A sociocritique of translation

the long version

In this ground-breaking study, Annie Brisset attempts to extend the parameters of translation theory to encompass a consideration of ideology and history. Newly translated into English, the study was awarded the Ann Saddlemyer Prize in 1991 by the Association for Canadian Theatre History. It focuses on the translation of theatrical texts in Quebec during the years 1968-88, a period marked by the search for a national identity, when foreign works were not just translated but rather 'traduit en quebecois,' in an effort to counteract the influence of the dominant English culture in Canada and of the colonial legacy of European French. As Brisset shows, such translation was especially apparent in the developing Quebecois theatre, for drama affords a uniquely immediate link with the collective consciousness, a link that was strengthened during this period by the rise of social realist theatre in Quebec.