Performance and Translation in a Global Age

This global overview of translation as a performative practice highlights the impact of the performance turn in the arts and humanities, combining key concepts from comparative literature, performance studies, and translation theory. The chapters showcase interdisciplinary thinking across a wide range of performance practices and media, exploring issues of race, gender, sexuality, and accessibility.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 29 June 2023
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

This comprehensive examination of translation as a performative practice across genres, media, and disciplines sheds light on the far-reaching implications of the performance turn in the arts and humanities. By integrating key concepts from comparative literature, performance studies, and translation theory, the volume offers a dynamic account of the ways in which these fields interact fruitfully. The chapters showcase interdisciplinary thinking in action across a diverse range of performance practices and media, spanning from poetry and manuscripts to theatre surtitles, audio description, archives, installations, dialects, movement, and dance. With a keen focus on issues of race, gender, sexuality, embodiment, and accessibility, the collection's diverse array of methodological approaches and experiments with scholarly writing demonstrate how translation as a performative practice can enhance our understanding of language and politics.

The study of translation has long been intertwined with the broader field of performance studies, as both disciplines explore the ways in which language and culture are enacted and communicated. Translation, as a process of cultural mediation, involves the transformation of textual materials from one language to another, often with the aim of preserving or adapting cultural values and traditions. At the same time, performance studies focuses on the embodied and experiential aspects of communication, exploring how gestures, movements, and other bodily expressions can convey meaning and emotion.

One of the key insights of the performance turn in the arts and humanities is that the act of translation is not merely a linguistic or textual exercise, but a performative one. This means that the translation process is not just about the transfer of meaning from one language to another, but also about the creation of new meanings and identities through the act of performance. Translators, as performers, are responsible for interpreting and re-performing the text in a way that captures the essence of the original while also adapting it to the cultural and linguistic context of the target audience.

In addition to the translation process, performance studies also examines the ways in which language and culture are shaped by performance. Performance, as a form of cultural expression, can challenge and redefine traditional notions of language, identity, and power. For example, in the field of theatre, performers can use their bodies, voices, and movements to create new meanings and interpretations of plays, challenging the traditional notion of the text as the sole source of meaning.

Similarly, in the field of dance, performers can use their bodies to communicate complex ideas and emotions in ways that cannot be expressed through language alone. Dance, with its emphasis on movement and gesture, can be used to explore issues of gender, sexuality, and identity, challenging traditional notions of what it means to be a woman or a man.

Another important aspect of the performance turn in the arts and humanities is the role of technology in shaping the translation process. With the advent of digital technologies, translators have new tools and resources at their disposal to facilitate the translation process. For example, machine translation software can help translators to produce accurate and efficient translations, while also allowing for the exploration of new translation strategies and techniques.

However, the use of technology in translation also raises important ethical and cultural concerns. For example, the use of machine translation software can lead to the loss of cultural nuances and the flattening of language, which can have negative impacts on the preservation and promotion of cultural diversity. Additionally, the use of technology in translation can also perpetuate stereotypes and biases, as it may rely on predefined
In conclusion, the study of translation as a performative practice across genres, media, and disciplines offers a rich and complex understanding of the ways in which language and culture are enacted and communicated. By integrating key concepts from comparative literature, performance studies, and translation theory, the volume provides readers with a dynamic account of the ways in which these fields interact fruitfully. The chapters showcase interdisciplinary thinking in action across a diverse range of performance practices and media, spanning from poetry and manuscripts to theatre surtitles, audio description, archives, installations, dialects, movement, and dance. With a keen focus on issues of race, gender, sexuality, embodiment, and accessibility, the collection's diverse array of methodological approaches and experiments with scholarly writing demonstrate how translation as a performative practice can enhance our understanding of language and politics. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, the study of translation as a performative practice will continue to be an important area of research and inquiry, as it helps us to navigate the complex and ever-changing landscape of cultural exchange and communication.

ISBN-13: 9781009296816