DUAL
TRANSLATIONS

Friends of the Groom Theater
Resource Center

 
 

For printable copy of DUAL TRANSLATIONS instructions, click on the word: INSTRUCTIONS
To see a video of DUAL TRANSLATIONS being taught, click on the word: VIDEO

With the technique “Dual Translations,” two actors read from different translations of the same passage, line by line—bouncing them off one another.

  • Pick a passage to present. Consult a variety of translations and paraphrases and find two versions of the passage that have significant differences in how the text has been interpreted. It’s essential the passage you select not contain too much repetition—since the technique itself can be repetitive.

  • Assign one actor to memorize and speak the lines from one version, and a second actor to memorize and speak the lines from the other. When the time comes to present the passage, the actors should alternate speaking—so the audience hears a line from one version, and then immediately hears the same line from the second version.

  • Work with your actors to make sure the presentation of the passage has a variety of levels. Ask the questions: Can the passage be divided into sections with changing energy, emotion, or subtext from one section to the next? Is there a climax you can work toward? Does the speaker change in some way from the beginning of the passage to the end?

 Notes: When arranging the lines to be spoken by each actor, you don’t have to stick to a rigid one-verse at-a-time pattern. Sometimes it’s more effective to vary the structure—for example, one actor might say half a verse and the other might follow with a verse and half. Then they switch. As long as both actors eventually speak the entire passage, you can divide the verses in creative ways to enhance interest and flow


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