New Frontiers in Translation Studies

Shelby Kar-yan Chan Identity and Theatre Translation in Hong Kong New Frontiers in Translation Studies

Series editor Defeng Li Centre for Translation Studies, SOAS, University of London, London , United Kingdom Centre for Studies of Translation, Interpreting and Cognition, University of Macau , Macau SAR More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/11894 Shelby Kar-yan Chan

Identity and Theatre

Translation in Hong Kong Shelby Kar-yan Chan School of Translation Hang Seng Management College Hong Kong , Hong Kong SAR

ISSN 2197-8689 ISSN 2197-8697 (electronic) New Frontiers in Translation Studies ISBN 978-3-662-45540-1 ISBN 978-3-662-45541-8 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45541-8

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015937598

Springer Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made.

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Springer-Verlag GmbH Berlin Heidelberg is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer. com) General Edit or’s Preface

New Frontiers in Translation Studies, as its name suggests, is a Series which focuses on new and emerging themes in Translation Studies. The last four decades have witnessed a rapid growth of this fl edgling discipline. This Series intends to publish and promote these developments and provide readers with theories and methods they need to carry out their own translation studies projects. Translation Studies is now expanding into new or underexplored areas both in theories and research methods. One recent development is the keen interest in trans- lation theories that transcend Eurocentrism. Translation Studies has for decades been dominated by Western modes of understanding and theorizing about transla- tion and closed to models of other traditions. This is due to, as many have argued, the “unavailability of reliable data and systematic analysis of translation activities in non-European cultures” (Hung and Wakabayashi 2005). So in the past few years, some scholars have attempted to make available literature on translation from non- European traditions (Cheung 2006). Several conferences have been held with themes devoted to Asian translation traditions. Besides, rather than developing translation theories via a shift to focusing on non-Eurocentric approaches, efforts have been directed towards investigating translation universals applicable across all languages, cultures and traditions. Modern Translation Studies has adopted an interdisciplinary approach from its inception. Besides tapping into theories and concepts of neighbouring disciplines, such as linguistics, anthropology, education, sociology, and literary studies, it has also borrowed research models and methods from other disciplines. In the late 1970s, German translation scholars applied Think-aloud Protocols (TAPs) of cogni- tive psychology in their investigation of translators’ mental processes, and more recently, process researchers have incorporated into their research designs lab meth- ods, such as eye-tracker, EEG and fMRI. In the early 1990s, computational and corpus linguistics was introduced into Translation Studies, which has since gener- ated a proliferation of studies on the so-called translation universals, translator style, and features of translated language. Studies on interpreting and translation educa- tion have also taken a data-based empirical approach and yielded interesting and useful results.

v vi General Editor’s Preface

As Translation Studies seeks further growth as an independent discipline and recognition from outside the translation studies community, the interest to explore beyond the Eurocentric translation traditions will continue to grow. So does the need to adopt more data- and lab-based methods in the investigations of translation and interpreting. It is therefore the intent of this Series to capture the newest devel- opments in these areas and promote research along these lines. The monographs or edited volumes in this Series will be selected either because of their focus on non- European translation traditions or their application of innovative research methods and models, or both. We hope that translation teachers and researchers, as well as graduate students, will use these books in order to get acquainted with new ideas and frontiers in Translation Studies, carry out their own innovative projects and even contribute to the Series with their pioneering research.

Defeng Li

References

Cheung, M. 2006. An anthology of Chinese discourse on translation, volume one: From earliest times to the Buddhist project . Manchester/Kinderhook: St. Jerome Publishing. Hung, E. and J. Wakabayashi. 2005. Asian translation traditions . Manchester/Northampton: St Jerome. Acknowledgements

