Systematizing the analysis of songs in stage musicals for translation : a multimodal model based on themes.

Song translation has only recently become an area of interest for research purposes, with the development of studies on opera, films, folk music, cover songs, and more. Not many scholars have researched stage musicals, generally considered less prestigious and more commercial than opera. However, songs play a fundamental role in this type of performance, conveying meaning via verbal, audio and visual semiotic resources. Although a few studies on lyrics translation in stage musicals can be identified, such as Low’s (2003, 2005) Pentathlon Approach and Franzon’s (2005) functional approach, they do not seem to focus on the interaction between modes that is typical of this genre. These models of translation offer valuable guidelines on how to treat the lyrics, but what is missing is a systematic and multimodal model of analysis that can be applied to the song in its entirety. This research aims to develop a model of analysis that takes into account the complexity of songs. A new approach based on the identification of themes will allow for a more holistic view of the song and of its content. The application of the model to a selection of musicals shows how verbal, audio and visual semiotic resources interact to create meaning, establishing relations of addition, enhancement and modification with each other. The findings provide a clearer understanding of songs of stage musicals, opening up more possibilities for translators approaching this genre, and suggesting the value of a collaborative approach between translator, director and creative team in the adaptation of stage musicals