Translation, Adaptation and Transformation by Raw Laurence

Author:Raw, Laurence.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury UK
Published: 2012-03-13T16:00:00+00:00

6.2 Translation Profile

At the trial scene, Shylock’s conversion to Christianity (IV, i, 401) as a condition for his release was omitted from Zhang’s script, even though it had been retained in the three main literary translations in circulation in the early 1980s, including Fang Ping’s. Zhang believed that the audience might find the forced conversion irrelevant to the Chinese context. This view can be traced back to China’s history where religious conflicts were rarely in evidence. People were generally tolerant toward religious differences in a culture rooted in harmony. 2 To date there has never been a forced religious conversion in Chinese public culture. This is due to the strong influence of Buddhism and Taoism that persists in the country. Hence the omission: to show a change of religion might cause discontent among the audience, as suggested by Hui (1983). Another possible source of discontent relates to the anti-Christian tradition in China since the nineteenth century, during which the unequal treaty system in the aftermath of the First Opium War between China and Britain, including the Treaties of Tianjin and the Sino-French Convention of Beijing, permitted foreign missionaries to live, own property, and preach in China (Cohen 1963: 44). The treaties that remained in effect until 1943 inspired a phenomenal growth of missionary enterprise, which only served to increase the people’s hostility toward Christianity (as witnessed in the growth of anti-Christian pamphlets and tracts) (Cohen 1963: 45). Missionaries were often associated with colonial invasion and cultural imperialism. 3 Hence Zhang adapted Fang’s translation in an attempt to placate her audiences. 4

Just as interesting as what was deleted is what was added or modified. In this two-hour adaptation, one-third of the scenes were dedicated to Portia’s selection of her future husband. In the casket-scene, each casket was personified: a glamorous lady brought in the gold casket, a well-dressed lady in silver brought in the silver casket, while a humbly dressed lady held the lead casket, positioned toward the back of stage. Her modesty highlighted Bassanio’s nobility. The large portrait of Portia’s late father hanging on the wall of Portia’s room suggested the bondage of patriarchal society – something that Portia obviously hoped to escape through marriage. Zhang’s adaptation aptly illustrated the truth of the phrase: ‘All that glitters is not gold’ (Lin 1981: 22). Another addition to the play is that this lady with the lead casket was later married to Lancelot Gobbo; three pairs of lovers tied the knot on the same day, enhancing the liveliness of this romantic comedy.

Zhang admitted in an interview that she liked Portia, who was clever and unconventional in her efforts to liberate herself from her family:

I like Portia, the new female, very much. As a director, I like freedom, I like her courageous, clever scheming which frees her from the bondage. She dresses as a male to be a female lawyer and strikes hard at the greedy and selfish Shylock. He is only interested in his pound of flesh, no more no less. I

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