Chinese cinema in Spain : an overview through audiovisual translation

Abstract

Audiovisual translation has become one of the main means of communication between cultures. Although the number of Chinese films that reach Spanish audiences is rather limited, the cinema is still a very powerful tool in bridging the gap between these two cultures. This paper aims to give an overview of the situation of Chinese cinema in Spain through audiovisual translation. In order to do so, a database of 500 Chinese films translated into Spanish has been created. For each film, different types of information organized into three blocks have been collected: firstly, data regarding the source film in Chinese; secondly, data on the translated film; and finally, information about paratexts related to the film in Chinese, Spanish and English. Through a quantitative and qualitative analysis of our data the main trends in Chinese-Spanish audiovisual translation from the mid-1970s to today are shown. Our results identify the most popular Chinese directors and the main genres and translation modalities. We point out the role of the translator and the importance of mediating languages; and, finally, we highlight the significance of distribution channels, particularly film festivals. This article aims at filling the gap with regard to research in audiovisual translation as an intercultural exchange between China and Spain