This brief presentation will outline various approaches to the question
of “performability,” a much-debated principle of theatre translation, in
terms of my current translation work (French to English) on five contemporary
Acadian plays being prepared for publication in 2003. The five plays present
a variety of linguistic and theatrical challenges which demand a range
of translation responses. As a starting point for linking the theory to
practice, I will be using Susan Bassnett’s more recent arguments against
“performability” as a useful theatre translation objective. The presentation
will then explore “function” versus “equivalence,” the role of mise en
scène in theatre translation, and the question of adaptation versus
translation.
05/26:1100