JHASS

Article http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2026.06.020

Pun Translation in the Chinese Subtitles of Zootopia 2: A Translator Behavior Criticism Approach

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Ziqi Liu^*, Hao Liu

School of Languages and Cultures, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China.

*Corresponding author: Ziqi Liu

This work was supported by the 2025 Tianjin Philosophy and Social Science Planning Project, Tianjin School of Culture Research Special Topic: Research on the Translation and International Communication Influence Enhancement Strategy of Tianjin School Intangible Cultural Heritage (NO. TJJW01-04).

Published: June 30,2026

Abstract

Drawing on Zhou Lingshun’s “truth-seeking—utility-seeking” continuum model as its analytical framework, this paper examines pun translation in the official Chinese subtitles of Zootopia 2. This paper selects and examines 9 representative examples of pun-based subtitle translation from the film as case studies, and groups the puns into four categories—proper-noun homophonic puns, species-embedded puns, pragmatic-functional puns, and rhythmic-performance puns. The analysis reveals a graded orientation toward utility: proper-noun and species-embedded puns require the most thorough reconstruction, pragmatic-functional puns occupy a middle band, while rhythmic puns most readily permit truth-seeking. The translator is constrained by four intersecting factors: the low cognitive threshold of children, the phonetic and spatial demands of dubbing and subtitling, and the overriding need to preserve comic effect. Within these tensions, the translator functions less as a linguistic trans-coder than as a humour-effect coordinator. The strategies fall into three tiers: optimal solutions that retain both formal play and humour, satisfactory solutions that sacrifice form to safeguard function, and compromise solutions that retreat to bare semantic fidelity. This case-driven framework offers a reference for assessing pragmatic fidelity in animation localization.

Keywords

Translator behavior criticism; truth-seeking—utility-seeking; pun translation; Zootopia 2

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How to cite this paper

Pun Translation in the Chinese Subtitles of Zootopia 2: A Translator Behavior Criticism Approach

How to cite this paper: Ziqi Liu, Hao Liu. (2026) Pun Translation in the Chinese Subtitles of Zootopia 2: A Translator Behavior Criticism Approach. Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Science, 10(6), 742-746.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2026.06.020