Simultaneous translations have been an inherent part of the Theatre-Biennale from the beginning.
Speaking behind glass: the work of the simultaneous translator. Photo: Lena Rittmeyer
They take some getting used to, those little receivers and headphones that are ultimately clipped to the audience members’ ears. But they belong to the festival’s charm just as much as the festival tent and the Babylonian jumble of languages. Those who have never seen a foreign-language guest production before are initially irritated by the German translation being muttered to them at the same time that the actors are speaking on stage, yet soon they begin to feel grateful. Experiencing an authentic performance is good, understanding it is even better.
“And it is intended to convey the literary quality,” adds Maya Schöffel, the dramaturg from NEW PLAYS FROM EUROPE responsible for the translators. “This is an authors’ festival, and so we try to do the texts as much justice as possible.” Ever since it was founded in 1992 the Theatre-Biennale has opted not to work with supertitles or interpreters, but rather with literary translators. These translators then read their own translations, as they are best equipped to present the results of their work with the text. “However, simultaneous does not necessarily mean synchronized,” emphasizes Schöffel. The point is not to create the illusion that the actors are speaking German: The translator is instructed to read the text with a slight delay, when possible, so that the audience is able to experience the “original text” consciously. It is also inadmissible for the translator to embellish with an overly animated performance. The festival directors are quick to object when the reader begins imitating the voices on stage.
It takes a massive organizational effort to coordinate so many different languages. As early as the research phase to ascertain possible guest productions, translators are required to transpose individual scenes of each play into German and prepare a summary of the plot. Once the decision is made, Mays Schöffel contacts the respective translator and, in addition to assessing the quality of the translation, attempts to test his or her abilities as a speaker. People with unpleasant voices are not hired.
Although the brand-new voiceover artists receive a DVD of the production to practice with, the hectic atmosphere of the premiere performance frequently causes them to have to result to spectacular bouts of improvisation. During “The Doll Ship” in the Malersaal venue, the sound feed to Klaus Detlef Olof’s booth cut off. He could no longer hear what the actors on stage were saying. He was subsequently forced to rely on Ana Tomovic – who, as the production’s director, was familiar with the progression of the play – to cue him with hand signals each time a new line of dialogue began.
In a few isolated cases, other means of cross-language communication have once again found their way into the festival program this year. The Turkish production “The Ugly Human-ling” has been touring with German supertitles, i.e. written projections of the text, for so long that the group was permitted to continue using them at the festival. “It is the easiest, least time-consuming and the most unobtrusive way,” says Maya Schöffel about working with supertitles. The translator of the production “Bab and Sane” was not confident in her ability to read the text, so conference interpreter Sabine Hartmann was hired to speak for her.
The Bulgarian production “Pleasantlyscary” marks yet another exception. For this play, the festival team sought a reader with professional speech training. And as luck would have it, they did not have to look far. They simply asked Gergana Muskalla, a member of the Wiesbaden youth theatre ensemble with Bulgarian roots, to take on the task. “It’s hard to imagine how much multitasking is necessary to do it! I was ice cold, but I hardly noticed because I was so tense,” admitted Muskalla after the premiere. And was it difficult for her, as an actress, to adhere to the dramaturgically imposed “performance ban”? “After the rehearsal, I figured out that there were certain scenes where I could take the liberty to add a bit of color to my voice so that the audience wouldn’t be completely pulled out of the illusion.” Mission accomplished: She gave an excellent reading of the text-heavy play.
English translation by Lynnette Polcyn
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