Iris Klosi: Translation of Arthur Miller´s Play, The Crucible, in Albania

Article

This paper focuses on the translation of Arthur Miller´s play The Crucible in Albania. It explores differences that exist between the translation of authoritative statements and serious literature texts. Furthermore, the paper offers arguments for drama translation being closely linked with stage and performance. Since playwrights write for the stage, theatrical translators are expected to translate dramatic texts that flow. As long as the audience needs to decode the signs on stage, translators struggle to offer dialogue that is equivalent with the source text. Dramatic dialogue is the prevailing element in drama, very frequently followed by stage directions. Although translators have to be loyal to the dramatic text, they cannot escape the temptation of writing their own interpretation and losing fidelity. In drama, translation translators need to translate from the page to stage and that is why dramatic text is nothing else but performance text. This paper offers many examples from the play and the corresponding target translation. These examples are accompanied by analysis and comments on different translation shifts and procedures which make the target text speakable and comprehensible.