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Vol/54 No/1 2015 FeBRUaRy/MaRcH The Linguist 21 FEATURES RS: i changed the whole play twice – not just the characters, or dialogues, but its complete structure. every time i go through a new play, rewriting tantalizes me even from the first lines i put down. NA: The first version took a realistic form, embellished with some surreal signs, symbols and images, but gradually, during the next six months, you planned to eliminate the surreal elements completely. RS: There were two parts of the play that i preferred to change according to the interpretive translation that you gave. i found them better than the original. NA: i was sometimes interpretive, but most of the time i tried to follow the exact dialogues of the original. To me, translation of literature, especially a dramatic text, means to give birth to a living creature which can independently survive. However, faithfulness is my first priority. One of the reasons for my interpretive approach is the slang language used within the play. When you can't translate literally, you have to render it more interpretively. There are many slangs in english that you can't find any precise Greek equivalent for, and if you translate them word for word, the result will be ambiguous. Take this example: Black: i don't like others feel under the weather. White: Wanna chow down something? Μαύρος: …Δεν μου αρέσει να βλέπω ανθρώπους φοβισμένους. Λευκός: Πεινάς Lit. 'Black: I don't like to see the people frightened./ White: Hungry?' ambiguity, i think, is the most powerful loss in literary translation, particularly when it is going to be staged. Therefore, in some cases, i have added some words to provide a clearer insight for the Greek audience, as in: White: i would prefer to live with those real wild dogs. Λευκός: Θα προτιμούσα να ζω με πραγματικά αγριόσκυλα. Είναι πιο έντιμα από τα αγριόσκυλα της πόλης, που κάθονται πίσω από γραφεία. Lit. 'I would prefer to live with those real wild dogs. They are more honest than the wild dogs living in cities.' RS: When we were translating some parts of Immigrants together, you were using any possible tool, such as shortening, to tackle the possible vagueness in the process of translation. NA: Greek is so compact and geometrical. When you translate from english to Greek, sometimes two or more words are transformed into one word. RS: This is why the Greek version is shorter than the original? NA: Of course. Many phrasal verbs in english can be expressed just with one word in Greek, for example επιδείχνω for 'show off', χαθείτε for 'get lost' and αντεπιτεθούν for 'fight back'. Sometimes even a three-part verb is translated into one word, e.g. ανέχομαι for 'put up with' or προφτάνω for 'come up with'. i have translated many of your minimalistic dialogues into even more minimalistic ones in the target language. For example, Black's line 'So generous you seem to be' became Φαίνεσαι πολύ γενναιόδωρος and 'He killed himself' became Αυτοκτόνησε. an easy-to-understand, natural translation, of course, is not the only aim a literary translator takes into consideration; he must also try to capture the nuances in the source culture and represent them in the target language. Direct collaboration with a playwright gives you the chance to get acquainted with the culture behind the play, especially when you are translating a work such as Immigrants, with characters originating from three different cultures. RS: One of those characters is a Greek cabaret performer. She sings and dances in three parts of the play: in our play, there was no sad end all the lovers were happy at the end The poor were the winners The rich were always losers… i laugh at the wicked Who go mad but can't use their wealth, i cry for the wilted Who go mad but can't keep their health Όλα τα έργα μας τελειώνανε χαρούμενα Οι ερωτευμένοι ήταν πάντα ευτυχισμένοι Οι κερδισμένοι ήταν πάντα οι φουκαράδες Και οι χαμένοι ήταν πάντοτε οι λεφτάδες… Που δεν μπορούνε να γιατρέψουν τα παιδιά τους. Φωνάζω, σκούζω, τραγουδώ Για να ξυπνήσω τους ανθρώπους. Δεν με νοιάζει. Κι ούτε διστάζω τις αλήθειες μου να πω How did you translate those lyrics? NA: it takes more time and energy to paraphrase lyrics in the target language. The rhythmic combination of words should be well-structured enough to be accompanied by melody. Firstly, i tried to hear the Greek version of the song in my mind and then i eventually reconstructed the lyrics. That is breathtaking, because you have to go beyond technique. MAKING REVISIONS Playwright Reza Shirmarz (l) and translator Nikos Anastasopoulos (r)