SHAKESPEARE

Alternative title

Shakespeare in Translation

Synopsis

Podcast from the Folger Shakespeare Library. What happens when Shakespeare’s work is translated into foreign languages? Scholars and theatre artists, with Rebecca Sheir, look at what constitutes the essence of Shakespeare. A translator can retain the story, characters, and ideas of a play, but the intricate wordplay proves much more difficult. For example it is impossible to translate Shakespeare’s iambic pentameter into a language like Korean, in which poetry is based on syllable counts, not stresses. And what is to be done with well-crafted puns? Translation also opens up possibilities for new depths of meaning, as the familiar recedes and a different perspective takes over. Contributors are: Joe Calarco, Rupert Chan, writer and playwright who has translated multiple Shakespeare plays into Cantonese; Joe Dowling, the artistic director for the Guthrie Theater in Minnesota; Alexa Huang Professor of English, theatre and dance, East Asian languages and literatures, and international affairs at George Washington University and Ah-Jeong Kim Professor of theatre history at California State University-Northridge.

Series

Shakespeare Unlimited

Language

English

Country

United States

Medium

Audio

Recording date

2014

Duration

24 mins

Credits

Producer

Richard Paul

Contributor

Ah-Jeong Kim; Alex Huang; Joe Calarco; Joe Dowling; Rebecca Sheir; Rupert Chan

Additional Details

Production type

Documentary/Educational/News

Subjects

Drama

Keywords

Shakespeare, William (1564-1616); Translation

Notes

Notes

http://www.folger.edu/shakespeare-unlimited-episode-6 (accessed 2/2015)

Production Company

Name

R.L. Paul Productions