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ABSTRACT
The present research complements a Spanish translation of an excerpt of Daniel
Danis‟ Le Chant du Dire-Dire (Song of the Say-Sayer) for a future production by the
theatre company Tiatro in Santiago de Chile. The methodology is based on Vermeer‟s
skopos theory (1978), a functionalist approach to translation. This theory considers every
translation an independent communicational act, different from the one established by the
source text since it is destined to a different socio-cultural system and thus, different
users. As such, it is necessary to adapt the source text system to these new parameters
when defining the translation “project”. This functionalist approach puts into question
some of the best known concepts advanced in theatre translation during the past twenty
years, such as “playability”, “performability” or “theatricality”. They prove too vague
and do not take into considering the aesthetic specificities of each play or the context to
which they are destined. The parameters of the skopos, in the present case, that of a
translation intended to be performed in front of a Chilean audience, is based on a detailed
analysis of Danis‟ play. This analysis defines the unique attributes of the text, specifically
in regards to the use of language. The research also examines the relationship between
the play‟s language and the “époque du joual” (1960-1970‟s) in québécois theatre, as
well as its rapport with québécois vernaculars, insofar as they are key in the articulation
of the playwright‟s dramaturgical project. The analysis of the play is followed by an
annotated translation of the “dire” entitled Les traces du chaos dans la maison Durant
(Traces of chaos in the Lasting home). This translation, presented in a bilingual format,
provides commentary explaining the different problems encountered during the process
as well as the micro-structural adaptations proposed according to the pre-established
skopos.