In:Opera in Translation: Unity and diversity
Edited by Adriana Şerban and Kelly Kar Yue Chan
[Benjamins Translation Library 153] 2020
► pp. 35–51
Surtitles and the multi-semiotic balance
Can over-information kill opera?
Published online: 29 October 2020
https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.153.02pal
https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.153.02pal
Abstract
When surtitles were first introduced, in 1982, they were intended to make opera accessible to a
larger audience. They fulfilled the basic requirement of maximum comprehension, minimum distraction. In the
intervening years, however, there has been an increase in the quantity of displayed text so that the titles have
become distracting and intrusive. In my contribution, I explore the reasons for this and discuss why I believe there
is a need to put surtitles into their perspective, within the multi-semiotic balance of lyric theatre
performances.
Keywords: surtitles, lyric theatre, semiotic balance, libretto
Article outline
- 1.Introduction: From concise to verbose in thirty years
- 2.A flexible approach to surtitling with reference to additional semiotic information
- 3.Audience surtitle reading habits and expectations: The tendency to use language as a first point of reference
- 4.Considering semiotic complements when composing a surtitle script
- 5.Reducing the quantity of surtitle text to improve audience engagement with the action on stage
- 6.Considerations to be taken into account when displaying text
- 7.Examples of operatic scenes
- 8.Conclusion
References
References (4)
Burton, Jonathan. n.d. “The Joy of Opera. The Art and Craft of Opera Subtitling and Surtitling,” [URL], last accessed 23 March 2020.
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