ABSTRACT
Translating drama entails converting spoken source language in written mode into spoken target language in written mode, with a view to performance not only in speech and action, but also for study as literature and for silent reading. The world of drama or theatre translation is riven with dichotomies, not least of which is the dichotomy of page versus stage. Drama began on the street and in places of worship, among people who could not read or write. It is a form deeply embedded in speech and action, but literate societies the world over have recrafted it as literature, which some feel ought to be translated literally, or literarily. This view of drama as literature is more applicable to ‘classics’ of the stage that have come down to us in accepted canonical translations, some for decades, others for centuries.
