Challenges and Practice in Theatrical Translation

This paper focuses on some practical aspects of theatrical translation and some of the challenges translators encounter. Ortrun Zuber suggests that "a play is dependent on the immediacy of the impact on the audience" (92). Therefore, theatrical translators should get equal billing with authors; they should not remain invisible. What is more, Patrice Pavis argues that "the translator is a dramaturg who must first of all effect a macrotextual translation, that is, a dramaturgical analysis of the fiction conveyed by the text" (27). Though often neglected, those who translate for the theatre use their instincts as professionals. I will discuss some of the recurring problems in translating for the theatre, as well as some of the immediate solutions to these problems.