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Theatre Topics Volume 27 Number 3
Best Practices for Selecting a Translated Script: A Dramaturg’s Manifesto
Translators often refer to their work as a labor of love, but too often we, as theatre educators, practitioners, and audiences, are blind to the intensive labor inherent in the translation of a script. Each source text, or the text in the language of its first conception, contains a world built from the various lexical elements that emerge from an author’s individual language and culture. A translator is responsible for transforming the source text into a target text, rendering this world into a different language for a different culture, all while maintaining the essence of the source text. Translations make up nearly 70 percent of the texts of my own theatre history courses, and they regularly appear on stages at high schools, universities, and community and professional theatres.
When selecting a translation for academic purposes or production, being able to identify the labor of the translator is integral to the success of any project. Educators are often restricted to using curriculum-approved anthologies, where translations are preselected for reasons that are not always apparent. It is essential to be aware that because the plays included in anthologies are typically staples of the canon, there are multiple translations available for most, if not all, of the source texts. As directors and dramaturgs we do not have the legal luxury of cutting and pasting several translations together to create a single, desirable text for the stage, and very often a translation is chosen because of the renown of the translator. Are you more likely to pack a theatre with a production of Mother Courage and Her Children translated by Tony Kushner, or by someone else whose name does not even appear on the title page? Our audiences expect a certain product in this instance, when the labor is visible because of the translator’s reputation. But what, if anything, do we expect when that same labor is invisible? As educators and practitioners we must know how to make the labor of the “unknown” translator as visible as that of the known translator in order to select a script that will serve our project’s best interests.
Through my work with Carol Maier, professor emeritus of translation at Kent State University, during a 2015 National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute titled “What Is Gained in Translation?” I have developed a process for educators and dramaturgs that outlines the best practices for selecting a translated text. Used in conjunction with standard dramaturgical research, these guidelines can help to make the translator’s labor more visible and facilitate the translated script-selection process for the classroom and the stage. The following set of best practices outlines a process that is rigorous, perhaps more rigorous than those who are seeking a translated script are willing or able to undertake. But we must keep in mind how comprehensive the process should be, so that if one must forgo an exhaustive investigation due to time or resource constraints, these best practices can still be at the forefront of consciousness during the process.
Acknowledge Your Expectations
Our first responsibility in selecting a translated script is to be aware of our own expectations where translation is concerned. These expectations can affect how we approach target texts, as Maier clarifies: “This is not to suggest that one’s preferences be set aside, but it is to suggest that they be held in abeyance as options are reviewed” (2010, 12). For instance, I may use Eric Bentley’s translation of Mother Courage in a theatre history class because of his facility with the German language and attention to the historical and linguistic conventions of the source text. However, I may be more inclined to use Kushner’s version if I am directing Mother Courage , because of its contemporary feel and rhythm. I may be hesitant to consider his translation of Mother Courage in a theatre history class, because Kushner has admitted in interviews that his German is “not good” and the translation process was more artistic than literal (Kalb). Understanding what you expect from a translation in any given situation is the first step in making an informed final decision.
I incorporate “acknowledge your expectations” into my dramaturgy students’ daily practice, but the next two directives from Maier are at the heart of a student project designed to reveal the labor inherent in translation, and to acquaint students with the work we must do as dramaturgs when selecting a translated script. The ultimate goal of the project, which can be tailored for intermediate to advanced students, is to choose a single translation that they will recommend for a given production. They create a website that details their elimination process, from an initial broad selection of translations to a final rationale for the selected script. As a case study for the project, I created a sample website that begins to demonstrate the process of script selection for a production of Chekhov’s Three Sisters . Examples from my website (http://translatordfile.weebly.com) will follow in this note from the field to illustrate Maier’s concepts and their application to playtexts.
Consider the Purpose
It is easy to label a target text as a “bad translation” or “good translation,” but if we are aware of our expectations and also consider the purpose of any given target text, as Maier recommends, we are more likely to see the value of target texts that we may have previously rejected. Maier reminds us to “[r]emember that no translation occurs in a vacuum” (2010, 14). My dramaturgy students must strive to understand why playwrights created their texts in the first place. Why was the play relevant to that era’s audiences, and why is it relevant to our audiences now? One can imagine similarly framed questions on the lips of a translator: Why do we need this translated text now? Why is it relevant to these readers? The number of reasons why a source text is translated is as great as the number of working translators: a Pulitzer Prize–winner is quickly translated into multiple European languages to boost exposure; a classic receives a translation every thirty years to keep it fresh and contemporary; a target text emerges to enrich the literature of a dying language; a translator falls in love with an obscure source text and translates it for her own satisfaction. Considering the purpose of a target text allows for a more generous consideration of its inherent qualities, and then we are better able to discern how appropriate it would be for our own project.
On the sample website for the Three Sisters project, I first made an admittedly not-exhaustive list of possible target texts and the purpose of each translation. Among the texts listed are Julius West’s 1915 translation found on Project Gutenberg, Constance Garnett’s 1916 translation, Curt Columbus’s 2005 translation for Strawdog Theatre Company in Chicago, and Laurence Senelick’s academic translation from 2007. Because the goal of the project is for students to select a single script for a particular production, they can begin to eliminate particular translations based on the needs of that production. Depending on the skill level of the students, they can create these conditions themselves or the instructor can set parameters. In the sample website I determined the limitations of my investigation by deciding that as part of my elimination rationale, I would only consider translations from the last twenty-five years and rule out any target texts found in the public domain, so as to focus on a translator of significant renown for marketing purposes. In the end the three translations I used for the website were those by Paul Schmidt (1992), a noted translator of Russian and a playwright who collaborated with the Wooster Group and premiered the translation under the title Brace Up! ; Senelick, a respected academic voice of Chekhov translation; and Sarah Ruhl (2009), a feminist playwright who collaborated with a Russian translator in a six-month commission of the play for Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Once your selection is limited, the real work begins.
