1st Edition
Exploring Intersemiotic Translation Models A Case Study of Ang Lee's Films
This volume sets out a new paradigm in intersemiotic translation research, drawing on the films of Ang Lee to problematize the notion of films as the simple binary of transmission between the verbal and non-verbal.
The book surveys existing research as a jumping-off point from which to consider the role of audiovisual dimensions, going beyond the focus on the verbal as understood in Jakobsonian intersemiotic translation. The volume outlines a methodology comprising a system of various models which draw on both translation studies and film studies frameworks, with each model illustrated with examples from Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Lust, Caution; and Life of Pi. In situating the discussion within the work of a director whose own work straddles East and West and remediates between cultures and semiotic systems, Zhang argues for an understanding of intersemiotic translation in which films are not simply determined by verbal source material but through the process of intersemiotic translators mediating non-verbal, quality-determining materials into the final film. The volume looks ahead to implications for translation and film research more broadly as well as other audiovisual media.
This book will appeal to scholars interested in translation studies, film studies, media studies and cultural studies in general.
Introduction 1. The state of the art 2. A paradigm of intersemiotic translation 3. Framework and research methodology 4. Home intersemiotic translation models (A1 IST models) 5. Foreign intersemiotic translation models (A2 IST models) 6. Intercultural concatenation of intersemiotic translation models Conclusion; Appendix; Bibliography; Filmography; Index
Biography
Haoxuan Zhang received his PhD in Translation Studies from the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, Durham University, UK. His research interests include intersemiotic translation, film studies, and Chinese studies. He is also an established translator and an independent film director.
"Zhang has produced a lucid study of intersemiotic translation, carefully reviewing its assumptions and testing them through a closer analysis of some of Ang Lee's canonical films. Everyone interested in translation and cultural theory is bound to find something new and intriguing in this book." - Galin Tihanov, George Steiner Professor of Comparative Literature, Queen Mary University of London
"With meticulous attention to filmic details, Haoxuan Zhang’s methodologically sophisticated account juxtaposes the conceptual model of intersemiotic translation and Ang Lee’s internationally acclaimed works to produce a new kind of cinematic object—a dynamic assemblage of representational patterns and techniques, understood in a broad, intercultural sense. This impressively nuanced study should be of interest to all those concerned with sign systems, text, film, Chinese fine arts, and intermediality." - Rey Chow, Andrew W. Mellon Distinguished Professor of the Humanities, Duke University