The present research would not have been possible without the unwavering trust and support of Professor Defeng Li. Without him I would not be where I am now. To Professor Gilbert Fong I owe a special debt. Professor Fong has shepherded this project along for a long time, always holding up as a goal that standard of original- ity, substance and accuracy which characterises his own work. It was a privilege for me to have interviewed the following theatre practitioners in Hong Kong: (in alphabetical order) Mr. K. B. Chan, Mr. Rupert Chan, Mr. Dominic Cheung, Mr. Fredric Mao, Mr. Szeto Wai-kin, Mr. Tang Shu Wing and Mr. Hardy Tsoi. They provided me with the invaluable insiders’ point of view of the Hong Kong theatre scene. Mr. Rupert Chan, Mr. Cheung, Mr. Szeto and The Hong Kong Repertory Theatre were generous enough to share with me their handwritten performance scripts and performance materials. Dr. Finn Millar and Ms. Joyce Lee gave me the best editorial and moral support I could ever hope for. Mr. Amen Ma offered tremendous assistance with the statis- tics for this research. Dr. Kimfan Wong gave unstintingly of his time and encyclo- paedic knowledge, reading through the entire manuscript and sharing his fantastic insights. I am also indebted to Professor Tian Benxiang, Professor Mabel Lee and Dr. Steven Luk for their guidance and inspiration. The theme of this research is “Homeless at Home”, yet the writer has been so fortunate in that the woes of homelessness have never befallen me. I wish to thank my family—Jacky, Rachel and Jackal—for their love and tolerance over the years. My friends Edith Lai, Linda Calabrese, Supriya Menon, Shilpa Rao, Adela Taleb, Dana Dodeen, Kaunda Sharlyn Busiku, Fabrizio Massini, Paola Di Gennaro, Anna Khalizova and Francesca Cho made London my second home while I was plodding away at the project. May Chan, Brenda Leung and Wah Guan Lim incessantly sent me good cheer from many miles away. Together they provided that warm and steady

vii viii Acknowledgements encouragement which best sustains one in the fi ght against the indomitable dragon of research writing. The present work is a tribute to home and to all the beautiful people who made me feel at home wherever I happened to be.

November 2014 SC Contents

1 Introduction ...... 1 1.1 Hongkongers, Identity and Hong Kong Identity ...... 2 1.1.1 Hongkongers ...... 2 1.1.2 Identity ...... 3 1.1.3 Hong Kong Identity ...... 5 1.1.4 Chineseness ...... 8 1.2 Theatre Translation...... 12 References ...... 15 2 Home, Identity and Translation ...... 19 2.1 Hong Kong ...... 20 2.1.1 Origin ...... 21 2.1.2 Ownership ...... 23 2.1.3 Sense of Belonging ...... 25 2.2 Homelessness at Home ...... 28 2.3 Other Homes than Home ...... 31 2.4 Identity Translation ...... 32 References ...... 36 3 Play It Again: Background and Statistical Analysis of Translated Plays ...... 39 3.1 Before the 1980s: When Translated Theatre Began ...... 40 3.2 1980–1984: Setting the Stage...... 44 3.3 1985–1989: Quest for a New Beginning ...... 47 3.4 1990–1997: Counting Down ...... 48 3.5 Beyond 1997: The Certainty of Uncertainty ...... 49 3.6 Translated Plays and Production ...... 50 3.7 Origins of Translated Plays ...... 52 3.8 Retranslations Before and After the 1980s...... 62 3.9 Cultural Insurance ...... 78 References ...... 80

