Thoughts on the Class Materials 02/25 - Maria Antonia Blandon

 

For Frayn, I noticed the same kind of bet for domestication as Bly with poetry, since he really emphasized that in his translation the characters in the play must become native English-speakers, and in doing so, all traces of foreignness must be eliminated, even with names. That I don’t really agree with, but what I could support was that initial principle of ‘what would that character say if he had been a native speaker’, because here the translator engages his imagination without losing the source reference.

For Pavis, I was reminded of George Steiner by the use of the word ‘interpretation/interpreter’ to talk about translation/translator; even though he uses it regarding music in his book, in this article the similarities between theatre and translation are evident in their relationship with the concept of the ‘original’. In this way, when a performance aims to either project reading or restitute meaning, the same can be said of translation in the faithful-unfaithful duo, because both practices struggle between a division that restricts plurality.

For Senelick, I admired his thorough understanding of Chekhov’s style as a crucial aspect for translating his plays, since I noticed that in theater there seems to be a misconception about translation as a literal practice (the initial, mechanical aspect before adaptation). He truly gives a master lecture about translating Chekhov’s use of language instead of just the Russian language, putting emphasis on his sentence structures, word order, repetitions and rhythm, since in many cases they represent motifs in his plays. One memorable quote: “[Translation] puts the text into a state of crisis, which is stimulating and provocative”.

For Jiang, his lecture really put into perspective the dire image translation has in the playwriting scene, isolating so many famous instances where there’s not even recognition of who put forward the literal translation before a notorious playwright could adapt it. I liked the distinction he makes of both these agents in the translation process, the celebrity translator and the literal translator, who seem to not coexist in fear of contamination in the creative process for the first. There seems to be a power dynamic of subordinate and master that is also being promoted by marketing strategies and publishing.