The Translator on Stage

Description

In today's theatre, productions of plays that originated in another language are frequently distinguished by two characteristics: the authorship of the English text by a well-known local theatre specialist, and the absence of the term 'translation'-generally in favour of 'adaptation' or 'version'. The Translator on Stage investigates the creative processes that bring translated plays to the mainstream stage, exploring the commissioning, translation and development procedures that end with a performed play. Through a sample of eight plays that span two thousand years and six languages-including Festen, Don Carlos, Hedda Gabler and The UN Inspector-and that were all staged within a three-month period, Geraldine Brodie brings in a wide range of theatre practitioners to discuss their roles in the translation process and the motivations that govern London theatre translation activities. The Translator on Stage is informed by specially conducted interviews with the productions' producers, artistic directors, directors, literary managers, playwrights and specialist translators, including Michael Grandage, Rufus Norris, David Eldridge, Juan Mayorga, David Johnston and Mike Poulton. It sheds new light not only on theatrical translation procedures, but also on the place of translation in society today.

Geraldine Brodie is Lecturer in Translation Theory and Theatre Translation in the Centre for Translation Studies at University College London, UK. She founded the UCL Theatre Translation Forum and Translation in History Lecture Series, is a panel Associate of Advancing Research in Translation and Interpreting Studies (ARTIS) and is co-editor, with Emma Cole, of Adapting Translation for the Stage (forthcoming 2017).

Brodie suggests the ethical project underlying the book: to lift the lid on the behind-the-scenes machinations that influence the appointment of literal, direct, and indirect translators, and to bring to light the often hidden 'influencers' that intervene in the translation process. It is with its sustained analysis of the role of the literal on the mainstream London stage and its bearing on overarching questions of visibility that this book makes its major contribution, and emerging literal translators, in particular, will find much encouragement and numerous transferable ideas for their own professional practice ... Brodie's thoughtful comparative analysis ... yields insights into the ways in which the literal translator can influence the stage performance crafted from their text ... In her interviews with representatives of literary departments, moreover, Brodie records a high degree of understanding of the tensions inherent in the 'two-step' process of literal and indirect translation, together with a degree of sympathy for the literal translator ... Brodie's forensic attention to detail in tracking the influence of multiple agents in the production of theatre translations makes this a volume rich in insights, and of interest to researchers and practitioners alike ... Brodie's in-depth investigation into the function of translation in the production of staged translations in mainstream London theatres is the first step in an exciting new phase of research into the overt and covert roles of theatre translators in the production of foreign work on the local stage. -- Sarah Maitland * The Translator * Geraldine Brodie's volume, The Translator on Stage, is an important intervention into the subfield of theatre translation studies. It offers a striking map of translation practice in the contemporary London theatre environment ... The book's introduction allows Brodie to develop an absolutely innovative methodology in theatre translation studies ... One finishes the book with the impression of having read an in-depth work in the field, with knowledge of the major players in the theatrical and translational scene ... Brodie's extraordinary geographic study on the context for the arrival of theatrical translations brings with it certain advantages for translation studies, but also in theatre and international studies. One of them is to contribute to the emergence of new knowledge about the production of translation, the translators, their roles, their positions and their collaborations ... Moreover, Brodie's remarkably effective writing makes reading enjoyable to all those who are interested in translation, theatre, or London culture. -- Nicole Nolette * Traduction, terminologie, redaction (Bloomsbury translation) * Geraldine Brodie's fascinating and accessible book bridges translation studies and theatre practice, examining the contributions of various artists to translated plays on the London stage ... The engaging introduction describes her method, informed by sociology and her previous experience as an accountant ... Brodie's interviews with theatre practitioners continually reinforce the complexity of theatre collaboration and its impact on translated plays ... Brodie's astute analysis ... contributes to scholarly literature on dramaturgy and models of collaboration ... The interdisciplinary approach and range of source materials would make this a useful text to discuss in a graduate seminar on research methods. This book is also essential reading for dramaturgs and for scholars of contemporary British theatre. -- Daniel Smith * Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism * It is [Brodie's] openness of approach that makes this book so interesting ... [The] breadth of productions in a variety of theatres allows for a considered in-depth investigation of how translations end up on stage and in what shape ... She looks carefully at the process and development of each individual translation and interviews each of the translators in depth, not only about the process of translating the specific work, but also how each translator fitted into the collaborative process of making the play, whether through physical meetings or email exchanges, as well as the acknowledgement of their work in publicity material going out from the theatres ... The interviews with the translators are fascinating ... This book, through the prism of ten plays, opens up an understanding of translation as well as the workings of theatre for translators, theatre makers and laypeople alike. Consequently, it is a book that everyone with an interest in the subject - academic or practical - would benefit from reading. Behind the research is Brodie's passionate interest in translation and translators which, combined with her forensic approach, makes this book fascinating to read. -- Penny Black * The Mercurian * Brodie's study is a significant contribution ... It offers a practical insight into the roles of linguistic experts within the myriad interventions in the passage of a playtext from page to stage, and its detailed study of successful productions makes it a valuable resource for practitioners, critics and theatregoers alike. * Oxford Comparative Criticism & Translation * Geraldine Brodie has written an essential book on the mystery, complexity and glory of translation for the stage. Being a playwright, adaptor/translator, artistic director and director myself, I found it fascinating reading for my own work. However, I recommend this book to anyone who loves international theater and wants to learn the process of bringing masterful plays alive to audiences in a new language. I could not put this book down. * Emily Mann, Artistic Director and Resident Playwright, The McCarter Theatre Center, Princeton, New Jersey, USA * If you want to know why translation matters to stage practice, how it shapes an audience's understanding of a play, and how it relates to the work of directors and actors, there is no better book than Geraldine Brodie's The Translator on Stage. A study of agency and action, of process and product, and of the different practices that shape how a play text moves from one language to another across different modes of translation, this is an erudite, highly readable examination of the fluid and sometimes contentious relationship between text and adaptation. Drawing on a wide range of comparative examples from Hecuba to Festen, Brodie articulates a vision of translation as a creative, interpretative act with wide implications for understandings of how theatre operates in contemporary society. * Maria M. Delgado, Professor and Director of Research at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and Honorary Fellow at The Institute of Modern Languages Research, University of London, UK * The Translator on Stage sets out to explore the teams and networks that provide theatre in translation. It is an investigation into the processes of theatre translation 'in actual occurrence', based on eight plays in translation in 2005, that provides rare insights into real collaborations that bring the translated play from commission to performance. Geraldine Brodie offers new understanding, both practical and theoretical, of this often hidden work in our theatre. * Catherine Boyle, Professor of Latin American Cultural Studies, King's College London, UK *