We live in a global village. Odds are the components for the screen you’re looking at right now came from at least three different countries. The salad I just had for dinner had lettuce from Mexico, mandarin oranges from South Africa and local tomatoes all drizzled with a Malaysian soy vinaigrette dressing and washed down with a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (originally a French import to Kiwiland). I have to say, globalization can be quite delicious.
When it comes to language-based entertainment, though, we seem to be a bit choosier. Unlike most other language communities, in English-speaking countries, the vast majority of imported popular music, books, TV and movies are from another English-speaking country. There has been, however, the occasional exception to this rule.
Though Italian and French operas – as well as the odd German or Russian opera – have been staged in English-speaking countries for centuries, we could hardly call the opera scene “popular” entertainment. Opera’s less elitist cousin musical theater, though, could be considered to be on the fringes of popular entertainment, and seems to be especially tolerant – not to say fond of – French-language imports. Herbert Kretzmer’s 1985 English-language adaptation of Les Misérables along with the Andrew Lloyd Webber version of Phantom of the Opera (English lyrics by Charles Hart, Richard Stilgoe, Alan Jay Lerner et al.) have become two of the longest-running plays on Broadway. Some other Tony-nominated shows translated from French are La Plume de Ma Tante (1959), Irma La Douce (1961) and Cage aux Folles (1984, winner).
A handful of songs in foreign languages have received a warm reception through the years (Dominique (1963), Sukiyaki (1963), Eres tú (1973) and Macarena (1996)). A very small number of songs have also done well in translation – particularly Brazilian and French Bossa Nova tunes like “Girl from Ipanema” and “Watch What Happens”. The bilingual versions of Volare, by Dean Martin and others, is an example of a partially-translated hit song.
In the past decade or two, though, everything has changed. English-speakers around the world are shelling out pounds, dollars and rand for English translations of Japanese manga. English translations of Latin American writers like Gabriel García Márquez and Isabel Allende, and Paulo Coelho are selling big throughout the Anglosphere.
What does this mean for the into-English translation industry? I think it's safe to expect this upsurge to continue, so stay tuned for a few tips on how to translate creative works well in an upcoming post.
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