Spanish MA Students Tackle Cultural and Linguistic Translation and Work with Contemporary Argentine Playwrights

How can one translate the Argentine wordplay that pits “voz” (voice) against “vos” (you)? Or the terms “IVA” (value added tax) and “iba” (she went)? How can a work of translated theatre capture the uniquely dark Argentine humor for a U.S. audience? Is it possible to translate the emotional impact that an audience feels when watching a play in the original context versus when translated to a second language and culture?

In Fall 2024, Spanish MA students enrolled in a new course, “Latin American Theatre in Translation” offered within ISU´s Spanish MA program, grappled with philosophical and ethical questions related to the art of translation as they studied pairs of English and Spanish theatre texts and productions. During the weeks of the semester, students asked questions about the intended audience that the translator was addressing, how to preserve cultural values that were subtle but key to the message in the original version, the difference between adaptation and translation, and the “untranslatable”, among other topics. Dr. Marin Laufenberg led her students through discussions about specific pieces ranging from 1950s Puerto Rico to 21st century Chile, but they also addressed translation theory and discussed translation choices based on these theories. Is it best to preserve a feeling of distance, a sort of “foreignization” of a piece by attempting to keep the literal language, sayings, and cultural signposts? Or should a translator opt for “domestication” of the piece, altering context and references to be more easily understood by their new intended audience? What is lost in translation? Is a translated theatre work an entirely new work of art, or does it always depend on the original? Is a cinematographic adaptation a form of translation of a theatre work?

Towards the second half of the course, students were put in contact with four different contemporary Argentine playwrights who volunteered their short one-act pieces for a real translation project. Students were challenged to translate these never-before-translated theatre works into English. While translating, they were able to contact the playwrights to ask questions about phrases, sayings, double meanings, or slang that is hard to locate in official dictionaries. Playwrights Adela Sorrentino, Leandro Marcos González, José Ignacio Serralunga, and Marisa Silva (all of Argentina) provided valuable insight and explanation of their works to the student translators. Silva said of the students’ work in translating her piece, Ascensor fuera de servicio (Elevator Out of Order) that they, “han hecho un análisis muy profundo de la obra y se han encontrado con escollos en expresiones y modismos muy locales , pero fue magnífico que buscaran la forma de no perder el sentido.” (had done a very deep analysis of the play and encountered some obstacles with very local expressions and sayings, but it was wonderful that they looked for a way to not lose the meaning.) Playwright Serralunga added in reflecting about the value of translating theatre that, “para un autor es un deber ineludible aceptar, con amplitud intelectual y generosidad, todas las posibles traducciones y adaptaciones. [...] la traducción es un acto creativo, y por ello, debería, en su traslado, mejorar el escrito original.” (for an author it is an unavoidable duty to accept, with intellectual amplitude and generosity, all possible translations and adaptations. [...] translation is a creative act, and because of this, it should in its transfer, improve the original writing.)

In addition to their final translated script, students also wrote a reflection on the translation experience and decisions made. One goal of this final project was to share the final English scripts with the playwrights so these theatre professionals might use their own texts, now in English, for future productions or to share their creations with new audiences. As Latin American theatre scholar Kirsten Nigro says of the field, “Latin American theatre in English translation simply has little presence on the U.S. stage.” (118, Moving Target). Therefore, translators help to engage further audiences, bring knowledge of current artistic practices to a more global stage, demystify stereotypes perpetrated about Latin America, and help to offset the English-centric theatre culture.

This cultural exchange experienced in Spanish 6675 not only enriched our ISU students’ understanding of contemporary Latin American theatre, but it also put them in direct contact with artists to engage in meaningful conversations about their current work. Students gained new insight into the field of literary translation and the challenges that they might encounter in this field if they pursue it in their future careers. One student said of their experience in the course, “A través de la traducción he aprendido sobre valores, creencias y costumbres importantes en la cultura de origen y cómo pueden dar sentido para una audiencia diferente. La traducción me ha ayudado a mejorar mis habilidades lingüísticas al enfrentarme a los matices y complejidades de ambos idiomas” (Through translation I have learned about important values, believes, and customs in the original culture and how they become meaningful for a different audience. Translation has helped me to improve my linguistic abilities and to tackle the nuances and complexities of both languages.) Dr. Laufenberg hopes to offer this course again in the near future, and will encourage advanced undergraduates in the Theater program at ISU to join the class as well to offer their insight as practitioners.