Intercultural communication and cultural mediation : translating Chinese films for the Australian audience

The 1980s and 1990s saw an increase in the influence of cultural studies on translation and "there has been a shift in translation studies from a linguistic to a cultural orientation" and translation today is "first and foremost a process of intercultural change, rather than a kind of cross linguistic substitution." "Translation across cultures" and "cultural proficiency" have become buzz words, and translation is now recognised as a form of intercultural communication. By exploring the role of the translator, the translation process, and cultural filtering in translation, this article will focus on the challenges and strategies in translating Chinese films for English-speaking viewers.