Canadian musique: English to French translation in contemporary Canadian music

Abstract

This thesis examines translation in English Canadian music of the late 20th/early 21st century and the challenges unique to song translation. It first explores this increasingly apparent trend in the light of Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) regulations, and then studies the history and background of Canadian music. It then looks at song translation as a form of poetry translation, to study the challenges faced in the process and the solutions found, focussing specifically on the translation of various poetic devices used in the corpus. Further, it examines the intentions that generate these translations and seeks to analyze the finished products in the light of these motivations. Do musical groups translate their work in order to expand their horizons and explore another culture, or do they do so primarily to expand the fan base and generate more revenue? And what methods are used to deal with all the inherent restrictions of song translation? What does the finished product tell the listener about the intention of the translation?