ix x Contents

4 Parroting Without Parody: Chung King-fai, The Seals Players and Theatre Space ...... 83 4.1 Chung King-fai ...... 84 4.1.1 A Worldly Dramatist ...... 85 4.1.2 Utilitarian Mimicry ...... 86 4.1.3 The Cultural Over the National and the Market ...... 87 4.1.4 Another Kind of “Formalism” ...... 90 4.2 The Seals Players ...... 91 4.2.1 Flawed Mimesis ...... 93 4.3 Theatre Space ...... 96 4.3.1 Didactic Function of Translated Drama ...... 96 4.3.2 A Macro Hong Kong Theatre ...... 97 4.3.3 Obfuscating the Self ...... 98 4.4 Different Kinds of Faithfulness ...... 99 References ...... 100 5 Avenger Without a Cause: Hamlet in Hong Kong ...... 103 5.1 Presence Through Absence ...... 103 5.2 Adaptation, Defi nitely Not Translation ...... 105 5.3 Background Shift ...... 106 5.4 Skipping the Minor, Keeping the Major ...... 111 5.4.1 Revenge-Centric ...... 116 5.4.2 Causes of Revenge ...... 117 5.4.3 Delay to the Revenge ...... 118 5.5 How Not to Tell the Story of Hamlet ...... 124 5.6 Alignment to a Cultural China ...... 125 5.7 Alignment to a Cultural West ...... 126 References ...... 128 6 Hong Kong People Speak: Rupert Chan and Twelfth Night ...... 131 6.1 Rupert Chan: Hong Kong Speaks Through Translation ...... 131 6.1.1 Translating for Hong Kong ...... 133 6.1.2 Hongkong-Centricity ...... 137 6.2 How “Hong Kong” Can Twelfth Night Be? ...... 142 6.2.1 Setting: A Disguised Hong Kong ...... 143 6.2.2 Characters’ Names ...... 145 6.2.3 Bawdy Jokes and Wordplays ...... 149 6.2.4 Switch Between Registers and Dialects ...... 150 6.2.5 Hongkong-Speak Slang ...... 151 6.3 Staging Hongkongness ...... 152 6.3.1 Language Choice as a Political Act ...... 153 6.3.2 Accentuation of Local Lifestyle ...... 155 6.3.3 Quasi-allegiance to China ...... 156 6.3.4 Neoculturation ...... 157 References ...... 159 Contents xi

7 Sons and Dragons: Death of a Salesman as a Cultural Icon ...... 163 7.1 The Salesman Motif ...... 164 7.2 Wishing Sons Were Dragons ...... 165 7.3 From Rags to Riches ...... 169 7.4 A Sense of Displacement ...... 171 7.5 Why Did We Not Localise Salesman ? ...... 173 References ...... 179 8 Identity and Mobility: Move Over, Mrs. Markham! and Pygmalion ...... 181 8.1 Move Over, Mrs. Markham! ...... 181 8.1.1 Naughty Couple ...... 184 8.1.2 Identity Shuffl e ...... 187 8.1.3 Transient Identities ...... 189 8.2 Pygmalion ...... 192 8.2.1 Pygmalion in Hong Kong ...... 193 8.2.2 Lovely Is This Noble Lady ...... 194 8.2.3 Social Class and Performance ...... 194 8.2.4 Commodity Value ...... 195 8.3 Identity Performance ...... 197 8.4 Translation, Emigration and Performance ...... 199 References ...... 200 9 Equivocating About Home: The Importance of Being Unintelligible ...... 203 9.1 Home in the Realm of the Beyond ...... 204 9.1.1 Location of the Beyond ...... 204 9.1.2 Identity Shift ...... 206 9.1.3 Intractable Hongkong-Speak ...... 207 9.2 Self-Writing and Original Plays ...... 209 9.3 Borrowing and Self-Writing...... 213 References ...... 215 10 Conclusion ...... 217 10.1 An Imitation Home ...... 218 10.2 Scaffolding of a New Home ...... 218 10.3 Home Speak ...... 219 10.4 A Home Modelled on Others ...... 220 10.5 Movement Between Homes ...... 221 10.6 Coda ...... 222 References ...... 222

