





































Education, Language and Sociology Research 

ISSN 2690-3644 (Print) ISSN 2690-3652 (Online) 

Vol. 6, No. 3, 2025 

www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/elsr 

86 
 

Original Paper 

Subtitle Translation from the Perspective of Eco-translatology—

—A Case Study of the Film Flipped 

Minyu Zhao1 

1 School of Foreign Languages, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang, Henan, China 

 

Received: July 2, 2025           Accepted: July 17, 2025       Online Published: August 5, 2025 

doi:10.22158/elsr.v6n3p86          URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.22158/elsr.v6n3p86 

 

Abstract 

In the context of increasing cross-cultural exchanges, films stand out as a prominent medium for cultural 

communication. Therefore, subtitle translation of films is a key link in breaking language barriers and 

realizing cultural transmission, whose importance is self-evident. Based on the innovative and systematic 

theoretical framework of eco-translatology, this paper conducts a specific analysis of the subtitle 

translation in the film Flipped. Combining the concept of “three-dimensional transformation” proposed 

by eco-translatology, it discusses the adaptive selection and transformation in the linguistic, cultural, 

and communicative dimensions respectively, reveals the application value and guiding significance of 

this theory in subtitle translation, provides useful references for film subtitle translation practice, and 

promotes the effective realization of cross-cultural film and television communication. 

Keywords 

Eco-translatology, three-dimensional transformation, Flipped, subtitle translation 

 

1. Introduction 

In the current era of surging globalization, films, as a highly influential and communicative form of 

cultural art, have become an important bridge for cross-border cultural exchanges. Flipped, a classic 

work full of warmth and innocence, directed by Rob Reiner and adapted from Wendelin Van Draanen’s 

novel of the same name, has won the love and praise of audiences worldwide with its fresh and natural 

style and profound emotional portrayal. Set in a rural area of the United States in the 1960s, the film 

revolves around two adolescents, Juli Baker and Bryce Loski. When Juli first saw Bryce in the second 

grade, she was attracted by his bright eyes and thus started a years-long innocent crush. Bryce, an 

introverted boy, was initially overwhelmed by Juli’s enthusiasm and even tried to avoid her. Over time, 

a series of events prompted Bryce to re-examine his inner feelings: Juli’s love for the sycamore tree, her 

brave fight when the tree was about to be cut down, which showed her persistence and uniqueness; her 



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wisdom and talent displayed at the science fair; and even her positive and optimistic attitude when her 

family was facing financial difficulties—all these made Bryce have a new understanding of her. In this 

process, Bryce began to realize the shining points in Juli that he had ignored, and his once avoidance and 

resistance gradually turned into an indescribable “flipped” feeling. The film adopts a unique narrative 

technique, alternating between Juli’s and Bryce’s perspectives. This narrative structure allows the 

audience to deeply understand the inner world and emotional changes of the hero and heroine, enhancing 

the layering and richness of the story and making the audience feel immersed in the plot. The original 

film is in English, so translation is indispensable for audiences in other countries. The quality of 

translation directly affects the depth of understanding, acceptance, and richness of cultural experience of 

the target language audience towards the source language film. 

 

2. Characteristics of Subtitle Translation 

2.1 Time and Space Constraints 

Film screening is continuous, and subtitles are presented to the audience within limited screen space and 

a certain period of time. This requires subtitle translation to be concise and clear, avoiding lengthy and 

complex sentence structures and excessive modifiers. Therefore, in translation, it is necessary to retain 

the core information to ensure that the audience can quickly read and understand the subtitle content 

without affecting their viewing of the video images.  

2.2 Colloquial Tendency  

The lines in film and television works are mostly daily oral expressions, and subtitle translation should 

also follow this characteristic, using easy-to-understand language that is close to life. Colloquial 

expressions can make the audience feel natural and smooth when watching, as if they hear the characters 

communicating in their familiar language. Moreover, colloquial subtitle translation helps to enhance the 

personality and emotional expression of the characters, enabling the audience to better integrate into the 

plot.  

2.3 Cultural Adaptability  

Since film and television works often contain rich source language cultural elements, subtitle translation 

needs to consider the cultural background of the target language audience and appropriately explain 

culturally-loaded words or other expressions with cultural connotations. In addition, some Western 

humor or allusions may need to be replaced with similar humor or allusions in the target language culture 

or translated freely during translation, so as to ensure that cultural information is effectively transmitted 

to the target language audience and avoid misunderstandings caused by cultural differences. 

