The True Face of Mulan

The original story of Mulan, the legendary heroine who takes her father's place in battle to defend her homeland, is described in a Chinese poem dating back to the year 500. In the Chinese collective imagination, she is a filial and loyal young girl who sacrifices herself for the greater common good. This contrasts with the corresponding Western individualistic vision created by Disney's 36th animated film Mulan (1998). Once the film was marketed in China, Disney faced two challenges: tensions in relations with the Chinese government and the Chinese language translation of the film from the original English language version. The study of subtitles is relevant here in an attempt to understand the strategies adopted in translation and the influence they had in the reception of the final product in its land of origin. From the analysis and comparison of the translation some very interesting aspects come out, which bring to light the question of cultural authenticity. Today Mulan comes out contaminated, not entirely Chinese, but not entirely American either, rather a combination of old and new, traditional and modern.