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Should Translators of New Plays be Honored with the Tony Award?

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#1

Should Translators of New Plays be Honored with the Tony Award?

I was on one of my trips down the IBDB rabbit hole, and I saw that when Yasmina Reza's plays 'Art' and God of Carnage won the Tony's for Best Play in 1998 and 2009, she received the award, but her translator Christopher Hampton wasn't recognized. However, Herbert Kretzmer received recognition for his English lyrics for Les Miserables in 1987. Translators do the job of both rewriting the work in English, but reworking the text to suit American vernacular. Do they also deserve credit when the plays win awards?

#2

Should Translators of New Plays be Honored with the Tony Award?

Absolutely, just as someone who adapts a novel into a play should be honored. A translation is an adaptation of the original text from one cultural background to another. And it's even more difficult with lyrics, in which translators bend over backwards to make rhymes work while still preserving the intent.


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