Bibliography ...... 223 Chapter 1 Introduction

In Hong Kong, the most cosmopolitan of cities, contrasts abound. Ladies toting Gucci handbags wait two hours in dingy alleys for a coveted bowl of noodles. Incense-fi lled Buddhist temples fi ght for space with gleaming new high-rises. Cutting-edge art galleries share a block with junk shops. Always reinventing itself—a recent example being the rebirth of the former marine police headquarters as the 1881 Heritage, housing a luxury mall and boutique hotel—Hong Kong is a city of constant change. (Naomi Lindt, “36 Hours in Hong Kong”. New York Times . 17 March 2011) In Hong Kong, not only is the cityscape forever changing, but the lifestyle and the way people think about themselves are changing as well. The process of change never ceases, and the pace appears to be quickening by the day, resulting in a per- petual intermingling of different cultural and sociopolitical discourses, which in turn renders the changes all the more obvious and vigorous. Comparison and con- trast are modes of operation every day, and cosmopolitanism prevails as the city develops into a hub of international business, encouraging contacts with people and things of other nations and cultures. Hong Kong can thus be likened to a kaleido- scope: a slight shift in position would trigger a change in the arrangement of the contents and angles of refl ection, presenting the viewer with a myriad of colours and patterns. Hong Kong had been a place of transition for its people ever since 1814 when it fi rst became a British colony. It is only in the last 50 years that some of its citizens have started to consider it as home, yet still yearning for things on the outside. Between homelessness and home, Hong Kong has come to be. If home is ever changing, how does the Self respond or not respond to the changes? This is proba- bly why the so-called Hong Kong identity is often described as intractable, subject to the continuous play of history, culture and power. The present research has two main concerns: theatre translation and identity. Specifi cally, we are interested in how translated theatre has refl ected Hong Kong identity and the process of its construction. The coexistence of and confl icts among the disparate discourses in Hong Kong identity are particularly discernible, giving rise to an array of translation and performance strategies which refl ect the ways in

© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015 1 S.K.-y. Chan, Identity and Theatre Translation in Hong Kong, New Frontiers in Translation Studies, DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45541-8_1 2 1 Introduction which Hong Kong people make sense of the Self and the Other. Between the options of rejection or adoption, foreignisation or localisation and imitation or subversion exists not a vacuum, but rather a continuum which allows the production of some- thing new, unique and fi tting to the needs of the Self. As Theo Hermans has pointed out, translation is a “privileged index of cultural self-reference” or “self-defi nition”, because “the practice of translation comprises the selection and importation of cul- tural goods from outside a given circuit, and their transformation into terms which the receiving community can understand, if only in linguistic terms, and which it recognises, to some extent at least, as its own” (Hermans 2002 : 15). Thus, transla- tion, under the guise of spokesman for the Other, speaks more of the Self than of the source text. The coexistence of foreign and local discourses and the perennial pull from both sides mean that translators must make a choice and establish a pattern for discourse allocation in their translations. Assuming that the target audience is clearly defi ned, an analysis of deliberate and calculated attempts to manipulate audience perception will shed light on the broader, cultural identity of both the audi- ence and the translators (Aaltonen 2004 ). This observation is particularly pertinent to analysing theatre translation in Hong Kong and the construction of the Hong Kong cultural identity. Most play scripts in Hong Kong are translated for the pur- pose of scheduled performances, and the translators are acquainted with the perfor- mance troupes and the directors (Rupert Chan 2009; Cheung 2009; Szeto 2009 ). The audience group has also been reasonably clearly defi ned, the majority consist- ing of adults aged 18–46 with a high-school education or above (Chan 2009 ). Such knowledge of the theatre circle and the audience is undoubtedly helpful in under- standing the subjectivity represented in the translations.

1.1 Hongkongers, Identity and Hong Kong Identity

1.1.1 Hongkongers

With a land mass of 1,104 km2 (426 sq. mi.) and seven million people, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world (Ash 2006 : 78). The population is 95 % ethnic Chinese and 5 % from other groups (Census and Statistics Department 2010). Cantonese is the language most commonly spoken in the territory. Offi cially, Hong Kong residents include permanent residents (who either were born in Hong Kong or have resided in Hong Kong continuously for no less than 7 years) and non- permanent residents (who are allowed to live in Hong Kong for a certain period of time but do not have the right of abode). For the purposes of this research, the term “Hongkongers” refers to the ethnic Chinese residing in Hong Kong and having the right of abode in the territory.