60 Seconds With... Professor Geraldine Brodie

Professor Geraldine Brodie Inaugural Lecture

Tell us a little about your research…

I’ve been involved in theatre since joining the Birmingham Rep youth group as a teenager, but it was an essay prompt during my MA in Comparative Literature at UCL that encouraged me to develop my interest in languages and translation from a performance perspective. I’m particularly interested in the hidden ‘literal translation’, a specialist theatre translation that is commissioned as a basis for a dramatist to create a performance text in English. There are contested views about why and whether these texts should exist – but they do, and I’d like to know more about their function and what it tells us about the culture of theatre-making.

Why is your research important?

It seems very important to me that the expertise of translators should be more widely acknowledged and respected. And consequently, that translation in theatre (and everywhere else) should be centre stage; not just because of what it stands for about the essential nature of communication between and within communities, but also for what it reveals about our collective desire to connect as human beings.

What inspires you in your work?

The ability to connect my research to the everyday. Translation is everywhere: not just theatre and literature, but also news reports, advertising, restaurant menus – and especially overheard conversations. I love being taken by surprise by an unexpected translation event and then making a note to pass on to my students.

What has been your most memorable career moment so far?

When I was researching my first book, Rufus Norris invited me to lunch in the Green Room at the National Theatre (where he is currently the Artistic Director). Co-incidentally, it was my birthday! I am still sufficiently star-struck to be excited by lifting the curtain on the magic behind theatre.

What passions/hobbies do you have outside of work?

In addition to theatre, I love all kinds of live performance, whether it is performance art, ballet, music or opera. I was a trustee of the Barbican Arts Centre for a few years, which was a wonderful opportunity to be part of all kinds of artistic activity.

What book is currently on your bedside table?

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou

Photo credit: Amsterdam by Maya Arad Yasur, translated from Hebrew by Eran Edry. Translation commissioned by Actors Touring Company. Produced by Actors Touring Company and Orange Tree Theatre for national touring, 2019-20. Directed by Matthew Xia. In the photo: Fiston Barek and Michal Horowicz. Photographer: Helen Murray. Time Out Best Online Theatre 2020.