Performing Translation as Practice-led Research: The Case of Carr’s “By the Bog of Cats…” in Brazil

Abstract

This article offers a retrospective analysis of aspects of my translation for the stage of Marina Carr’s By the Bog of Cats… into Brazilian Portuguese. By focusing on the iterative aspects of theatre translation as well as the translation of dialect, this article will elaborate the notion that theatre translation takes place at both individual and collaborative levels in which the translator works in dramaturgical capacity. These two levels cannot be dissociated because they constantly influence and inform one another. Although theatre translation begins as an individual task, originating in the complex act of reading the play-text, its final trajectory is deeply influenced by the creative insights of the production team. The overarching objectives of this article are, therefore: firstly to account for the overall process of translating for the stage, from the early drafts of the translation to the rehearsal process, and ultimately to the staged reading of the play; and secondly, to offer a narrative for how the cultural encounter between the exporting and importing cultures has taken place through translation and theatrical performance.

Keywords

• theatre translation
• collaborative process
• dramaturgical interventions
• dialect