 

3. Overview of Eco-translatology 

The birth of eco-translatology is inspired by multiple factors. At the beginning of the 21st century, with 

the enhancement of global awareness of ecological environment, ecological concepts gradually 

penetrated into various disciplines. The translation field also began to think about how to introduce the 



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concepts of systematicness, balance, and adaptability of ecology into translation research to solve the 

limitations of traditional translation theories in dealing with complex translation phenomena. At the same 

time, the increasing frequency of cross-cultural exchanges has brought more challenges and opportunities 

to translation activities. People need a new theoretical framework to guide translators in handling the 

complex relationship between source language and target language, thus giving birth to eco-translatology. 

Professor Hu Gengshen from Tsinghua University founded eco-translatology in 2001. This theory covers 

two fields: ecology and translation studies. It is not only based on Darwin’s theory of evolution but also 

integrates traditional Chinese ecological wisdom. Its three core concepts can be summarized as 

“translation as text transplantation”, “translation as adaptation and selection”, and “translation as 

ecological balance” (Hu & Wang, 2021), which basically cover the whole of “translated text”, 

“translator”, and “translation context” in translation research (Tao & Hu, 2016). Eco-translatology holds 

that “translation is an activity in which translators adapt to and select from the translation ecological 

environment” (Hu, 2004). The translation ecological environment refers to “the world presented by the 

original text, source language, and target language, that is, the interconnected and interactive whole of 

language, communication, culture, society, as well as authors, readers, commissioners, etc.” (Hu, 2008). 

To create excellent translations, translators need to maintain the balance of the translation ecological 

environment. Professor Hu Gengshen further proposed the translation method of “three-dimensional 

transformation”, namely the adaptive selection and transformation in the linguistic, cultural, and 

communicative dimensions. Through “three-dimensional transformation”, the interchange of language 

forms between source language and target language, cultural exchange, and the realization of 

communicative intentions can be achieved (Zhu, 2017).  

 

4. Three-Dimensional Transformation in Flipped  

4.1 Linguistic Dimension  

The adaptive selection and transformation in the linguistic dimension refer to translators’ adaptive 

selection and transformation of language forms in the translation process. This kind of adaptive selection 

and transformation in the linguistic dimension is carried out in different aspects and levels (Hu, 2011). 

For example, at the lexical level, the semantics, connotations, or cultural load of source language words 

may be significantly different from those of the target language; at the syntactic level, the sentence 

structures of source language and target language are often different.  

Example 1:  

ST: It didn’t take long to realize this girl could not take a hint.  

TT: 我很快发现这姑娘一点也不识趣。  

In the film, the heroine Juli stubbornly wanted to help Bryce move things, even when Bryce’s father 

advised her to go home to avoid worrying her mother. The original English uses a typical structure with 

“it” as the formal subject, aiming to balance the sentence structure and postpose the real subject “to 

realize this girl could not take a hint”—a common grammatical structure in English. However, in Chinese 



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expression habits, people prefer direct subject-verb-object structures. Therefore, the translation “我很快

发现” accurately converts it into an expression in line with Chinese habits, allowing readers to understand 

the meaning of the sentence more naturally. At the lexical level, “take a hint” translated literally as “接

受暗示” can convey the basic semantics but is rather plain and stiff. The expression “不识趣” in the 

translation is more vivid and vivid. The flexible translation of words and sentence structures realizes the 

transformation in the linguistic dimension.  

Example 2:  

ST: I was about to tell her to get lost when the weirdest thing happened.  

TT: 我正想叫她滚开的时候，最囧的事情发生了。  

The original word “weirdest” literally means “most strange, most odd” and is usually translated according 

to its literal meaning. However, considering the context of the film, which is not a horror story, it cannot 

be translated as “最诡异的 ”. The scene at that time was: Bryce was eager to get rid of Juli’s 

overwhelming “enthusiasm”, so he ran towards his home in a hurry, hoping to make Juli retreat by 

escaping quickly and shaking off her hand. But in this process, a dramatic scene happened—Bryce, in a 

fluster, accidentally held Juli’s hand. This unexpected situation was completely beyond his expectation, 

instantly putting him in an extremely awkward and embarrassed situation. Therefore, a simple literal 

translation of “weirdest” obviously cannot accurately convey the unique emotional atmosphere contained 

in this plot. The translator skillfully chose the Chinese character “囧” for translation. This character has 

a unique meaning and rich expressiveness in Chinese, which can vividly depict Bryce’s 不知所措 and 

extremely embarrassed feeling at that time, accurately capturing the subtle meaning that the source 

language intended to convey in this specific context.  

