Contrasting Translation Strategies for Local Culture: An Adaptation Theory Perspective on <i>The Rise of a Metropolis</i>

With the continuous deepening of globalization, the translation of local cultures plays an increasingly important role in cross-cultural communication. However, due to differences in cultural backgrounds, language habits, and reader receptivity between China and other countries, translators from China and abroad exhibit certain differences when dealing with local cultural elements. Since Verschueren proposed the “Adaptation Theory” in 1987, researchers in China have widely introduced, explained, and applied this theory in various fields, including translation, literature, and pragmatics. This study employs Verschueren's Adaptation Theory as its theoretical framework to conduct a comparative analysis of the bilingual subtitles in the promotional video of Wuhan's city image, <i>The Rise of a Metropolis.</i> By selecting typical examples that reflect the differences between Chinese and Western cultures in the video and analyzing them specifically through the lens of contextual adaptation within the Adaptation Theory framework, this study summarizes the differences in reader receptivity, language style, and cultural imagery between Chinese and Western cultures. The findings reveal distinct translation strategy preferences: Chinese translators tend to preserve cultural imagery more literally, while translators targeting Western audiences prioritize linguistic accessibility and functional clarity, often resorting to paraphrasing or explanatory translation. It aims to explore the selection of different translation strategies and their influencing factors, providing references for improving the quality of the translation of local cultures and promoting cultural exchange. Ultimately, the study underscores the importance of dynamic adaptation to the target audience's context in achieving effective cross-cultural communication of local culture. 随着全球化的不断深入，地方文化的外译在跨文化交流中扮演着越来越重要的角色。然而，由于中外文化背景、语言习惯和读者接受度的差异，中外翻译者在处理地方文化元素时存在一定的差异。自1987年Verschueren 提出“顺应论”以来，中国研究者就对该理论进行了广泛的引进介绍和应用研究，涉及到翻译、文学以及语用学等多个领城。本文以武汉城市形象宣传视频《大城崛起》为例，运用Verschueren提出的顺应论对视频中的双语字幕进行讨论与分析。通过筛选出《大城崛起》视频中能体现中西文化差异的典型例子，结合顺应论中的语境顺应对其进行分析，总结出中西文化在读者接受度的差异、语言风格的差异及文化意象三个层面的差异，旨在探讨不同翻译策略的选择及其影响因素，为提高地方文化的外译质量和促进文化交流提供参考借鉴。