“Figure the Translator”
Maier (2015) stresses the importance of “figuring the translator” in much the same way that a dramaturg would research a playwright. My beginning dramaturgy students complete outside research that provides an in-depth understanding of how history and culture affected how and why the playwright wrote that play at that given moment in time. Students are encouraged to read other plays by the same author and find personal correspondence and autobiographical content by the playwright, such as in journals or critical manifestos. They must also find reviews of the play, as well as essays and criticism to understand how other people’s experience of the piece differed from that of its creator. By understanding the playwright’s intentions for the play within its original historical context and the response of the audience during that time period, students can make more informed decisions about why that play is relevant to audiences now.
The act of translating is a complex dance among cultural idioms, allusions, and historical vocabulary. Edward T. Hall’s iconic “cultural iceberg” metaphor from his book Beyond Culture , which compares the visible parts of culture as the top 10 percent of an iceberg and the invisible parts as the submerged 90 percent, illustrates the challenge a translator faces when bringing a source text to a new culture and language. Even a literal, verbatim transfer from one language to another involves decisions on syntax and words and phrases that are difficult to translate. Translating literature and poetry requires style, finesse, rhythm, and rhyme. The text world of lexical elements changes with each translation, because in addition to the playwright there is now a translator whose culture, language, and historical experience are layered on top of the source text. For example, consider how the text could change if an English-language translator is British, Irish, or an American from the South or Midwest, from the twentieth or twenty-first century. This is why when selecting a translation for the classroom or the stage, we must recognize the role of the translator as equal in importance to that of the playwright.
“Figuring the translator” involves engaging with other writing by the translator, examining critical responses to the target text, and analyzing major lexical differences across target texts. Maier suggests consulting the following resources to discover how the translator describes her work:
• Creative pieces (poetry, short stories, plays, and so on)
• Blogs, websites, and podcasts (2015, n.p.)
Examining these documents allows us to paint a picture of what the translator herself thinks about translation, either philosophically or specifically relating to the target text being explored.
Schmidt’s introduction to The Plays of Anton Chekhov readily outlines his purpose for the target text and his views on translation. He asserts that his is an American translation, so as to distinguish it from early British translations that he felt were too stilted on the American stage (5). He situates himself as a unique translator by being an actor/playwright/Russian scholar, and criticizes other translations of Chekhov: those of native Russian speakers are too “formal and unidiomatic,” while playwrights don’t speak Russian and subordinate Chekhov’s “style and nuance” to their own (6). For Schmidt, the task of the translator of Chekhov is to write a play in English that will produce, when staged, an effect such as the original may be said to have had on a Russian audience.
I have to try to re-create in American English a voice that resounds within the American language the way Chekhov’s voice resounds within Russian. . . Above all, whatever language I speak as a translator must be a language the audience can recognize as theirs . (ibid.; emphasis in original)
Senelick disagrees with Schmidt on a fundamental level. Of his own translation he says,
I have not tried to pretend that Chekhov is anything other than Russian. Although I have converted weights and measures into Western equivalents, so that an audience can more easily gauge distances and density, I have left currency, beverages, and in particular, names in their Russian forms. . . . If one is to turn Pavel into Paul and Yelena into Helen, then one must go the whole hog and refer to Uncle Jack instead of Uncle Vanya and, to be consistent, Ivanov as Mr. Johnson . (2; emphasis in original)
Senelick uses his undeniable proficiency with the Russian language and takes a decidedly analytical approach to translation, paying special attention to Chekhov’s linguistic style: lexical repetitions, syntax, etymology, and allusions.
Ruhl’s notes at the beginning of her commissioned translation openly admit to being both “terrified and happy” that she spoke no Russian (2). She discusses the many resources she mined within a six-month period in order to complete the project, including help from her Russian sister- in-law, a Russian scholar/playwright/director, four separate translations, and a childhood teacher and Chekhov scholar. Ruhl’s sensibility aligns with Schmidt’s, in that she was not interested in subordinating Chekhov’s style in favor of her own:
It became clear to me that getting to the root of the original Russian was what I wanted, rather than putting my own authorial stamp on the text. I wanted to get as far away from a “stamp” as possible. . . . I came to this translation with no agenda, no desire to bend Chekhov to my will in any way, but instead, to learn from him. It is, then, a very faithful translation, phrase by phrase, stage direction by stage direction, comma by comma. (1, 3)
Both Ruhl’s and Schmidt’s projects were intended for performance from the beginning, while Senelick’s was meant for an annotated, academic volume. Their philosophies on translation differ accordingly, and one can begin to see how considering the purpose of a target text and “figuring the translator” can be tightly bound together.
Once we have analyzed the translator’s intention, we must focus on examining critical responses to the target text. Documents, such as those listed above, written by individuals other than the translator are essential for understanding the efficacy of the target text. Additionally, production reviews, particularly from different time periods, places, and organizations, chronicle the response to the text across time, space, and a range of artistic sensibilities.