Example 3:  

ST: By the sixth grade, I’d learned to control myself.  

TT: 到了六年级，我收敛了不少。 

This sentence is Juli’s inner monologue. After four years of enthusiastic treatment, Bryce’s attitude 

towards her still seemed lukewarm. Moreover, as she grew older, Juli herself had grown up, so in the 

sixth grade, her mentality changed significantly. She decided to change her previous enthusiastic and 

unrestrained style of doing things and turn to a low-key manner. The literal translation of “learned to 

control myself” in the original text is “控制自我”, but a literal translation would confuse target language 

readers. The word “收敛” means to restrain indulgent words and deeds or physical and mental state, 

which can just echo Juli’s previous behavior of hugging Bryce and surrounding him with enthusiasm. 

Moreover, the translation has a certain colloquial feature, which is highly consistent with Juli’s identity 

as a child. Because she is not conducting a serious self-restraint, but adjusting her behavior in a more 

natural way in line with her age, which further deepens her image of being enthusiastic and cheerful.  

4.2 Cultural Dimension  

Language is the carrier of culture. Different cultures breed different languages, and different languages 

reflect different cultures. The adaptive selection and transformation in the cultural dimension means that 



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translators pay attention to the transmission and interpretation of bilingual cultural connotations in the 

translation process (Hu, 2011), strive to explore and effectively convey the cultural information implied 

in the source language, and at the same time, translators should pay attention to the differences between 

bilingual cultures to avoid misreading of the original text.  

Example 4:  

ST: Mr. Loski was clean and smooth on the outside, but it seemed like there was something rotten buried 

just beneath the surface.  

TT: 洛斯奇先生外表温文尔雅，但金玉其外败絮其中。 

During the dinner between Bryce’s and Juli’s families, Bryce’s father spoke rudely and offensively, and 

he was absent-minded while eating, so Juli had the above thought. The words “clean” and “smooth” in 

the Western cultural context, in addition to describing the state of external neatness and being smooth in 

dealing with people, also have positive and good implied meanings, suggesting that a person gives a 

comfortable and reliable impression in appearance. “Rotten” is a negative word used to indicate the decay 

inside things. In translation, the translator adopted a Chinese cultural idiom “金玉其外败絮其中”, which 

first appeared in Liu Ji’s The Seller of Oranges. It means having an appearance like gold and jade but 

being like broken cotton wool inside, used to metaphorize something that is gorgeous in appearance but 

bad in essence. This idiom reflects the profound insight into the relationship between the essence and 

appearance of things in Chinese culture. It successfully conveys the core cultural connotation of the 

original text and adapts the translation to the ecological environment of Chinese culture through the use 

of Chinese-specific cultural expressions, realizing the transformation in the cultural dimension.  

Example 5:  

ST: Some of us get dipped in flat, some in satin, some in gloss. But every once in a while you find 

someone who’s iridescent. And when you do, nothing will ever compare.  

TT: 有人住高楼，有人在深沟，有人光万丈，有人一身锈，世人万千种，浮云莫去求，斯人若彩

虹，遇上方知有。 

The original text uses words such as “flat” (plain), “satin” (smooth as satin, symbolizing magnificence), 

and “gloss” (luster, representing brilliance) to metaphorize human characteristics through the properties 

of substances. The magnificence and brilliance represented by “satin” and “gloss” may imply successful 

people or those in advantageous positions in society; while “flat” may symbolize ordinary people. The 

translation “有人住高楼，有人在深沟，有人光万丈，有人一身锈” vividly depicts the differences in 

life circumstances and social status between people with vivid images. “斯人若彩虹，遇上方知有” 

compares that unique person to a rainbow, echoing the word “iridescent” in the original text, full of poetry 

and romance. In Chinese culture, the rainbow has always been a symbol of beauty and auspiciousness, 

representing hope, happiness, and beautiful emotions. The translation skillfully combines Western 

cultural elements with traditional Chinese culture, realizing the accurate transmission and effective 

transformation of the original cultural connotation.  

 



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4.3 Communicative Dimension  

The adaptive selection and transformation in the communicative dimension means that translators pay 

attention to the adaptive selection and transformation of bilingual communicative intentions in the 

translation process (Hu, 2011). This aspect focuses on the equivalence of the translation with the original 

text in terms of communicative intention, function, and effect. Because translation itself is a cross-

cultural communication activity, translators need to fully consider the communicative context, pragmatic 

function, and the author’s intention of the original text in the source language culture.  

