LES MISERABLES closed on Broadway last week after a sixteen-year run.
This got me wondering. Did you ever notice that certain works written in languages other than English NEVER have their titles translated into English while others customarily do? LES MISERABLES, for example. On the other hand, we trot merrily off to see THE MAGIC FLUTE, generally called that by American and English opera companies even when it’s sung in German!
SO-- How would YOU translate the following titles into English?
LA TRAVIATA
LES MISERABLES
COSI FAN TUTTE
And please don’t give me a dissertation about how ya gotta call it COSI FAN TUTTE 'coz there’s no suitable English phrase that matches the meter of the music and yadda yadda yadda. I know that already. I’m looking for translations that are euphonious, true to the original meaning, and emotionally satisfying. Pencils ready? Begin! I look forward to your ideas.
I worked in record stores for years, trust me, I believe you
At one of my record store jobs I had to do a lot of data entry for the classical department. This is a LOT tougher than it might seem at first. Whether or not to translate titles was one of the issues. Basically, the classical manager simply decided on his own which ones to translate and which ones not to; usually it boiled down to whichever he thought would be the more recognisable title. That’s about as far as I can get at a serious answer to your question.
I’d guess that when the English-language distributor believes the snob appeal and name-recognition factors of using the original-language name outweigh the convenience factors, they stick with the original.
There may also be cases where copyright is better protected in a variety of markets when one name is used. But I gots no idear.
This is a great questions, though. Let’s hope some has a real answer so we can all add it to our personal MPSIMS lists.
La Traviata–“The wayward one” The word “traviata” is the past participle of the verb traviare, which means “to go astray” or “to wander.” In Italian, as in most Romance languages, one can use an adjective to substitute for a noun, which is difficult to do correctly in English. Similarly, Les Miserables means “The wretched ones.” Cosi fan tutte roughly translates to “Everybody does it.” Literally, it means “Things everyone does.”
To add to gobear’s answer, the usual English translation for Cosi fan tutti is “Women are like that”. But it wouldn’t surprise me if gobear’s version is more accurate.
Così (note the accent mark) does not mean “things.” (That would be cose.) It means “so” or “thus.” “Everybody does so” would be a literal translation; the rendering I’m most familiar with is “They All Do It.”
Thinking about the issue a little more, this is an interesting question, largely because I can’t see any pattern.
After all, for example, the default references in English are Die Meistersinger and The Flying Dutchman, though few who are even vaguely interested would be thown by instances of either The Mastersingers or Der Fliegende Hollander.
And it’s not just operas or musicals. It’s normally Un Chien Andalou, L’Age d’Or and Belle de Jour, but Land Without Bread, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and That Obscure Object of Desire. Why?
There is the case that we should always use the name in the original language, simply to avoid ambiguity. But one quickly hits examples in the likes of Chinese, where issues of transliteration will loom large.
Of course, some of the familar translations lose something.
For instance, “Les 400 Coups”, in French, is a slang term for various methods of bad behavoir, especially as done by children to parents. “The 400 Blows”, on the other hand, doesn’t have this meaning.
Hmm. I REALLY like gobear’s use of “wayward one”–it’s appropriate, accurate, and has just the right hint of sorrow to it. And it’s alliterative! All those “w’s” echo the “ah” sounds of the original very nicely. So I think THE WAYWARD ONE gets the Snug Award for LA TRAVIATA’s Official New English title.
On the other hand, while the “The Wretched Ones” and “They All Do It,” etc., are excellent LITERAL translations, they’re just not emotionally satisfying. In brief, I doubt that those titles have what it takes to seduce audiences. (Remember: Bums on seats! Bums on seats!)
Any other suggestions for these titles? When a literal translation doesn’t seem interesting enough, don’t be afraid to resort to idioms! Think outside of the box! Experiment! I await new postings with bated breath!
Two of my favorite foreign films-- Mondo Cane and My Life as a Dog– have essentially the same title. Not sure why one was translated into English and the other wasn’t. Might’ve been the artistic and promotional atmosphere at the time of their releases.
