Bashir Lazhar on paper and stage or retranslation from a multimodal, intermedial perspective

Abstract

The traditional definition of retranslation as the second or later rendering of a work into one same language is necessarily transformed when seen from a perspective informed by multimodality and intermediality. While the influence of multimodality on our understanding of translation practices has been variously discussed in the literature, little has been said about the relation between multimodality, intermediality and retranslation. Accordingly, this paper has two goals. Firstly, it seeks to discuss how multimodality and intermediality may have an effect on our theoretical knowledge of retranslation. Secondly, it aims to illustrate these theoretical observations through the analysis of different textualities originating in Bashir Lazhar, a one-character play by Québécois playwright Evelyne de la Chenelière. Of particular interest to build the present case study are the French and Spanish versions of the dramatic text as well as a specific stage performance delivered by French-Mexican actor and translator Boris Schoemann in Mexico City in 2012. The study will show how various semiotic codes interact through intermodal, intermedial retranslation practices in order to create new meanings in the performance text.