跨文化多重視角下的戲劇翻譯：《西廂記》情色之語境轉換及舞臺呈現

Intercultural Theatre Translation: The Textual Transformation and Stage Representation of Sexual Scenes in Xixiang ji

戲劇翻譯為翻譯研究之薄弱環節。Susan Bassnett 多次撰文論述最被忽視、最需關注的戲劇翻譯。她還認爲，探討歐美以外的文本翻譯將大大推進所有類型的文學翻譯研究。近年來戲劇翻譯已逐漸受到重視，舞台演出本的翻譯尤因其具備多重挑戰性而成為焦點。在中文語境下的戲劇翻譯也已出現了不少理論的探討，而實例討論則多集中於莎劇及話劇的翻譯。本文擬以中國經典名劇《西廂記》的英譯本作為個案研究。本文聚焦於2008 年在新加坡公演並到上海演出的舞台本。從跨文化與性別視角，檢視其藉助典故的情詩唱詞、充斥隱喻的性愛情節。並由此討論譯者／導演如何操縱舞台文本及超文本的元素（如肢體語言，音樂等），以處理舞台演出的視聽性、瞬時性與無註性，從而將具異質文化的中國古典戲曲跨越時空地移植、融入以多元文化著稱的新加坡當代舞台；同時也將從接受論角度審視這一為新加坡觀眾而設計的演出本在中國的接受度。為了更全面探討戲劇翻譯的相關議題，本文參照1995 年出版於美國和2000 年出版於中國的英譯本，結合目的論，進一步釐清戲劇翻譯中頗受爭議的可表演性 （performability）、譯者的主體性、舞台版本與閱讀版本之異同以及歸化與異化等問題，繼而凸顯英譯《西廂記》舞台版暨舞台演出的創意特色，堪稱中華經典名劇《西廂記》的來世 （afterlife）。

Theatre translation is a weak link in Translation Studies, a “most ignored area” in Susan Bassnett's words. In recent years, drama translation in general, and translation of works to be presented on the stage in particular, have steadily gained more academic attention. In the Chinese context, numerous discussions of contemporary theoretical issues have surfaced, while case studies have remained centered on the translation of Shakespearean plays and generally of Western-influenced spoken drama. Analyses of classical Chinese opera translation have been few and far between in scholarly publications. This is a case study of the English translations of Xixiang ji, a Yuan zaju opera rendered variously as The Romance of the Western Chamber, The Story of the West Wing, etc. This study focuses on what the author believes to be the first English stagescript of Xixiang ji used in its public performances, of which six took place in English-speaking Singapore and two in the genre's native China. The researcher gathered textual evidence from the translated stage-script and examined it in relation to its dramatic realization on stage as captured in the production video. Here in particular the disputed issue of performability is explored. The discussion is then extended to include the audience and media reception of the play's performance in Singapore and China, as well as the multiple identities the translator assumes, whether consciously or not. Taking both gender and intercultural perspectives, this study pays special attention to sexual innuendoes that are culturally sensitive and technically demanding in both translation and staging. It was found that the translator-cum-director manipulated the playtext and paratext, including such things as body language and music, in order to realize the full audio-visual potential of acting and cope with the time-space restraints of staging. Finally, two recent scholarly translations of Xixiang ji (1995 and 2000) are compared with the stage-script. This comparison not only aids the evaluation of the relative strengths and weaknesses of the stage-script, but also illustrates the working of two major translation strategies, namely domestication and foreignization.