Sobretitular ópera. Estaba la madre, un caso de estudio

This paper investigates text-music relationship in the interlanguage and intralanguage surtitling of opera, considering surtitling as a form of linguistic and cultural adaptation (Conti 2015, De Frutos 2011, Díaz Cintas 2007, Mateo 2002, Sario 1996). We will first introduce the practice of translating opera librettos (in written or sung form) and its advantages and disadvantages. Next, we will move to a discussion of the practice of surtitling and the skills translators need to create them. Finally, by analysing selected extracts from the libretto of Estaba la madre (2004), a homage to the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo and their fight for truth by contemporary Argentinian composer Luis Bacalov, we will illustrate specific issues related to libretto translation and opera surtitling, with reference to the Spanish-Italian language pair. Our analysis will show how surtitlers resort to condensation as a primary strategy. Furthermore, we will highlight the importance of a phraseological approach to translation as the only means to correctly convey linguistic and cultural identity.