Abstract
The translation - or creation - of opera surtitles is a complex communicative situation where a number of internal and external factors come into play, with the addressee clearly at the forefront. If surtitles are to provide a fully functional service to the audience, translators - and, perhaps more importantly, opera managers - will probably have to realize they need a more realistic picture of their audience''s language competence.
For it is impossible for anyone to read - and understand - all the long and complicated sentences laden with marked words and culture-bound expressions that tend to be projected onto the screen above the stage in most opera houses these days, and, at the same time, follow the other channels involved in the complex process of opera communication. Simple, straightforward and unmarked language seeking to provide nothing but the core content of the story may be the solution if today''s largely multinational audiences are to be left with enough time and cognitive capacity to appreciate the singing, acting, costumes, and stage design.
Creating opera surtitles therefore appears to require more editing and pragmatic thinking rather than translating in the more traditional sense of the word; the resulting product may be very distant from the source text, and yet will be able to function effectively with its audience.