Consult Reviews, Review Essays, and Criticism
Many of these documents must be taken with a grain of salt, particularly production reviews, where many other factors can affect how critics receive a translation. For example, Sam Thielman reviewed a production of Senelick’s translation in a joint production between The Classical Theater of Harlem and Harlem Stage in 2009. Thielman found the production flawed, writing that “[l]arge swaths of the production become a tug-of-war between academic Laurence Senelick’s unspeakable translation (benignant? really?) and fine actors like Reg E. Cathey and Amanda Mason Warren” (n.p.). Ruhl, however, specifically thanked Senelick and his “careful scholarship” in the notes for her translation (5), and her production at Berkeley Rep in 2011 received a positive review from Robert Hurwitt in the San Francisco Chronicle . Hurwitt was careful to specify that Ruhl worked from a literal translation, and called the new version “crisp” and “breezy.” He commented that the production brought the play to life “as if it were taking place today. And 110 years ago. . . . The language straddles the century, sounding colloquial but rarely out of place” (n.p.).
The notoriety of Schmidt’s translation due to its connection with the Wooster Group has led to a wealth of scholarly criticism and interviews with his artistic collaborators. Elizabeth LeCompte spoke about how his translation helped her as a director: “It’s an idealized vision of soap opera—very conversational, it can have great depth and at the same time, be very shallow. It’s like one of those silhouette pictures where you can see several images at the same time. It has tremendous ambiguity and the ability to mutate right before your eyes, and you say, ‘Oh, my God, I never heard that before’” (qtd. in Mee 146). Insights like this can be hard to come by if a translation is obscure or new, but that should not deter us from examining and holding it up to other, tried-and-true translations.
The most laborious task in “figuring the translator,” and the translated script-selection process in general, is analyzing major lexical differences across target texts. Professionals who are adept at script analysis will have an easier time with this, but students will need to train a careful eye before they become proficient. In this stage we should “attend to the formal features” (Maier 2010, 13) of the text, especially noting unfamiliar word usage, such as slang, turns of phrase, words in other languages, or forms of address. A dramaturgical glossary, which defines and illustrates unfamiliar terms and allusions, is an important comparative tool at this stage. We must also scrutinize places where translators have made distinctly different decisions in terms of vocabulary.
In the Thre e Sister s case-study website there is a section devoted to “Major Lexical Differences,” which contains excerpts to compare these vocabulary choices. In one example, Natasha confronts Olga and disparages Anfisa, the aged nurse. Each target text reveals a different characterization of Natasha, based on the lexical decisions made by the author. Schmidt’s Natasha is the most mild, telling Olga that they must “come to some agreement,” that she does not want that “stupid old woman” in the house, and that Olga shouldn’t “argue” with her (58). Senelick paints a picture of Natasha at the other end of the spectrum. She tells Olga they’ve got to “thrash it out,” that she does not want to see that “thieving old crow, that nasty old hag . . . that witch” in the house, and that Olga shouldn’t “provoke” her (927). Ruhl manages to create an arc for Natasha, who calmly suggests that she and Olga “come to an understanding,” then rises to a point of hysteria by calling Anfisa “that old bag, that old thief . . . that witch,” before warning Olga not to make her “mad” (82).
When we do this work on several translations and compare them, we reveal the differences across target texts, and the personal philosophies and labor of each translator become apparent. This is perhaps the most important step, when we must make difficult decisions about choosing a translation for the stage, but there are additional benefits for both the stage and classroom, particularly if you are able to use more than one target text for your purposes.
Choose One, Use Many (If Not All)
Onstage we are legally limited to one translation, but that should not stop us from consulting multiple texts throughout the process. Maier urges us to “read well” (2010, 12) and explore every available translation of a source text. In the classroom it is possible to examine several target texts, and “[t]o limit oneself to one version when more than one version is available is to deprive oneself (or one’s students) of the pleasure of awakening to the strangeness of language that is often revealed strikingly by variations, even small ones, among multiple versions of a given text” (16). Along with this, Maier warns that “[n]o choice should be considered final” (17), and that educators should strive to remain aware of new translations in the field. It is only by consulting all available texts that we can shatter the myth of the definitive translation, which does a disservice to the art of translating and the practice of considering the purpose of any given target text. But she adds, “[t]his is not to say that all versions are equally accomplished. On the contrary, . . . some translations are superior to others. Disparate versions, however, are often likely to result from divergent readings rather than from inaccuracy, and readings in translation will be enriched by exposure to those plural readings” (18). The accumulation of the target texts creates a palimpsest that brings extended meaning to the source text. When educators, students, directors, and dramaturgs do not speak the source language, as is often the case, this accumulation of translator voices, informed by their own languages, cultures, experiences, and personal connections to the text, is a valuable resource.
Present Provocatively
We can increase the visibility of the translator through deliberate recognition of translated texts, and this mission begins with educators. If we follow the practices outlined in this note from the field, then we must set our students on the same path. Introduce the target text, name the translator in addition to the playwright, and prompt students to consider, as you did, what their expectations are for a translated text:
• Have you read a translation before?
• Have you done any translating or interpreting yourself?
• Do you have a preconceived notion about the role translation plays in the transmission of a work, perhaps compromising its credibility?
• What do you know about the translator’s background, and does that affect your responsive- ness to the work? (Maier 2010, 17.)
I dedicate at least one day in each of my classes to considering work in translation. We read “Choosing and Introducing a Translation” by Maier, compare excerpts from famous translated plays, engage in a translation activity, and discuss a chapter from Mohammad Ghanoonparvar’s Translating the Garden , a scholarly, stream-of-consciousness account of the author’s experience translating a short story from Persian to English.
