TRANSLATION     WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE?
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MOLIERE'S TARTUFFE (Page 3)

VERSE FORM AND SOUND
Balancing the accuracy of a translation against its performability also involves considering the form in which Moliere originally wrote the play. Tartuffe is written in a poetic (verse) form of rhyming couplets -- pairs of lines that rhyme with each other. Each line consists of twelve syllables, technically called an alexandrine. To be strictly accurate, a translation would have to  follow the same form the Moliere used: twelve-syllable lines in rhyming couplets. 

Following is an example of how one translator, Maya Slater, has done this. The passage being translated is in Act II, sc. 3, just after Mariane has been told by her father that she must marry Tartuffe. I've highlighted, in matching colors, the words that rhyme.

The problem with this form, however, is that it's very difficult for actors to perform in a way that sounds natural and conversational. In modern English, spoken rhymed verse tends to fall into a sing-song rhythm that makes the dialogue seem stilted and artificial. In addition, twelve-syllable lines are not commonly used in English poetry since the English language falls more naturally into a ten-syllable line (technically called iambic pentameter). So, some translators avoid the verse form entirely and instead use prose, the form of ordinary speech. The following translation by John Wood/David Coward illustrates how the above passage appears in their prose version. 

If you try reading the Slater and Wood/Coward translations aloud, you'll see that they sound very different. As you're reading Slater's translation in verse form, you will probably pause slightly at the end of each line and will be inclined to stress the rhyming words. With the Wood/Coward translation, however, you'll probably read continuously, pausing only where punctuation indicates a pause. The Slater version may sound quite different from the way you normally speak, but  the Wood/Coward version will give the effect of normal conversation.

Slater's version is more accurate in form because it's actually closest to the way in which Moliere wrote these lines, but when performed it's likely to be difficult for actors to speak in a natural way. In contrast, the Wood/Coward version  is much easier to speak, even for someone who's not a trained actor. But while it's more easily performable, it doesn't convey the sound of the original lines in the play. 

Other translators have found different "solutions" to the problem  of translating Moliere's verse form, two of which are illustrated in the boxes below. Richard Wilbur uses heroic couplets -- ten-syllable, iambic pentameter lines in rhyming couplets -- while Christopher Hampton uses blank verse -- ten-syllable, iambic pentameter lines without rhyme.

If you read these translations aloud, you'll note that Wilbur's version sounds both elegant and humorous -- the rhymes tend to make jokes in themselves. Hampton's is more conversational and, especially in Dorine's speeches, effectively conveys the contrasts between Mariane's and Dorine's speaking styles. Each translator has made a different choice, recognizing that it's impossible to fully convey in English the form and sound of Moliere's original creation.

Before going on to the next page, please do the following exercise.

EXERCISE C.
Write a dialogue (a conversation between yourself and another person) using one of the forms illustrated above -- rhyming couplets, prose, or blank verse.  The subject can be anything you choose. For example, you might think of a situation where one of your friends is on the verge of doing something very foolish, and you're trying to show him/her how foolish this would be. Try to make your dialogue at least six lines.

To review the forms, click on the links below: 
 
SLATER (rhyming couplets)
WILBUR (rhyming couplets)
WOOD/COWARD (prose)
HAMPTON (blank verse)

When you've finished the exercise, go to Page 4.

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comments to: vpoulakis@nvcc.edu

03/28/05