Translation into Asturian language as a tool for spreading the language in the Asturian Renaissance (‘Surdimientu’). The case of the Theater

Abstract

Although the translation of literary works into Asturian was an activity that already existed before the so-called Asturian Renaissance (Surdimientu), it was after mid-70s of the twentieth century, when this cultural and literary renaissance was born, when translation was at its peak. Various translations from English, French or Italian, among others, aimed at providing great literary works to Asturian readers, thereby making them available to a public whose first language was Asturian. There were a few non-literary translations as well.

This paper focuses on the particular case of drama, one of the genres with a very reduced number of translations, since the existence of abundant pieces of popular and appreciated literary costumbrismo overshadowed the arrival of new drama. Moreover, the data stems from the collection of published translations of dramatic works and dramatic texts translated and published in Lletres Asturianes and Lletres lliterariu, two journals of the Academy of the Asturian Language. This corpus will reveal a general overview of drama translation at the Asturian Renaissance, or Surdimientu, and deepen into aspects such as which were the main source languages, the authors whose works were translated and who were the translator.