Shakespeare’s Translation: Balancing Fidelity and Accessibility

When William Shakespeare's works are translated into other languages, the approach to translation can vary widely based on the translator's goals and the target audience. This article explores several common strategies employed in these translations, examining the trade-offs between maintaining the original’s style and comprehensibility.

Strategies in Shakespeare's Translation

1. Modernization: One common approach in translating Shakespeare is to modernize the language while retaining its essence and style. This strategy aims to make the text more accessible to contemporary readers without losing its poetic qualities. Translators might use modern idioms and simpler syntax, while still attempting to preserve the rhythm and meter of the original verse.

2. Literal Translation: Another approach involves a more literal translation, where the translator aims to stay as close to the original text as possible. However, this method can sometimes result in a translation that feels antiquated or stilted, especially if the target language has evolved significantly since Shakespeare's time.

3. Balancing Act: Many translators strive for a balance between fidelity to the original text and readability. They may retain key phrases or stylistic elements that are iconic in Shakespeare's work while adapting others to make the text flow more naturally in the target language.

Additional Considerations

4. Cultural Context: Translators often consider the cultural context of both Shakespeare's time and the target language's contemporary culture. This can influence how certain phrases or concepts are rendered, ensuring that they resonate with modern audiences.

5. Poetic Devices: Some translators focus on maintaining poetic devices such as rhyme, meter, and alliteration. These elements enhance the lyrical quality of the text, particularly important for Shakespeare's sonnets and plays, where the musicality of the language is a key aspect of the work.

Practical Applications

When Shakespeare's English, which is early modern, is published, it is often accompanied by notes to explain its nuances. Some editions include extensive notes, while others have fewer or none. In professional performances, certain words may be replaced with words easier for today's audiences to understand, though this is typically done inconspicuously.

There are online and print editions where the entire play is translated into contemporary English alongside the original text. However, it's worth noting that no performance in the contemporary English version has been widely embraced outside of school environments.

In conclusion, the translation of Shakespeare is a complex task that involves balancing fidelity to the original text with the need for comprehensibility and relevance in the target language. Each translator may take a different approach based on their interpretation and the needs of their audience, ensuring that Shakespeare's works continue to resonate with new generations of readers and performers.