A New Approach to Literary/Lyrics Translation

In 2020 and 2021, when the pandemic shut down live performances, Austin’s Gilbert & Sullivan Society (GSA) provided some relief by hiring theatre artists to video contemporary “Fresh Takes” of scenes from the 19th-century G&S comic operas. Among the 17 videos is a version of the opening numbers of one favorite, H.M.S. Pinafore, done (probably for the first time ever!) in Spanish. GSA recruited Argentinian musical theatre performer Sebastián Vitale to help translate the musical from stage to video and from an 1878 version to a 21st-century “Fresh Take.” The eight-minute video is available online at https://tinyurl.com/4eew68s6.

Excellence and Wit

“The thing is, this is translation on a grand scale; you are taking 19th century English humor, passing it through the sieve of language and situation, and giving it to Sebastián, and it’s just brilliant.”

MICHAEL MEIGS

The quote above reflects what Michael Meigs said at the end of our last general meeting on November 12, 2022, and he was right! Actor, producer (and now lyrics co-translator!) Sebastián Vitale approached the Fresh Take on the H.M.S. Pinafore comic opera from 1878 with excellence and wit when he turned it into a modern Spanish-language pop version with the help of AATIA’s Michael Meigs. What they achieved was translation on the next level; their combined effort highlighted all that translation can be, and it was a good lesson on collaboration between translators and musicians for the sake of meter and rhythm!

What Is Translation? – Many Definitions…

People do different things with words and call it translation! Translations mean boundaries; they can be diplomatic; they consist of conceptual limitations and expansions, and they have been viewed very differently throughout history. Translations are never simply pulled over from one language to another! They can shift from one medium to another, must adapt to new visual forms, and deal with ambiguity and with what gets lost during the translation process.

What made this presentation so compelling to AATIA’s members was an in-depth discussion on what this translation of song lyrics needed to achieve and what it took to make it work. According to Michael, there was not much to translate as far as the word count goes, but that did not make it less challenging; Michael had to try to match the rhyme scheme and meter. Of course, he also had to transform 19th-century English into contemporary Spanish before handing it to Sebastián for the final edits.

A Fresh Approach in Spanish

A Spanish version of the H.M.S Pinafore was something that GSA had never done before. Sebastián had suggested that if they wanted to get new audiences for GSA, they should make it more modern because this was “classic classical.” So Sebastián decided to turn this version into pop music. About the translation, he said, “When he [Michael] gave me the first draft, it was a good translation, but it was just a translation. There was some meter, but the tempo was different. For pop music, there is a meter, but it isn’t as structured as classical music. So, I started to play with the words, trying not to lose the meaning but also, I don’t know, be more smooth with the translation. I tried to put what you [Michael] gave me into the meter, the music, and the rhyming, and somehow it didn’t work, and I had to change some stuff.”

Michael gave Sebastián complete artistic freedom, so he focused on the essence of what he wanted to do and tried to make it work with other words. An issue Sebastián faced had to do with the length of the Spanish words. “I am gonna go crazy with this,” he thought. “How do I put all the words that I need into one sentence?” Sebastián also tried to give It more logic, “in the way we speak.” Slowly, the rhyming got better and so did the vibe. “The words that I needed, I think, are always there. You always find a way to say what you want it to say, respecting the original idea and just adapting it; that is what I tried to accomplish,” Sebastián said. His take required more energy, not just because it was a video but also because there was dancing involved. Finally, Sebastián not only had to emphasize the actor’s movements, but it also needed to be fun! So, he had to consider things like accentuation and intonation to indicate the singer’s attitudes and emotions.

Sexy, Sassy Mariposa

It was not just the words that changed! The video is terrifically full of information and entertainment, way more so than in a brief video clip of a stage production, in which the sailors barely moved. It was intentional not just to do the usual thing but also to bring something of being Latino. Sebastián said, “I thought, okay, let’s bring the sexiness and sassiness we usually bring. They all agreed because they were Latinos. I wasn’t sure if Gilbert & Sullivan would agree to this. It was also a bet; if they did not like it, they would not hire me again.”

Our AATIA members enjoyed it when Sebastián talked about the role of Mariposa (Little Buttercup in the original) and his trouble finding an actress that could sing in Spanish but also move and dance. In the new version, Mariposa is “accessible” and sells “everything” to sailors.

“When I told this actress you are going to play an old Ariana Grande, she said ‘uhm… no!’”
“Yes, you are! You are going to be sexy and sassy!”
….

Sebastián VITALE

The lyrics also changed quite dramatically! Here an example from Mariposa’s part:

19th Century Gilbert and Sullivan vs. modern Gilbert and Sullivan Austin (the producers)

Gilbert & Sullivan Austin (GSA) is spreading the topsy-turvy humor and joyful music of W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan in Austin. GSA is known for its annual summer grand productions performed with a live orchestra and their one-act plays or versions of the original Gilbert and Sullivan operas.

The original H.M.S. Pinafore opera back in England was Arthur Sullivan’s and W.S. Gilbert’s (G&S) fourth operatic collaboration. The story takes place on a Royal Navy Ship, and the plot pokes fun at British patriotism, politics, and the country’s class system. The 19th-century H.M.S. Pinafore is a parody. What happened with the GSA production is that it was essentially a parody of a parody. The original G&S would be so proud if they knew of GSA’s work!

AATIA says Thank You!

AATIA would like to thank Sebastián Vitale and Michael Meigs for a beautiful session! A special “Thank you!” also goes to the Latin Food Truck & Catering Service The Budare’s for the amazing mini-empanadas, tequeños with cilantro dipping sauce, plantains & cheese. The Budare’s platters made our meeting extra special!