Educating students and ourselves to be aware that the labor of translation has occurred is a foundational building block to ensure thorough script analysis, fruitful inquiry, and successful script selection. We must acknowledge our own expectations of a target text and consider the purpose of each translation we experience. We must “figure the translator” as we would the playwright by reading well and widely and analyzing each text carefully to compare major lexical differences. And we must expose ourselves to an entire range of target texts, reject the limiting myth of a definitive translation, and ensure a pluralist and overt investigation into the art of translation. The art of theatre is the art of collaboration, and going forward we must recognize the labor of one of our most important, and most overlooked, contributors: the translator.
Works Cited
Chekhov, Anton. Three Sisters . Trans. Paul Schmidt. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1992. Print.
———. Three Sisters . The Complete Plays of Anton Chekhov. Trans. Laurence Senelick. New York: W. W. Norton, 2006. Print.
———. Three Sisters . Chekhov’s Three Sisters and Woolf’s Orlando : Two Renderings for the Stage. Trans. Sarah Ruhl. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 2013. Print.
Ghanoonparvar, Mohammad R. Translating the Garden . Austin: U of Texas P, 2002. Print. Hall, Edward T. Beyond Culture . New York: Anchor Books, 1976. Print.
Hurwitt, Robert. “‘Three Sisters’ Review: Chekhov’s Hope, Heartbreak.” San Francisco Chronicle . 15 Apr. 2011. Web. 28 July 2016.
Kalb, Jonathan. “Tony Kushner on Mother Courage .” Fall 2006. Web. 22 July 2016.
Maier, Carol. “Choosing and Introducing a Translation.” Literature in Translation: Teaching Issues and Reading Practices . Ed. Carole Maier and Françoise Massardier-Kenney. Kent, OH: Kent State UP, 2010. Print.
———. “Figuring the Translator’s Voice: How Do Translators Describe What They Do?” Lecture at NEH Summer Institute’s “What Is Gained in Translation?” Kent, Ohio, 11 June 2015. Unpublished.
Mee, Susie. “Chekhov’s Three Sisters and the Wooster Group’s Brace Up! ” TDR: The Drama Review 36.4 (1992): 143–53. Print.
Ruhl, Sarah, trans. “Author’s Notes.” Chekhov’s Three Sisters and Woolf’s Orlando : Two Renderings for the Stage. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 2013. Print.
Schmidt, Paul, trans. “Introduction.” The Plays of Anton Chekhov: A New Translation by Paul Schmidt. New York: Harper Perennial, 1998. Print.
Senelick, Laurence, trans. “A Note on the Translation.” The Complete Plays of Anton Chekhov . New York: W. W. Norton, 2006. Print.
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Table Of Contents
The art of the theatre is essentially one of make-believe, or mimesis . In this respect it differs from music , which seldom attempts to imitate “real” sounds—except in so-called program music , such as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture , which suggests the sounds of a battle. In this respect the art of narrative in literature is much closer to that of the theatre. In a story, considerable attention must be paid to plausibility. Even if the story is not intended to be believed as having actually happened, plausibility is essential if the story is to hold the auditor’s attention. The principal factor in plausibility is not precise correspondence with known facts but inner consistency in the story itself.
Drama also requires plausibility, but in drama it must be conveyed not by a narrator but by the actors ’ ability to make the audience “believe in” their speech, movement, thoughts, and feelings. This plausibility is based on the connection between the impression made by the actors and the preconceptions of the auditors. If the character Hamlet is to be plausible, the actor must make an audience believe that Hamlet could conceivably be as he is presented. This does not mean that the actor must make the audience believe that he (or she) literally is Hamlet, merely that he is plausibly and consistently making-believe to be Hamlet. The aim of a performance is not to persuade spectators that a palpable fiction is fact, that they are “really” there, out on those bitterly cold battlements of Hamlet’s castle at Elsinore. Indeed, they are far freer to appreciate the play and to think about it if they are not “really” present. Knowing all the time that it is a figment, they are willing to enter into the make-believe, to be transported, if it is sufficiently convincing. Yet they know that, however thrilling or pleasurable the rapture, it may be shattered at any moment by some ineptitude or mistake on the stage or by a coughing neighbour in the audience.
That is the basic rule, or convention, of the make-believe of the theatre. The actor breaks the basic rule of the game if he forgets his words, or laughs at private jokes, or is simply incompetent, or is unsuited to his part. No modern audience can accept a vulgar, lumpish, elderly Hamlet, because Hamlet is a young prince whose lines are consistently thoughtful and witty. Yet it is not necessary that the actor playing Hamlet should “really” be all these things; he need only give the impression of being princely, witty, elegant, and young enough to sustain the credulity of the people sharing the make-believe. That credulity can extend a considerable way; the actress Sarah Bernhardt played Hamlet several times in her old age .
Thus, in every performance there must be realism in some degree. At certain epochs and in certain kinds of plays, the aim has been to be as realistic as possible. But even the most realistic production (e.g., Anton Chekhov ’s play The Cherry Orchard as first produced by Konstantin Stanislavsky at the Moscow Art Theatre in 1904) made immense concessions to theatrical artifice . Conversation in real life often leads nowhere; it is full of inconclusive, meaningless, boring passages. It does not necessarily attempt, as every word in Chekhov’s play must, to fit into a story, to be part of the expression of a theme, or to introduce and reveal a group of characters.
(Read Lee Strasberg’s 1959 Britannica essay on Stanislavsky.)
