Creating Functional Equivalence: The Case of Subtitle Translation of the Legend of King Naresuan the Great, Part I

Abstract

This study aims to analyze how functional equivalence is created in the subtitle translation of the Legend of King Naresuan the Great, Part I: Hongsawadee's Hostage from Thai to Spanish. To answer this question, forty-nine cases of culture-specific items translated using functional equivalents in the movie were analyzed. The findings indicate that functional equivalence can be created by breaking down the semantic components of the term into a context-specific function and other semantic components. The function of the word, being the vital part in the context of the case study, should be retained to keep the core meaning of the source text unchanged. From this study, three methods are proposed to create functional equivalence of a cultural word: using its superordinate, indicating its function or feature, and using a word denoting a different category of objects or entities with the same function or the same effect as the original word in the same context. The findings of this study can benefit scholars on functional equivalence as well as translators who want to create functional equivalence in their translation, especially to cope with issues of cultural differences.