Academic literature on the topic 'Surtitles'

SummarySurtitling as a mode of audiovisual translation is commonly used for intercultural communication both intralingually and interlingually in theatres. The largest Lithuanian theatres often provide surtitles as a means to present translated text of the original language, although in the scientific field surtitling is still a little studied mode. In order to provide qualitative surtitles that convey the essentials of the original language, translators and surtitlers applied a number of compression strategies. The duration and length of the surtitles are limited; therefore, the surtitle specialists must take into account the time and space constraints and provide the shortest text without losing the essence so that the viewer would be able to spend less time reading and mostly focusing on the performance. The article investigates cases of compression of translated text at both the syntactic and lexical levels. Using the descriptive, analytical and comparative methods, Lithuanian surtitles of the opera Traviata for two theatres, namely Kaunas State Musical Theatre and Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre, are prepared, and a study of the cases of text compression is performed.

Nowadays both intra- and interlingual surtitles are an inherent element of almost all opera produc­tions and, partly thanks to this technology, opera is now going through a renaissance. The trend of staging operas in a modernised fashion is especially popular these days, but it represents a particu­lar challenge for surtitlers. It is argued in this article that while surtitles accompanying traditional opera productions are usually intrasemiotic, as their source text is just the libretto, modernised productions often have intersemiotic surtitles. The article analyses fragments of surtitles prepared for four different operas staged in the Metropolitan Opera House, Bayerische Staatsoper and Royal Opera House. The result show that while traditionally surtitles provide the viewers with the mean­ing of the libretto, the role of intersemiotic surtitles is much more extended, as they provide the audience with more comprehensive information about the whole opera production.

Faced with the need to expand their audience, small Franco-Canadian theatre companies are experimenting with various on-stage translative strategies, such as surtitles, to reach audiences with diverse linguistic and cultural profiles. Not only do they explore their bilingualism in plays that incorporate Canada’s two official languages, they enhance the bilingual aesthetics of the original play with the use of surtitles. In addition to conventional surtitles translating the source text delivered orally on stage, creative surtitles transmit new messages and thus multiply the possible readings generated by the performance. Thus, translation achieves a certain autonomy within the theatre production and, in doing so, redefines its function while challenging the existing theoretical models applied to the translation of dramatic texts.

Abstract This article discusses the source text and reading situation of opera surtitles. It introduces opera from a multimodal viewpoint and differentiates between the dramatic text and the stage interpretation. With two versions of surtitles, it approaches two different surtitling strategies, the one that concentrates on the libretto and the other that focusses on the particular stage interpretation. As a result, the article asks if we should consider the stage interpretation to be the only appropriate source text of surtitles.

As a result of the internationalization of theatrical art and the development of modern technologies, surtitles are currently one of the most frequently used methods of theater translation. The diversity of solutions currently proposed by theaters around the world entails the necessity of development of the common rules of the creation of surtitles. This role is to be fulfilled by the French rulebook prepared by the by the drama institute Maison Antoine Vitez, entitled "Guide du sur-titrage au théâtre" (Bataillon, Muhleisen, Diez, 2016). The following analysis is based on examples of the use of surtitles from four performances presented during the Malta Festival 2017 in Poznań. Its purpose will be to answer the question: to what extent the surtitles used during the Polish festival of theater are in compliance with the norms suggested by authors of“Guide du sur-titrage au théâtre” (2016)?

The present paper focuses on the issue of translating operatic libretti in the form of surtitles. This is a very specific type of translation, and it becomes even more challenging when operatic productions for which surtitles are created are modernised. In such cases the application of skopos theory proves to be the most useful and effective, even though some of its premises may be regarded as controversial. The data for the present study come from the most reputable opera houses, for example the Metropolitan Opera House or Royal Opera House, as they are known for providing their audiences with high-quality libretti translations.

La mondialisation n’est plus seulement une réalité économique et commerciale, elle concerne aussi les domaines culturels et artistiques. Dans ce contexte, la traduction joue un rôle majeur car elle facilite les échanges tout en conservant la diversité des langues et des cultures. En permettant la circulation des œuvres dramatiques et lyriques dans leur dimension spectaculaire, le surtitrage répond à cet enjeu du dialogue interculturel. Ainsi, il s’est imposé comme une technique de traduction à part entière, à mi-chemin entre la traduction théâtrale et la traduction audiovisuelle. Sa pratique connaît d’ailleurs un essor constant depuis son apparition, posant ainsi la question de sa professionnalisation et exigeant, par là-même, que l’on s’interroge sur les outils nécessaires au surtitreur. Pour y répondre, une analyse théorique du surtitrage est indispensable car ce dernier présente des spécificités propres qui concernent aussi bien les textes source et cible que l’opération de traduction qu’il engage. La réflexion traductologique doit être accompagnée d’une réflexion théâtrologique car le surtitrage apparaît, de fait, comme un élément qui s’ajoute à une scénographie. Quel que soit son degré d’intégration à la mise en scène, il n’est pas sans incidence sur le spectacle qu’il traduit. Outre cette approche théorique, ce travail s’appuie sur une expérience pratique du surtitrage pour en cerner les différents enjeux. Une telle articulation entre théorie et pratique a conduit à la conception de nouveaux outils, méthodologiques et informatiques (cahier des charges fonctionnel du logiciel Surtitéa), pour faciliter l’activité du surtitreur et accompagner sa professionnalisation
Globalization is no longer restricted to the economic and commercial spheres as the cultural and artistic worlds are now also affected by it. Within this context, translation plays a major role since it makes exchanges easier while maintaining the diversity of languages and cultures. In making possible the circulation of dramatic and lyrical works in their entire theatrical dimension, the practice of surtitles contributes to the elaboration of this intercultural dialogue. Hence, it came to be recognized as a specific technique of translation, half-way between theatrical translation and audiovisual translation. The practice of surtitles has been developing at a regular pace since its creation, raising thus the question of its professionalization and that of the tools required for such specific types of translation. To answer those questions, a theoretical analysis of surtitling is necessary because of its specificities concerning both the source and target texts and the very process of translation which it implies. A reflection on the theories of translation should be combined with a reflection on the theatrical field since the surtitles are, as a matter of fact, part of the scenography. No matter how much the surtitles are taking into consideration in the elaboration of the staging, their integration always has a consequence on the play they translate. Alongside this theoretical approach, this study is based on a practical experience in surtitling which has helped us to further delineate its features. This combination of theory and practice has resulted in the creation of new tools in the field of methodology and computing (practical guidelines for the users of the software Surtitéa) to ease the task of the translator and helps his professionalization