Though most commercial, light comedies continue to be written and acted realistically, realistic theatre fell out of fashion in the first half of the 20th century in response to a host of avant-garde theatrical experiments and the advent of motion pictures . Just as realistic painting declined when photographs began to achieve similar effects mechanically, so did staging that attempted to reproduce the actual world in every detail lose artistic status when such effects became commonplace in films.
Even before the introduction of motion pictures, the theatre was moving toward extravagantly nonrealistic theatrical effects, from the puppet-inspired theatre of Alfred Jarry , author of Ubu roi (1896; “King Ubu”), to the Symbolist dramas of Maurice Maeterlinck , the concept of the Übermarionette (“Superior Puppet”) developed by Edward Gordon Craig , and theatrical Surrealism . The most unrealistic productions, however, inevitably retained certain realistic features; the actors still had to be human, no matter how fantastic the script and settings might be.
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How to Paraphrase | Step-by-Step Guide & Examples
How to Paraphrase | Step-by-Step Guide & Examples
Published on 8 April 2022 by Courtney Gahan and Jack Caulfield. Revised on 15 May 2023.
Paraphrasing means putting someone else’s ideas into your own words. Paraphrasing a source involves changing the wording while preserving the original meaning.
Paraphrasing is an alternative to quoting (copying someone’s exact words and putting them in quotation marks ). In academic writing, it’s usually better to paraphrase instead of quoting. It shows that you have understood the source, reads more smoothly, and keeps your own voice front and center.
Every time you paraphrase, it’s important to cite the source . Also take care not to use wording that is too similar to the original. Otherwise, you could be at risk of committing plagiarism .
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Table of contents
How to paraphrase in five easy steps, how to paraphrase correctly, examples of paraphrasing, how to cite a paraphrase, paraphrasing vs quoting, paraphrasing vs summarising, avoiding plagiarism when you paraphrase, frequently asked questions about paraphrasing.
If you’re struggling to get to grips with the process of paraphrasing, check out our easy step-by-step guide in the video below.
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Putting an idea into your own words can be easier said than done. Let’s say you want to paraphrase the text below, about population decline in a particular species of sea snails.
Incorrect paraphrasing
You might make a first attempt to paraphrase it by swapping out a few words for synonyms .
Like other sea creatures inhabiting the vicinity of highly populated coasts, horse conchs have lost substantial territory to advancement and contamination , including preferred breeding grounds along mud flats and seagrass beds. Their Gulf home is also heating up due to global warming , which scientists think further puts pressure on the creatures , predicated upon the harmful effects extra warmth has on other large mollusks (Barnett, 2022).
This attempt at paraphrasing doesn’t change the sentence structure or order of information, only some of the word choices. And the synonyms chosen are poor:
‘Advancement and contamination’ doesn’t really convey the same meaning as ‘development and pollution’.
Sometimes the changes make the tone less academic: ‘home’ for ‘habitat’ and ‘sea creatures’ for ‘marine animals’.
Adding phrases like ‘inhabiting the vicinity of’ and ‘puts pressure on’ makes the text needlessly long-winded.
Global warming is related to climate change, but they don’t mean exactly the same thing.
Because of this, the text reads awkwardly, is longer than it needs to be, and remains too close to the original phrasing. This means you risk being accused of plagiarism .
Correct paraphrasing
Let’s look at a more effective way of paraphrasing the same text.
Here, we’ve:
Only included the information that’s relevant to our argument (note that the paraphrase is shorter than the original)
Retained key terms like ‘development and pollution’, since changing them could alter the meaning
Structured sentences in our own way instead of copying the structure of the original
Started from a different point, presenting information in a different order
Because of this, we’re able to clearly convey the relevant information from the source without sticking too close to the original phrasing.
Explore the tabs below to see examples of paraphrasing in action.
Journal article
Newspaper article
Magazine article
Source text
Paraphrase
‘The current research extends the previous work by revealing that to moral dilemmas could elicit a FLE [foreign-language effect] in highly proficient bilinguals. … Here, it has been demonstrated that hearing a foreign language can even influence moral decision making, and namely promote more utilitarian-type decisions’ ( , p. 874).
The research of Brouwer (2019, p. 874) suggests that the foreign-language effect can occur even among highly proficient bilinguals, influencing their moral decision making, when auditory (rather than written) prompting is given.
Source text
Paraphrase
‘The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed to ban chrysotile asbestos, the most common form of the toxic mineral still used in the United States. … Chlorine manufacturers and companies that make vehicle braking systems and sheet gaskets still import chrysotile asbestos and use it to manufacture new products.
‘The proposed rule would ban all manufacturing, processing, importation and commercial distribution of six categories of products containing chrysotile asbestos, which agency officials said would cover all of its current uses in the United States’ ( ).
Chrysotile asbestos, which is used to manufacture chlorine, sheet gaskets, and braking systems, may soon be banned by the Environmental Protection Agency. The proposed ban would prevent it from being imported into, manufactured in, or processed in the United States (Phillips, 2022).
Source text
Paraphrase
‘The concept of secrecy might evoke an image of two people in conversation, with one person actively concealing from the other. Yet, such concealment is actually uncommon. It is far more common to ruminate on our secrets. It is our tendency to mind-wander to our secrets that seems most harmful to well-being. Simply thinking about a secret can make us feel inauthentic. Having a secret return to mind, time and time again, can be tiring. When we think of a secret, it can make us feel isolated and alone’ ( ).
