Translating ''Kinky Boots''

Abstract

This thesis strives to translate five songs from the Broadway musical Kinky Boots into Dutch, as if they would be performed on stage. The first chapter explores the literature that has been written on translating song lyrics, and more specifically musical theater. This forms the theoretical basis for the translations, and emphasizes on Peter Low’s pentathlon approach for translating songs. The second chapter provides an analysis of the songs that were selected, based on Christiane Nord’s four translation problem categories. The third to seventh chapters are the individual translations of the songs: each prefaced by a short introduction outlining the exact content and context of the song, and discussing some text-specific problems. Sheet music for the translated songs is attached.