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Abstract
<jats:p>This study examines the relationship between spoken Japanese and Japanese subtitles, Chinese subtitles in the animated film Spirited Away. Subtitling, as a form of audiovisual translation, operates under time and space constraints that necessitate the selection, compression, and restructuring of linguistic information. While previous research has focused primarily on cross-linguistic subtitling (e.g., Japanese-to-English), the analysis of same-language subtitles remains largely unexplored. Five key scenes were analyzed: Haku’s advice to Chihiro, her parents’ transformation into pigs, the contract with Yubaba, the introduction of No-Face, and Chihiro beginning her work at the bathhouse. Comparative analysis of spoken lines and corresponding subtitles revealed consistent patterns: (1) the core meaning of utterances is preserved, (2) redundant, emotional, or pragmatic expressions are frequently omitted, and (3) subtitles are optimized to facilitate viewer comprehension, relying on visual and vocal cues to supplement omitted information. The findings demonstrate that Japanese subtitles function not merely as verbatim transcriptions but as a form of meaning-oriented linguistic reconstruction. This study contributes a novel perspective to subtitling research by highlighting the process of meaning optimization in same-language subtitles and its implications for audiovisual translation theory. Future research may expand this analysis across additional scenes or works, incorporate quantitative metrics, or investigate the effect of subtitles on viewer understanding and emotional perception.</jats:p>