Research suggests that, while keeping secrets from others is indeed stressful, this may have little to do with the act of hiding information itself. Rather, the act of ruminating on one’s secrets is what leads to feelings of fatigue, inauthenticity, and isolation (Slepian, 2019).
Once you have your perfectly paraphrased text, you need to ensure you credit the original author. You’ll always paraphrase sources in the same way, but you’ll have to use a different type of in-text citation depending on what citation style you follow.
(Brouwer, 2019, p. 874)
(1, p. 874)
(Brouwer, 2019, p. 874)
Generate accurate citations with Scribbr
It’s a good idea to paraphrase instead of quoting in most cases because:
Paraphrasing shows that you fully understand the meaning of a text
Your own voice remains dominant throughout your paper
Quotes reduce the readability of your text
But that doesn’t mean you should never quote. Quotes are appropriate when:
Giving a precise definition
Saying something about the author’s language or style (e.g., in a literary analysis paper)
Providing evidence in support of an argument
Critiquing or analysing a specific claim
A paraphrase puts a specific passage into your own words. It’s typically a similar length to the original text, or slightly shorter.
When you boil a longer piece of writing down to the key points, so that the result is a lot shorter than the original, this is called summarising .
Paraphrasing and quoting are important tools for presenting specific information from sources. But if the information you want to include is more general (e.g., the overarching argument of a whole article), summarising is more appropriate.
When paraphrasing, you have to be careful to avoid accidental plagiarism .
Students frequently use paraphrasing tools , which can be especially helpful for non-native speakers who might have trouble with academic writing. While these can be useful for a little extra inspiration, use them sparingly while maintaining academic integrity.
This can happen if the paraphrase is too similar to the original quote, with phrases or whole sentences that are identical (and should therefore be in quotation marks). It can also happen if you fail to properly cite the source.
To make sure you’ve properly paraphrased and cited all your sources, you could elect to run a plagiarism check before submitting your paper.
To paraphrase effectively, don’t just take the original sentence and swap out some of the words for synonyms. Instead, try:
Reformulating the sentence (e.g., change active to passive , or start from a different point)
Combining information from multiple sentences into one
Leaving out information from the original that isn’t relevant to your point
Using synonyms where they don’t distort the meaning
The main point is to ensure you don’t just copy the structure of the original text, but instead reformulate the idea in your own words.
Paraphrasing without crediting the original author is a form of plagiarism , because you’re presenting someone else’s ideas as if they were your own.
However, paraphrasing is not plagiarism if you correctly reference the source . This means including an in-text referencing and a full reference , formatted according to your required citation style (e.g., Harvard , Vancouver ).
As well as referencing your source, make sure that any paraphrased text is completely rewritten in your own words.
Plagiarism means using someone else’s words or ideas and passing them off as your own. Paraphrasing means putting someone else’s ideas into your own words.
So when does paraphrasing count as plagiarism?
Paraphrasing is plagiarism if you don’t properly credit the original author.
Paraphrasing is plagiarism if your text is too close to the original wording (even if you cite the source). If you directly copy a sentence or phrase, you should quote it instead.
Paraphrasing is not plagiarism if you put the author’s ideas completely into your own words and properly reference the source .
To present information from other sources in academic writing , it’s best to paraphrase in most cases. This shows that you’ve understood the ideas you’re discussing and incorporates them into your text smoothly.
It’s appropriate to quote when:
Changing the phrasing would distort the meaning of the original text
You want to discuss the author’s language choices (e.g., in literary analysis )
You’re presenting a precise definition
You’re looking in depth at a specific claim
Cite this Scribbr article
If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.
Gahan, C. & Caulfield, J. (2023, May 15). How to Paraphrase | Step-by-Step Guide & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 21 August 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/working-sources/paraphrasing/
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Cambridge Dictionary +Plus
Meaning of paraphrase in English
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din something into someone
drill someone in something
drill something into someone
drum something into someone
indoctrinate
rake over something
reassertion
recapitulate
regurgitate
reiteration
I would take issue with your paraphrase of my position .
She does not follow Shakespeare's text but has devised her own paraphrase of it.
Allow me to end my first speech with my own paraphrase of the statement .
paraphrase | Intermediate English
Examples of paraphrase, translations of paraphrase.
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Word of the Day
be on the side of the angels
to be doing something good or kind
Trial, judge, and jury: talking about what happens when a criminal is caught
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Example 6. Original: "Regular exercise is crucial for maintaining optimal physical health and preventing various health issues.". Paraphrased: "Exercising regularly is important for keeping your body healthy and avoiding health problems.". In these examples, you can observe the use of different wording, sentence structure, and synonyms ...
Paraphrasing Tool (Ad-Free and No Sign-up Required)
AI Paraphrasing Tool. Your words matter, and our paraphrasing tool is designed to ensure you use the right ones. With unlimited Custom modes and 9 predefined modes, Paraphraser lets you rephrase text countless ways. Our product will improve your fluency while also ensuring you have the appropriate vocabulary, tone, and style for any occasion.
Paraphrase: Definition and Examples
A paraphrase (pronounced par - uh -freyz) is a restatement or rewording of a paragraph or text, in order to borrow, clarify, or expand on information without plagiarizing. Paraphrasing is an important tool to use when writing research papers, essays, and pieces of journalism. II. Examples of Paraphrasing. For examples of paraphrasing ...
Guide to Literary Terms Paraphrase
Paraphrasing is often used to clarify complex concepts, summarize information, or provide a different perspective on the original text. Paraphrase comes from the Greek word paraphrazein , from ...
