by Stephanie Dreier (PhD Candidate, University of British Columbia)
My task, as a research assistant in the project “Translating Culture for the Stage: the Case of Luigi Pirandello”, was to compare several dramatic translations of Pirandello’s play Questa sera si recita a soggetto [Tonight We Improvise] (1930): G. Rubçova’s translation into Russian, entitled Сегодня мы импровизируем [Tonight We Improvise] published in a collection of Pirandello’s works Обнаженные маски (Moscow: Academia, 1932); the first German translation by Harry Khan (Berlin: Reimer Hobbing, 1929), titled Heute Abend wird aus dem Stegreif gespielt; and a more recent German translation under the same title by Michael Rössner (Sachon: Mindelheim, 1988)
Hans Karl Müller used Harry Kahn’s translation in his production of the prima assoluta in Königsberg in 1930. Gustav Hartung also used the same translation for the mise en scènes in Berlin in the same year. I was able to find only a single production of Questa sera si recita a soggetto in Germany after this date, in 1991 in the ‘Karl der Große’ theater in Zürich. To my knowledge, the play was never staged in the Soviet Union, although Pirandello does mention a Russian translation and mise en scènes in his letters from 1930. I discovered only a production in 1990, directed by Anatoly Vasiliev at the “School of Dramatic Art” theater in Moscow.
My methodology in comparing the translations was the following: I first compared the three translations, identifying the points in which they differed. In collaboration with an Italian speaker, Gianluca Oluic, I then identified the issues that caused the translation challenges in the Italian texts. We referred to the Italian text published by Mondadori in 1930, now reproduced in the collection Maschere nude (Mondadori, 2007).
In order to illustrate the analysis, I developed a series of categories that enabled me to give an account of all divergences among the Italian, Russian and German translations. I focused in particular on changes that, in my view, affected gender dynamics and power relations among the characters I examined how the various translators handled references to other works, references to geography, or references that entailed a specific cultural knowledge. I also examined the portrayal of Hinkfuss in the different texts, and I listed the variants that, in my opinion, were due to translators’ misunderstanding. This resulted into 6 categories: Geography; Gender and Sexuality; Social Dynamics; Representation of Hinkfuss; Religious References; Mistakes.
Geography
The main variation is Khan’s rendering of “il continente” (the continent), the expression with which Pirandello refers to the Italian mainland, with “Europe” (see Segnini 2016 for an analysis of this choice); Rössner’s 1988 translation keeps instead the expression “auf dem Kontinent” (on the continent).
| Italian Text (Pirandello 1930) |
German Text (Khan 1929) |
German Text (Rössner 1988) |
| p.319 L’attrice caratterista il nostro innocente vivere alla continentale | p.37 Ignazia europäische Art zu leben | p.201 Ignazia so leben, wie’s auf dem Kontinenten üblich ist |
| p.333 Totina Nel Continente si fa così | p.54 Totina Europa | p.211 Totina Kontinent |
Similarly to Rössner, Rubçova, in the Russian translation from 1932, translates the Italian “continentale” (continental) as “на континенте” (on the continent). I categorized Kahn’s change as a strategy, rather than a mistake, as it appears repeatedly throughout the text.
| Italian Text (Pirandello 1930) |
Russian Text (Rubçova 1932) |
| p.319 L’attrice caratterista il nostro innocente vivere alla continentale | p.401 Ignazia жизнь как на континенте |
| p.333 Totina Nel Continente si fa così | p.415 Totina на континенте |
Gender and Sexuality
The play entails several gender performances, among which performances of masculinity and cross-dressing. I focused on how translators either over-emphasized, or omitted references to sexuality and gender roles.
In the first example, Rössner omits the sentence where Pomarici is placing a candy between the girl’s lips. Similarly, in the second example he prefers to use “verkleidet” [dress up] as opposed to Khan’s “angezogen” [put on] shifting the emphasize on “dressing up” versus “having cloths on” (which implies that the girl did not have clothes on before).
| Italian Text (Pirandello 1930) |
German Text (Khan 1929) |
German Text (Rössner 1988) |
| p.336 stage directions mettendole tra le labra um cioccolatino | p.57 stage directions Legt ihr ein Praline zwischen die Lippen | p.214 stage directions the sentence is omitted |
| p.352 Totina ero già bell’e vestita, quando sei entrata a prendere la Madonnina. | p.79 Totina Ich war schon fertig angezogen, als du kamst | p.226 Totina Ich war doch schon verkleidet, als du kamst |
Khan’s use of “zwischen” [in-between] is on the provocative end of the spectrum, whereas Rubçova’s translation, written during the soviet era, in which references to sexuality were not acceptable, does not entail a sexual innuendo. There is very little provocation entailed in “кладя ей в рот шоколадку” [putting a chocolate in her mouth] as opposed to Khan’s “legt ihr ein Praline zwischen die Lippen” [putting a candy in-between her lips].
