Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
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Research Article

An Imagological Analysis of Subtitle Translation in Zootopia: A Translation Studies Perspective

Jiaxin HeHong Kong Shue Yan University*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

As movie culture spreads worldwide, subtitle translation has become vital for connecting different cultures. Fundamentally speaking, it shapes how audiences understand characters and the ideologies they symbolize. However, present studies on subtitle translation in animated movies still face limitations. In terms of character images, they do not fully examine the impact of cross-cultural factors in the process of translating character images, nor do they often discuss the stereotype-breaking traits of characters in cross-cultural transmission. Using Zootopia as the subject, this study investigates the impact of subtitle translation on the image-building of main characters Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde through qualitative analysis, which involves comparing English dialogues and Chinese subtitles. Research indicates that literal translation often reinforces cultural stereotypes because it overlooks subtle nuances in the translation process.  In comparison, localized and hybrid translation strategies take the initiative to build cross-cultural connections, balancing cultural factors more effectively and making the story content and characters more authentic. In such translation, it is essential to consider how to make the content understandable to people from different cultures. This way, characters that subvert conventional expectations can be more readily accepted across diverse cultural contexts. This study not only gives suggestions to the area of audiovisual translation but also reveals that subtitle translation methods have a deep influence on building animated characters’ images. Through exploring how foreignization and domestication can be flexibly used together, it clearly explains how translation choices affect how stereotype-breaking characters are accepted across different cultures.

Keywords: Imagology; subtitle translation; Zootopia; character representation; cross-cultural communication
Published: November 5, 2025
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2025.HT28963
Volume: CHR Vol.93
pp. 90-96
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