Transformation and Fluidity in the Translation of Classical Texts for Performance: The Case of Cervantes's Entremeses

Summary

As Jorge Luis Borges reminds us in “Pierre Menard, autor del Quijote,” no text remains exactly as it was written; every new generation of readers understands that text from a different perspective, changing and enriching the way it is interpreted. For the translator of a literary text, particularly from an earlier century, Borges's essay is also relevant. There are now many English translations of Don Quijote, from the first one by Thomas Shelton (1612–20) to the recent version by Edith Grossman (2003). None of them is – nor can aspire to be – a faithful reproduction of the original text. Each reflects the personality of its translator, insofar as he or she is required to make subjective decisions about style, vocabulary, and allusions – decisions taken with the reader in mind and, in the case of translations for the stage, with a view to making the text resound with an English-speaking audience. Each translation also reflects the time and place of its origin, however indirectly; a British translator brings a different perspective and vocabulary than does a translator from the United States; even current events or the prevailing climate of opinion may have an influence. As a recent reviewer aptly observed, “translations march to the beat of the times in which they are made” (Duffy D5).

This essay explores ways in which translation for performance is shaped by a variety of ambient influences. It draws, primarily, on my own experience of translating Cervantes's Ocho entremeses (Eight Interludes) more than ten years ago and reviews the principles that guided that translation. In retrospect the project is placed in a context that includes the reception history of Cervantes's Entremeses, in Spanish and English, as well as changing attitudes on both sides of the Atlantic towards the performance of Spanish classical drama in English. The essay concludes with a comparison of two versions of passages selected from La guarda cuidadosa (Sir Vigilant), which suggest how translation constantly adjusts to the changing sensibilities of the public.

It is well known that the eight plays and their accompanying entremeses that Cervantes published in 1615 were never staged during his lifetime.