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Subtitling a dialect
Chinese television and film subtitle almost everything in Chinese characters, partly because so many viewers speak different varieties of Chinese. When a character speaks Shanghainese or Cantonese, the subtitles often give the meaning in standard written Chinese rather than the dialect's own words, so the viewer hears one language and reads another. Translating into English adds another layer. A subtitler can translate the meaning in plain English and let the sound carry the dialect, mark the dialect with a note, or try to suggest it with a regional English — and each choice has critics. Most documentaries take the first approach, often with a note on screen. Alex's rule — translate the meaning, not the dialect, and let the audience hear the rest — is a common one. It will be tested again in lesson 144.