Constraints and possibilities of performance elements in drama translation

Abstract The double nature of theatre texts (as both literary texts and performance scripts) renders drama translation into a particularly complex task, as the translator does not only have to deal with a linguistic system but with a complex set of other sign systems. The feedback effect that every receptor produces on a translator will also be more complex than in other translation activities, since in drama texts this effect will not only come from a hypothetical reader but also from a potential director, actor and audience. As in other genres of an essentially oral nature, the communicative process in drama texts will be marked by an impression of temporariness, and the phonological level of language will make its presence felt in translation decisions, as it will have an important effect on factors such as running‐time, body‐gesture and tempo. Drama translation is also characterised by its economy since all the sign systems that constitute the play may be combined in order to solve translation problems.