Translation scholars have recognized a number of reasons for retranslation in the theatre. In my paper, I propose to locate the motivation for retranslation in the specific context of the theatre and drama and study retranslation in terms of the targets the texts are aimed at. I argue that retranslation strategies in the theatre can be understood in terms of how precisely the target of the text can be monitored. The more closely a text can be targeted at a particular reception, the further away the translation strategy moves from that of literary translation. The opposite is also true: the more independence a retranslation has as a written text, the more likely it is to follow the praxis in literary translation. The precision of targeting can vary from a loose spatial and temporal socio-cultural frame to a specific concept in a concrete physical location at a precise time of the day. My findings are from the Finnish theatre, and, self-evidently, their generalization requires further study of conditions in other theatres. The Finnish theatre is relatively young and represents a marginalized language area. Finnish language as a literary medium is also young, which has its consequences for the retranslation of drama.
My material is also restricted to the contact of the Finnish theatre with the
dominant Anglo-American culture.
