What is it about?
A comparative analysis of the translations of Yasmina Reza's 'Art' into British and American English brings about some discrepancies with the original, and with each other. The two English versions have adapted the language register of the original to please their audiences, erasing some of the more complex philosophical issues raised by the script, and opting for a blander language. However in some parts, the American version veers towards presenting a more popular, even vulgar, play supposedly better adapted to the stage.
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Why is it important?
Owing to the enormous success of Reza's 'Art' in the UK and the USA, a closer examination of the English translations allow the non-French speaking audience to understand what is lost and what is added to make the play successful in their contexts. It gives them an insight on translation strategies, as well as on the subtlety of this author's writing that might have been partly missed in the translations.
Perspectives
This is the translation of an article originally written in French. I want to thank my colleague Associate Professor Alistair Rolls who kindly translated into English, so as to disseminate my analysis to a non-French speaking audience.
Professor Helene Jaccomard
University of Western Australia
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Text Versus Stage: The Case of Yasmina Reza's "Art" Translated into British and American Englishes, Australian Journal of French Studies, May 2013, Liverpool University Press,
DOI: 10.3828/ajfs.2013.16.
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