Research on Chinese Translation Strategies of Foreign Lyrics under the Guidance of Functional Equivalence Theory —Taking Country Music Represented by Taylor Swift as an Example

Abstract

Chinese audiences have made higher requirements for the quality of lyrics translation amid increasingly deepened music communication between America and China in recent years. While numerous translators have produced English lyrics translations of varying quality, there persists a notable lack of systematic theoretical guidance in this field. The Functional Equivalence Theory, emphasizing substantive textual correspondence in both function and meaning, proves particularly relevant for achieving semantic fidelity in contemporary lyrics translation. Through an analytical examination of modern lyrics translations, this study extracts and evaluates their distinctive characteristics while assessing the applicability of Functional Equivalence Theory. Employing Taylor Swift’s country music translations as case studies, the research proposes actionable translation strategies within the framework of Functional Equivalence Theory. To enhance both the aesthetic appreciation and creative innovation in target language renditions, this investigation seeks to effectively convey and reconstruct original lyrical meanings through theoretically informed translation approaches.