PARAPHRASE Definition & Meaning
Paraphrase definition: a restatement of a text or passage giving the meaning in another form, as for clearness; rewording.. See examples of PARAPHRASE used in a sentence.
How to paraphrase (including examples)
Paraphrasing is simple when you break it down into a series of steps. Here are the 6 steps you can use to paraphrase your sources: 1. Choose a reputable source. First, you need to pick a credible source to paraphrase. A credible source will likely have ideas and concepts that are worth repeating.
Paraphrasing: What is Paraphrasing, Techniques and Examples
Paraphrasing requires you to change the passages in your own words, which may help refurbish your writing skills. Rewriting or paraphrasing is essential in writing essays or research papers. Paraphrasing allows you to express ideas or information with a fresh set of words to make the same thing sound more interesting or even simpler.
How to Paraphrase
Paraphrasing means putting someone else's ideas into your own words. Paraphrasing a source involves changing the wording while preserving the original meaning. Paraphrasing is an alternative to quoting (copying someone's exact words and putting them in quotation marks ). In academic writing, it's usually better to integrate sources by ...
Paraphrase Definition, Meaning, Conventions
Paraphrase refers to the act of rephrasing a specific part of someone's spoken or written words, especially in a way that might be shorter or simpler, while ensuring the original meaning remains intact. Paraphrase involves more than just changing individual words with synonyms, altering sentence structure, or reordering sentences. It requires ...
Free AI Paraphrasing Tool
Ahrefs' Paraphrasing Tool uses a language model that learns patterns, grammar, and vocabulary from large amounts of text data - then uses that knowledge to generate human-like text based on a given prompt or input. The generated text combines both the model's learned information and its understanding of the input.
Paraphrasing Definition & Meaning
The meaning of PARAPHRASE is a restatement of a text, passage, or work giving the meaning in another form. How to use paraphrase in a sentence. Did you know? ... Share the Definition of paraphrase on Twitter Twitter. Kids Definition. paraphrase. 1 of 2 noun. para· phrase ˈpar-ə-ˌfrāz
Paraphrase Theatre
Paraphrase Theatre is the result of Jonathan Swenson's life-long quest to combine his Christian faith with his love of drama and the arts. Through innovative drama, teaching, preaching and group interaction, Jonathan strives to share Biblical stories and truth in fresh and relevant ways. Jonathan is available to come to your church, theater ...
THEATER FRESHMAN Flashcards
the last speech in an act or play, usually humorous or clever. Term. taking the stage. Definition. giving an actor the freedom to move over the entire stage area, usually during a lengthy speech. Term. up or upstage. Definition. the area of the stage away from the audience, toward the rear of the stage.
AI Paraphrasing Tool
What Is Paraphrasing? Paraphrasing is the art of rewriting text into other words. This includes using synonyms, restructuring phrases, and connecting ideas in different ways. A state-of-the-art paraphraser provides automatic and simple-to-use rephrasing of complete sentences.
Best Practices for Selecting a Translated Script: A ...
I have developed a process for educators and dramaturgs that outlines the best practices for selecting a translated text. Used in conjunction with standard dramaturgical research, these guidelines can help to make the translator's labor more visible and facilitate the translated script-selection process for the classroom and the stage.
Theatre
Theatre - Performance, Expression, Art: The art of the theatre is essentially one of make-believe, or mimesis. In this respect it differs from music, which seldom attempts to imitate "real" sounds—except in so-called program music, such as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, which suggests the sounds of a battle. In this respect the art of narrative in literature is much closer ...
Substitution (theatre)
Substitution (theatre) In acting, substitution is the understanding of elements in the life of one's character by comparing them to elements in one's own life. For example, if an actor is portraying a character who is being blackmailed, they could think back to some embarrassing or private fact about their own life, and mentally superimpose ...
Writing about Literature
Paraphrase resembles translation. Indeed, the paraphrase of Yeats is essentially a "translation" of poetry into prose, and the paraphrases of Austen and of Dillon are "translations" of one kind of prose (formal nineteenth-century British prose, the equally formal but quite different prose of a twentieth-century literary critic) into another kind (colloquial twentieth-century American prose).
Theater or Theatre—Which Spelling Should I Use?
Catherine Traffis. Grammar. Whether you use the spelling theatre or theater will depend on where you hail from. In American English, the spelling is theater; in Britain and the rest of the English-speaking world, theatre is used. The spelling you choose— theater vs. theatre —should align with your audience's preference.
PARAPHRASE
PARAPHRASE definition: 1. to repeat something written or spoken using different words, often in a humorous form or in a…. Learn more.
How to Paraphrase
Paraphrasing means putting someone else's ideas into your own words. Paraphrasing a source involves changing the wording while preserving the original meaning. Paraphrasing is an alternative to quoting (copying someone's exact words and putting them in quotation marks ). In academic writing, it's usually better to paraphrase instead of ...
PARAPHRASE
PARAPHRASE meaning: 1. to repeat something written or spoken using different words, often in a humorous form or in a…. Learn more.
1.2: Why Theatre?
Commercial Theatre is an example of professional theatre. In this case, the producers' goal when developing a commercial show is to make a profit. This doesn't mean that the quality of the purely artistic side of the production suffers, but it simply puts more emphasis on the economic side of the equation. Market research and marketing ...
COMMENTS
Example 6. Original: "Regular exercise is crucial for maintaining optimal physical health and preventing various health issues.". Paraphrased: "Exercising regularly is important for keeping your body healthy and avoiding health problems.". In these examples, you can observe the use of different wording, sentence structure, and synonyms ...