Example 6:  

ST: Just you wait. 

TT: 别急嘛。 

In the opening plot of the film, Bryce’s family drove slowly into the quiet town with longing and 

expectation for a new life. The whole family was very much looking forward to their new home. When 

the car just stopped and the door was not yet opened, Bryce’s sister couldn’t wait to ask her mother what 

color her room was, and the mother replied, “Just you wait.” This English sentence is concise and direct, 

with a strong tone of command or warning. In the English context, this expression is often used to 

strongly demand the other party to wait, such as in the process of handling some urgent matters, a superior 

may say something similar to a subordinate, asking him not to be impatient and wait for further 

instructions; or it may be a threatening way to inform the other party of a certain situation, similar to 

warning an opponent not to act rashly in some competitive scenes. In translation, the translator fully 

considered factors such as the family atmosphere and character relationships, skillfully adopted the 

method of free translation, and used a soft form of imperative sentence, translating it into “别急嘛”. 

Although it is only three characters, it expresses the harmonious atmosphere between mother and 

daughter, enabling the target language audience to better integrate into the family situation created by the 

film and realizing the transformation in the communicative dimension.  

Example 7:  

ST: I was a Basketboy.  

TT: 我成了”午餐男孩”。  

The original meaning of “Basket” is a basket. A literal translation would be “篮子男孩”, which would 

definitely confuse target language readers and even trigger some strange associations, making them 

completely unable to understand its true meaning in the film. The word “Basketboy” here needs to be 

understood in combination with the film plot: Mayfield Middle School, where Juli and Bryce study, holds 

a fundraising auction every year. The auction randomly selects 20 boys, who carry baskets with lunch 

and step on the stage, while the students off the stage bid for the boys on the stage—that is the origin of 

“午餐男孩” (lunch boy). When dealing with this word, the translator did not simply stick to its literal 

meaning but translated the meaning behind “basket” in combination with the plot, helping target language 

readers get similar feelings to source language readers and realizing the transformation in the 

communicative dimension.  



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Example 8:  

ST: No, don’t be ridiculous. Of course I’m gonna pay you.  

TT: 不，别傻了，我怎么能白吃你的鸡蛋呢。 

In this example, there is no word related to “eggs” in the original text, but the word “鸡蛋” (eggs) appears 

in the translation. This is because Juli’s family raised chickens that laid too many eggs, which could not 

be eaten up, and just when the neighbors needed fresh eggs, Juli sold the eggs to Mrs. Stubblefield. In 

the subsequent plot, to avoid being in a dilemma, Juli made a strategy of not taking money so that she 

would not overthink before going to the school auction. But on her way to school, she happened to meet 

Mrs. Stubblefield, who insisted on giving Juli the money for the eggs. In this case, if the translator simply 

translated it literally as “我当然要付钱给你” (Of course I’m going to pay you), although there is no 

semantic error, it would seem abrupt to target language readers, who cannot understand why they 

suddenly need to pay and the ins and outs of this money. Therefore, in translation, the translator rendered 

it as “我怎么能白吃你的鸡蛋呢” (How could I eat your eggs for free), skillfully showing the cause and 

effect of the matter through translation, helping target language readers fully understand and realizing 

the communicative function.  

 

5. Conclusion  

Based on the “three-dimensional transformation” of eco-translatology, this paper analyzes the application 

value of eco-translatology by combining examples of subtitle translation in the film Flipped. In the 

linguistic dimension, it properly handles lexical and syntactic differences to make the translation conform 

to the habits of the target language; in the cultural dimension, it skillfully conveys cultural images and 

clarifies connotations; in the communicative dimension, it fully understands communicative contexts and 

intentions and exerts the function of communicative equivalence. In future research and practice of 

subtitle translation, we should continue to deepen the application of eco-translatology concepts, actively 

explore more translation paths and methods adapted to different types of films and multicultural contexts. 

We should make continuous efforts to further improve the quality and level of film subtitle translation, 

promote the beautiful vision of pluralistic coexistence and prosperous development of global film and 

television culture on the stage of cross-cultural communication, so that audiences from different cultural 

backgrounds can better understand and appreciate the cultural charm of all parts of the world through the 

art form of films, and promote the exchange and integration of human culture. 

 

References 

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Hu, G. S. (2008). Understanding translation theories through terms——An overview of translation as 

adaptation and selection. Shanghai Journal of Translators, 2, 1-5. 

Hu, G. S. (2011). Research focus and theoretical perspective of eco-translatology. Chinese Translators 

Journal, 32(2), 8. 



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