| Italian Text (Pirandello 1930) |
Russian Text (Rubçova 1932) |
| p.336 stage directions mettendole tra le labbra un cioccolatino | p.417 stage directions кладя ей в рот шоколадку |
Rubçova is also concerned with keeping the text “clean” and avoiding rude or vulgars expressions. While both Khan and Rössner use offensive terms such as “Dirne” and “Hure” [slut], Rubçova prefers the milder expression “публичная женщина” [public woman].
| Italian Text (Pirandello 1930) |
Russian Text (Rubçova 1932) |
German Text (Khan 1929) |
German Text (Rössner 1988) |
| p.386 Verri Anche Dorina; ma specialmente quella Nenè. Fa la cocotte, – Mommina si copre la faccia.- sì, sì – pubblica! | p.472 Verri Да, да, публичная женщина! | p.127 Verri Ja, ja, öffentliche Dirne! | p.255 Verri ja, ja – eine Hure |
Variations also arise from what concerns “active” and “passive” attitudes to sexuality: Rubçova and Rössner tend to emphasize man as the initiator of a sexual activity, whereas in Khan’s text women appear more assertive and often initiate interactions with men.
| Italian Text (Pirandello 1930) |
Russian Text (Rubçova 1932) |
German Text (Khan 1929) |
German Text (Rössner 1988) |
| p.350 stage directions al bujo, Nardi abbraccia forte Dorina e le dà un bacio in bocca | p.432 stage directions Прежде чем зажечь ее в темноте, Нарди крепко обнимает Дорину и целует ее в губы. | p.77 stage directions Dabei umarmen und küssen sich die beiden ausgiebig | p.225 stage directions Im Dunkeln, bevor sie angezündet wird, umarmt Nardi Dorina leidenschaftlich und küsst sie auf den Mund. |
| p.360 Ignazia guarda, guarda là, come se la tiene stretta | p.446 Ignazia посмотри, как он крепко ее обнимает! | p.94 Ignazia Und wie sie ihn an sich drückt! | p.235 Ignazia schau doch mal, wie er sie an sich drückt! |
In the first example, Rubçova and Rössner follow the Italian text in emphasizing how Nardi hugs and kisses Dorina. In Khan’s text, on the other hand, Nardi and Dorina kiss each other passionately. Likewise, in the next excerpt, Rubçova and Rössner point out how Nardi is hugging Dorina, whereas in Khan’s text, it is Dorina who is pressing him towards her.
Social Dynamics
Khan translates “paese civile” [civil country] with a reference to culture “Kultur” (see Segnini 2016 for an interpretation of this choice); Rössner, on the other hand, renders the same expression as “zivilisiertes Land” [civil country]. In order to translate “la civiltà” [civilization] both, Khan and Rössner use “Kultur” (culture).
| Italian Text (Pirandello 1930) |
German Text (Khan 1929) |
German Text (Rössner 1987) |
| p.333 Ignazia un paese civile | p.54 Ignazia Kultur | p.211 Ignazia zivilisiertes Land |
| p.341 Ignazia voi vi dovreste acquistare una grande benemerenza, una grande benemerenza, cari miei, verso la civiltà! | p.66 Ignazia ein sehr grosses Verdienst um die Kultur erwerben | p.218 Ignazia ein großes Verdienst um die Kultur erwerben |
In her translation, Rubçova uses “цивилизованной” [civil] and “цивилизации” [civilization] in both cases: in fact, in 1932 the Russian language, unlike German, did not have an etymological split between culture and civilization.
| Italian Text (Pirandello 1930) |
Russian Text (Rubçova 1932) |
| p.333 Ignazia un paese civile | p.414 Ignazia эта страна .. цивилизованной |
| p.341 Ignazia voi vi dovreste acquistare una grande benemerenza, una grande benemerenza, cari miei, verso la civiltà! | p.423 Ignazia большую услугу цивилизации |
Representation of Hinkfuss
All three translations paint a different picture of Hinkfuss, the German Director who, accordingly to the plot, hires the actors to improvise a story about a Sicilian family. Based on the adjectives used, I suggest that Rubçova’s translation shows the most sympathy with Hinkfuss, whereas the German works portray the man as unpleasant. Moreover, Khan’s and Rössner’s translations often characterize Hinkfuss as strange and different: see for example the contrast between “Zwerg” [dwarf], “Männchen” [manikin], and “Mensch” [man].
