THEORY OF COGNITIVE CONTEXT ACTION IN CHINESE TRANSLATION OF RUSSIAN FILMS AND TV SHOWS

Abstract

The article, drawing on cognitive context theory as its core perspective, focuses on translation strategies for Chinese subtitles of Russian film and television dramas. Within the context of cross-cultural communication, subtitle translation, as a comprehensive practice integrating language conversion and cultural transmission, is constrained by the particularities of temporal and spatial contexts and must address cognitive differences in the encounter between heterogeneous cultures. The study examines the evolution of context theory from a traditional static paradigm to a cognitive dynamic paradigm, arguing that Sperber and Wilson’s “cognitive environment” (comprising logical, encyclopedic, and lexical information) provides key theoretical support for subtitle translation. By analyzing examples of Russian subtitle translation, this article demonstrates that translators must employ a combination of three strategies: “accommodating the audience’s cognitive threshold,” “explicitizing implicit information,” and “impliciting cultural conflict” to achieve precise adaptation to the target audience’s cognitive context. Accommodating audience requirements requires translators to consider the target group’s cultural background and acceptance habits, achieving a balance between linguistic style and communication effectiveness. Explicit translation addresses cultural cognitive gaps by supplementing pre-existing information and ensuring narrative coherence. Implicit translation, on the other hand, reduces redundant information, adapts to the temporal and spatial constraints of subtitles, and enhances the transmission of core meaning. The study believes that subtitle translation from the perspective of cognitive context is not only a transformation of language symbols, but also an active adjustment of the translator to cultural cognitive differences. Its essence is to build a cross-cultural communication bridge that is both accurate and communicative through strategic choices, providing a reference path for film and television translation practice that has both theoretical depth and practical value.