Translation: Movement of Meanings from Source to Stage
Abstract
Part 1 of this essay offers an overview of translation as espoused by theorists: e.g. Friedrich Schleiermacher’s word-for-word literalizing strategies that permit encountering the foreign in translation; Lawrence Venuti’s revitalization of Schleiermacher’s preference for a foreignizing approach; Antoine Berman’s questioning of ethnocentric translating that ‘deforms’ the foreign text by assimilating it to the target language; Michel Foucault’s distinction between two methods of translation; Jacques Derrida’s query as to what is a “relevant” translation. Part 2 explores in detail the “practical thinking” of Jean-Michel Déprats, translator of Shakespeare into French, on historicity and theatricality in translating theatre. David Johnston, translator of the Spanish comedia into English, considers verse translation. We end with Déprats’ broad distinction between adapting a play to an external end and allowing translation to remain open: translating for theatre versus translating “theatre”.
Presentato: 11 Aprile 2025 | Accettato: 03 Giugno 2025 | Pubblicato 27 Ottobre 2025 | Lingua: en
Keywords Foreignizing • Lawrence Venuti • Translating theatre • George Steiner • Antoine Berman • David Johnston • Friedrich Schleiermacher • Jean-Michel Déprats • Translation theory • Fidelity • Alterité
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Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/978-88-6969-948-1/002