Appunti esame Lingua inglese, prof. Carosso, dispensa consigliata Translating for the stage, Fernandes

Translating for the stage (Fernandes)

This study demonstrates how Translation Studies don’t offer a solution for the problems of theatre translation. T.S. started in the sixties as a branch of Linguistics and for several decades it was a linguistic discipline. From the eighties, it went through a cultural turn and it began to explore the cultures involved in the production and reception of translated texts.

Performability in translation

A contested notion in T.S is that of ‘performability’, which compromises the relationship between the translated text and its corresponding ST. Susan Bassnett has been debating this issue for almost 20 years, saying that theatre translations is a paradox, because the translator has to do the impossible – to treat a written text, part of a larger complex of signs, as if it were a literary text created for the page. ‘Performability’ is the “creation of fluent speech rhythms to produce a text that actors can speak without too much difficulty.”

Translation strategies

According to her, there are 5 translation strategies:

• Literary work: The translator tries to remain faithful to the original text and doesn’t consider the extratextual aspects.
• Using the SL cultural context as a frame text: The use of clichés and stereotypes of the SC to create a comic effect.
• Translating performability: The translator takes into account extratextual elements and produces a speakable text in the TL.
• Creating alternative SL verse drama in alternative forms: More common in the TL.
• Co-operative translation: The translator works with SL and TL native speakers and with actors/director who know the SL. This type avoids the notion of performability as a quality that can be added to the text and involves the participation of a native speaker of the SL, so the translator serves as an interlocutor that provides material for a director. According to her, this is the best strategy for drama translation; the translated text doesn’t need to have potential for performance in itself, because it will be redrafted by the director.

Playability and multiple interpretations

The term goes hand in hand with playability, because if one translates with a view towards it, the translator works keeping extra-dimensions in mind. Bassnett adopted a new approach to drama translation: departing from the notion that a text may be read in multiple ways by multiple readers, different readings allow for different interpretations on the part of the translator, the director, the actors, which allow for different performances of the same text.

Diverse linguistic and cultural contexts

Now, scholars have realized that theatre translation contains a rich universe of different languages, linguistic codes, cultures, theatrical traditions, audiences, memories, so the attention must be drawn to audience expectations and theatrical sign systems.