De la spécificité du texte théâtral et de sa traduction

Résumé

ON THE SPECIFICITY OF THE THEATRICAL TEXT AND ITS TRANSLATION

A loyal translation of a theatrical text requires me to acknowledge its distinctiveness and it is this distinctiveness which is the main determinant of my work. A theatrical text is intended to be staged: it must, therefore, be translated into the language of contemporary spectators who must understand everything during a performance. In addition, such a text is addressed mainly to the creators of the performance who transform stage directions into non-verbal messages visual, aural, phatic and the main body of the text into verbal messages which the actors-characters will exchange among themselves. That is why the translator should not identify himself or herself with the audience or the creators of the performance; using his or her own language and own culture, the translator must replace the author in the author’s language and culture.