The Italian word “malizia” can be translated both as “maliciousness,” as well as “cleverness.” Thus, Khan uses “mit aufflackernder Ironie” [with a flare of irony], while Rössner prefers “mit einem Anflug von Bosheit” [with a hint of malice].
| Italian Text (Pirandello 1930) |
German Text (Khan 1929) |
German Text (Rössner 1987) |
| p.301 stage directions …d’essere un omarino alto poco più d’un braccio. |
p.9 stage directions …ein Männchen der normalen Leuten kaum bis zur Hüfte reicht |
p.187 stage directions …ein Zwerg zu sein |
|
p.314 stage directions …con un lampo di malizia |
p.30 stage directions …mit aufflackernder Ironie |
p.197 stage directions …mit einem Anflug von Bosheit |
Rubçova refers to Hinkfus as “человеком чуть больше аршина” [a person that is little more than a yard] choosing a neutral expression to render “un omarino alto poco più d’un braccio”. To address Hinkfuss’ “malizia,” she uses с “легкой насмешкой” [with a light sneer], an expression that characterizing Hinkfuss as superior, but not necessarily as ill intentioned.
| Italian Text (Pirandello 1930) |
Russian Text (Rubçova 1932) |
| p.301 stage directions d’essere un omarino alto poco più d’un braccio. | p.381 stage directions быть человеком чуть больше аршина |
| p.314 stage directions con un lampo di malizia | p.395 stage directions с легкой насмешкой |
Religious References
The Russian text was written in 1932, during a strongly anti-clerical historical period in the Soviet Union, and thus avoids mentioning religious symbols and the name of God, substituting Italian religious references such as “Dio mio” [my God] and “per carità” [for God’s sake] with neutral “Наверное” [maybe] and “Пожалуйста” [please]. On the other hand, Khan’s and Rössner’s translations keep religious references in place, translating the exclamations as: “Gott” [God], and “Um Gottes/Himmels willen” [for heaven’s sake].
Occasionally, Rubçova does keep religious references, like with the prayer “Ave Maria”, which she chooses to render, however, with a more generic “молитвa” [prayer].
| Italian Text (Pirandello 1930) |
Russian Text (Rubçova 1932) |
German Text (Khan 1929) |
German Text (Rössner 1987) |
| p.299 stage directions Dio mio | p.379 stage directions Наверное | p.7 stage directions Mein Gott | p.185 stage directions Mein Gott |
| p.314 Totina per carità | p.395 Totina Пожалуйста | p.29 Totina Um Gottes willen | p.197 Totina Um Himmels willen |
| p.349 Nenè Mammà, e se tu dicessi l’Ave Maria come l’altra volta? | p.431 Nene если бы ты прочла молитву | p.76 Nene Mama, sag doch das Ave Maria | p.224 Nene und wenn du nun das Ave Maria betest |
Mistakes
Unintentional mistakes also lead to divergence of meaning between texts. In some cases, mistakes can lead to a new interpretation of Pirandello’s statement. When the main actor underlines that no one can dictate life anything, Rubçova and Rössner’s translations do not entail any changes, whereas Kahn’s text states that it is life that has to obey to the writer. As a consequence, Khan underlines the writer’s omnipotence and the importance of the dramatic text.
| Italian Text (Pirandello 1930) |
Russian Text (Rubçova 1932) |
German Text (Khan 1929) |
German Text (Rössner 1987) |
|
p.375 Il Primo Attore: La vita che nasce non la comanda nessuno L’Attrice Caratterista Le deve obbedire lo stesso scrittore |
p.459 The Leading Actor: Никто не может приказать зарождающейся жизни! Ей должен подчиниться сам писатель! |
p.111 The Leading Actor: Das wahrhafte Leben braucht niemand zu kommandieren! Sie haben auch dem Autor zu gehorchen! |
p.245 The Leading Actor: Leben, das von selbst entsteht, kann von niemandem kommandiert werden. Ihm muss selbst der Autor gehorchen. |
Stephanie Dreie (PhD Candidate, University of British Columbia)
Works Cited
Pirandello, Luigi. Heute Abend wird aus dem Stegreif gespielt. Trans. Harry Kahn. Berlin: Reimer Hobbing, 1929.
Pirandello, Luigi. „Heute Abend wird aus dem Stegreif gespielt.“ Die Trilogie Des Theaters Auf Dem Theater: 6 Personen Suchen E. Autor, Jeder Auf Seine Weise, Heute Abend Wird Aus D. Stegreif Gespielt, Essays U. Schriften Zum Theater. Trans. Michael Rössner. Mindelheim: Sachon, 1988.
Pirandello, Luigi. “Questa sera si recita a soggetto” Maschere Nude. IV. Milano: Mondadori, 2007. 297-396.
Pirandello, Luigi. “Сегодня мы импровизируем.” Trans. G. Rubçova. Обнаженные маски (1932): 377-483. Print.
Segnini, Elisa. “Translating Sicily for the German and French Stage: Modern Europe, its Periphery and the Archaic in the first versions of Luigi Pirandello’s Questa sera si recita a soggetto” (1929-1935). Forum Italicum (Spring 2016).