作者：徐滢
　　【Abstract】Nowadays， television programs are crucial for information study and exchange worldwide. Since one of the distinctive features of the American TV series Friends is its humorous dialogues， the research target of this paper is the pun in the subtitling of Friends for its plenty of examples to explore. Therefore，， this paper makes a deep analysis of some representative puns in Friends under functional equivalence theory， as well as a little contribution to cross-cultural communication.
　　【Key words】pun; functional equivalence theory; English-Chinese translation
　　【作者簡介】徐滢，上海师范大学。
　　Ⅰ. Introduction
　　People are gradually getting familiar with more foreign TV programs due to their strong desire and need to know the outside world. As a vital part in TV programs， subtitling helps the audience to have a better understanding of the plot. Therefore， this paper is to improve mutual learning and understanding between people from two different cultures.
　　Ⅱ. Theoretical Frameworks
　　2.1 The Definition of Pun
　　According to The Oxford English Dictionary， pun is defined as the use of a word in such a way as to suggest two or more meanings or different associations， or the use of two or more words of the same or neatly the same sound with different meanings， so as to produce a humorous effect. （1989：832）
　　2.2 The Definition of Functional Equivalence Theory
　　Eugene A. Nida puts forward his interpretation of functional equivalence in his Language and culture： Context in Translating （2001：87）： a term used to refer to the type of equivalence reflected in a TT which seeks to adapt the function of the original to suit the specific context in and for which it was produced.
　　Ⅲ. Pun Translation in Friends under Functional Equivalence Theory
　　3.1 Lexical Equivalence
　　Example： Phoebe： Hey， you guys， you know what Larry would say？ He would say， “See you ladle.”
　　菲比：你们知道莱瑞会怎么回答吗？他会说“勺后见。”
　　In this example， Danny just borrows a ladle from Monica and Rachel’s apartment. After he leaves， Phoebe says that because “See you later.” and “See you ladle.” sound very alike. The humor arises. The translator also shows the similar pronunciation by “稍后见” and “勺后见” in Chinese translation， so it should be considered as a successful translation.
　　3.2 Sentence Equivalence
　　Example：
　　Joey： What’s wrong buddy？
　　Ross： Someone at work ate my sandwich！
　　Chandler： Well， what did the police say？