Surtitling and the new networks of theatre translation in Toronto

Abstract

This article deals with human and non-human agents of surtitling in Toronto and beyond. After its emergence at the opera in Toronto, surtitling travelled to the theatre, and to other parts of French-speaking Canada, North America and Europe. Based on interviews with theatre surtitlers and on their archived materials, this article tracks the invention, growth, social acceptance, standardization, and stagnation of surtitling technologies in Toronto. Three relational aspects of the process of surtitling as a medium of theatre translation are investigated to understand its effects on translators and translations now: the division of labour (or lack thereof) from the opera to the theatre; the standardization of the practice; and the intergenerational transmission of competence through informal training.