AI Paraphrasing Tool. Your words matter, and our paraphrasing tool is designed to ensure you use the right ones. With unlimited Custom modes and 9 predefined modes, Paraphraser lets you rephrase text countless ways. Our product will improve your fluency while also ensuring you have the appropriate vocabulary, tone, and style for any occasion.
A paraphrase (pronounced par - uh -freyz) is a restatement or rewording of a paragraph or text, in order to borrow, clarify, or expand on information without plagiarizing. Paraphrasing is an important tool to use when writing research papers, essays, and pieces of journalism. II. Examples of Paraphrasing. For examples of paraphrasing ...
Paraphrasing is often used to clarify complex concepts, summarize information, or provide a different perspective on the original text. Paraphrase comes from the Greek word paraphrazein , from ...
Paraphrase definition: a restatement of a text or passage giving the meaning in another form, as for clearness; rewording.. See examples of PARAPHRASE used in a sentence.
Paraphrasing is simple when you break it down into a series of steps. Here are the 6 steps you can use to paraphrase your sources: 1. Choose a reputable source. First, you need to pick a credible source to paraphrase. A credible source will likely have ideas and concepts that are worth repeating.
Paraphrasing requires you to change the passages in your own words, which may help refurbish your writing skills. Rewriting or paraphrasing is essential in writing essays or research papers. Paraphrasing allows you to express ideas or information with a fresh set of words to make the same thing sound more interesting or even simpler.
Paraphrasing means putting someone else's ideas into your own words. Paraphrasing a source involves changing the wording while preserving the original meaning. Paraphrasing is an alternative to quoting (copying someone's exact words and putting them in quotation marks ). In academic writing, it's usually better to integrate sources by ...
Paraphrase refers to the act of rephrasing a specific part of someone's spoken or written words, especially in a way that might be shorter or simpler, while ensuring the original meaning remains intact. Paraphrase involves more than just changing individual words with synonyms, altering sentence structure, or reordering sentences. It requires ...
Ahrefs' Paraphrasing Tool uses a language model that learns patterns, grammar, and vocabulary from large amounts of text data - then uses that knowledge to generate human-like text based on a given prompt or input. The generated text combines both the model's learned information and its understanding of the input.
The meaning of PARAPHRASE is a restatement of a text, passage, or work giving the meaning in another form. How to use paraphrase in a sentence. Did you know? ... Share the Definition of paraphrase on Twitter Twitter. Kids Definition. paraphrase. 1 of 2 noun. para· phrase ˈpar-ə-ˌfrāz
Paraphrase Theatre is the result of Jonathan Swenson's life-long quest to combine his Christian faith with his love of drama and the arts. Through innovative drama, teaching, preaching and group interaction, Jonathan strives to share Biblical stories and truth in fresh and relevant ways. Jonathan is available to come to your church, theater ...
the last speech in an act or play, usually humorous or clever. Term. taking the stage. Definition. giving an actor the freedom to move over the entire stage area, usually during a lengthy speech. Term. up or upstage. Definition. the area of the stage away from the audience, toward the rear of the stage.
What Is Paraphrasing? Paraphrasing is the art of rewriting text into other words. This includes using synonyms, restructuring phrases, and connecting ideas in different ways. A state-of-the-art paraphraser provides automatic and simple-to-use rephrasing of complete sentences.
I have developed a process for educators and dramaturgs that outlines the best practices for selecting a translated text. Used in conjunction with standard dramaturgical research, these guidelines can help to make the translator's labor more visible and facilitate the translated script-selection process for the classroom and the stage.
Theatre - Performance, Expression, Art: The art of the theatre is essentially one of make-believe, or mimesis. In this respect it differs from music, which seldom attempts to imitate "real" sounds—except in so-called program music, such as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, which suggests the sounds of a battle. In this respect the art of narrative in literature is much closer ...
Substitution (theatre) In acting, substitution is the understanding of elements in the life of one's character by comparing them to elements in one's own life. For example, if an actor is portraying a character who is being blackmailed, they could think back to some embarrassing or private fact about their own life, and mentally superimpose ...
Paraphrase resembles translation. Indeed, the paraphrase of Yeats is essentially a "translation" of poetry into prose, and the paraphrases of Austen and of Dillon are "translations" of one kind of prose (formal nineteenth-century British prose, the equally formal but quite different prose of a twentieth-century literary critic) into another kind (colloquial twentieth-century American prose).
Catherine Traffis. Grammar. Whether you use the spelling theatre or theater will depend on where you hail from. In American English, the spelling is theater; in Britain and the rest of the English-speaking world, theatre is used. The spelling you choose— theater vs. theatre —should align with your audience's preference.
PARAPHRASE definition: 1. to repeat something written or spoken using different words, often in a humorous form or in a…. Learn more.
Paraphrasing means putting someone else's ideas into your own words. Paraphrasing a source involves changing the wording while preserving the original meaning. Paraphrasing is an alternative to quoting (copying someone's exact words and putting them in quotation marks ). In academic writing, it's usually better to paraphrase instead of ...
PARAPHRASE meaning: 1. to repeat something written or spoken using different words, often in a humorous form or in a…. Learn more.
Commercial Theatre is an example of professional theatre. In this case, the producers' goal when developing a commercial show is to make a profit. This doesn't mean that the quality of the purely artistic side of the production suffers, but it simply puts more emphasis on the economic side of the equation. Market research and marketing ...