的功能对等理论，探讨机器翻译在影视字幕跨文化传播中的适应性与局限性。研究采用对比分析法，从词汇、句法、语篇三个维度考察《流浪地球》系列电影中英文字幕的翻译策略，揭示机器翻译与人工翻译在实现文化等效传播中的差异，探索通过动态对等原则优化字幕翻译质量的可行路径。研究发现机器翻译在常规信息处理中展现高效性，但在文化意象传递、语法适配及情感表达层面存在显著缺陷。未来需构建人工审校与机器翻译协同的智能系统，通过语境化学习提升机器翻译的文化敏感性，实现科技赋能与人文价值的有机统一。本研究为电影全球化传播中的字幕翻译优化提供了理论参考与实践范式。This paper takes The Wandering Earth film series as the research object and employs Eugene Nida’s functional equivalence theory to investigate the adaptability and limitations of machine translation (MT) in cross-cultural film subtitle translation. Using comparative analysis, the study systematically examines the translation strategies of English subtitles in the film series from three dimensions: lexicon, syntax, and discourse. It reveals the differences between MT and human translation in achieving culturally equivalent communication, and explores feasible approaches to optimizing subtitle translation quality through the principle of dynamic equivalence. The findings indicate that while MT demonstrates efficiency in routine information processing, it has significant limitations in conveying cultural imagery, grammatical adaptation, and emotional expressions. The study proposes that future developments should focus on constructing intelligent systems integrating human proofreading and MT technologies, enhancing cultural sensitivity through contextualized learning, and achieving an organic integration of technological empowerment and humanistic values. This research provides theoretical references and practical paradigms for optimizing subtitle translation in the global dissemination of Chinese films.