Do Surtitles of Traditional Okinawan Theatre Contribute to the Language Revitalization on Okinawa in General?;－Based Upon the Traditional Okinawan theatre Production in Hawaii and National Theatre Okinawa
Shoko Yonaha
On October 27th 2013, all female Okinawan theatre company ‘Unai’ had a chance to perform at Hawaii Okinawa Center. They performed traditional Okinawan comedy ‘Teijo-gwa’ and Ryukyuan Opera (Kageki) ‘Nachijin Nundunchi’ along with three Ryukyu dances and Ryukyu folk music. For two plays’ performance, English subtitles were prepared. Most of the audiences were Okinawan Americans from the first to the fifth generations. The production in Okinawan languages (mainly spoken in Shuri-Naha languages) was successful, and the part of reasons was because Unai prepared surtitles. This was clearly found out through the survey I made. Among 171 surveys, many appreciated the surtitles, and this experience made me pay attention to the issue of Surtitles. Usually subtitle or captions are familiar on screen production, but surtitles are named especially for the stage subtitles. So I’ll use surtitles in this paper.
Necessity of surtitles: in the oversea and mainland Japan’s production.
The theatre troupe‘Unai’ which has been performing mainly Okinawa shibai (play) and Ryukyu dances since 2004 was founded after the legendary all female Okinawan theatre company OTOHIME Gekidan which lasted for 52 years frome1949 to 2001. In 2012, the troupe had performed in Taiwan and Osaka with surtitles of Chinese in Taiwan and Japanese in Osaka. Upon this experiences, the leader Rituko Nakasone decided to make English surtitles in Hawaii, too, even if it was estimated that many elder Okinawan Hawaiians can understand Okinawan languages.
The results were as I pointed out above; many audiences in those three different places appreciated the surtitles. It was simply, first, Taiwanese could understand the meaning of the stage drama performed in Okinawa languages, and likewise, those in Osaka, mainly Okinawan Japanese who’ve lived there since the first generation to the present, understood through the surtitles. It was obvious for those Okinawan Japanese, Okinawan original languages were not easily understood since their mother tongue are Japanese, and the same things came out in Hawaii performance.
The audiences of Okinawan descendants have enjoyed the original songs and dialogues through the surtitles. Though my assumption was that they should have got used to listening to Ryukyu folks songs and seen Ryukyu dances, but still it was difficult for them to follow the sung dialogues and stories without surtitles.
To sum up, Audiences in Taiwan, Osaka, and Hawaii enjoyed the comedy and Ryukyu opera with surtitles.
According to Gottlieb Henrik, subtitles is defined as ‘the rendering in a different language of verbal messages in filmic media, in the shape of one or more lines of written text presented on the screen in sync with the original written message’,[1] and it’s commonly appreciated by Okinawans, too. For many film goers, rental DVD lovers, and the Internet users, subtitles are very popular as well as dubbing versions. However most of them are Japanese subtitles and original English languages like TED, and it’s rare to access Okinawan language subtitles on the screen. However, it was familiar with us to see Japanese subtitles on the Okinawa shibai production on the air by HNK ‘Okinawan songs and dances’ programs. Occasionally NHK Okinawa has televised Okinawan traditional performing arts on TV, and Japanese subtitles are common for more than 40 years. To understand the real content of traditional Okinawan performing arts, NHK was the front runner to subtitle them not only to the majority of Japanese but to Okinawans whose comprehension of their own native languages are getting lower.
Because of that when the national theatre Okinawa which opened in 2004 made surtitles of Japanese on their production, it was welcomed by the theatre lover Okinawans who got less comprehension of the classic performances, so did some guest Japanese.
Surtitles of Kumi-wudui and Okinawa shibai at the National theatre Okinawa
According to Manabu Oshiro who was in charge of the research and project section at the national theatre Okinawa at the opening, it was properly accepted to set up the surtitles. “It is a sort of service for those who don’t understand classic Okinawan languages used in kumi-wudui,’”so he mentioned. Of course there were some who were against the surtitles, but Oshiro insisted how it is necessary for new audiences who visit Okinawa from various places to see Kumi-wudui. Majority of Japanese and young and middle generations in Okinawa are not used to seeing Kumi-wudui and Okinawa shibai. And the purpose of constructing the national theater was targeted to increase the number of tourists, as well as the preservation, revitalization, and recreation of traditional performing arts. The Asia- Pacific inter/cross cultural community interactions are also placed in the foundation of the national theatre. In this purpose, all the more, multi-linguistic surtitles will be required.
Conclusion
The main issue is whether or not the procedure of surtitles is beneficial for revitalization of Ryukyu/Okinawa languages. Certainly it’s necessary not only for those whom their native languages are not Okinawan but more than half Okinawan population who cannot understand and speak their native languages. The rate of Okinawan people who are alienated from their own ancestral languages is increasing since assimilation to Japan has somehow accomplished linguistically within 135 years. The UNESCO’s warning of endanger-ness of Ryukyu languages in 2009 appears to have enlightened Okinawans to revitalize their indigenous languages, but bilingual trend, both Japanese and Shuri-Naha languages in Okinawan traditional performing arts, would coexist in Okinawa.
Also, as Shinsho Aniya who succeeds Ryukyu kingdom’s Omoro (the oldest Ryukyu poems and its chanting) claims that the surtitles should be original Ryukyu/Okinawa languages, this could be alternative challenge for the national theatre. In the beginning, Japanese surtitles are necessary, and next step should be further commitment to the original dialogue in Kumi-wudui. Further, English surtitles are required for global standard, too.
I’ll discuss the details at the conference.
Shoko Yonaha:
A theatre critic and PhD candidate at the University of the Ryukyus. She is currently working on Grant in Aid for Science research about “Varied aspects or Juri (Yujo or courtesan) in Okinawa Cultural Representation”(2013-2016). She has written “Okinawan Drama: Its Ethnicity and identity under Assimilation to Japan” in Ethnicity and identity: Global performance (Rawat publication, Jaipur, 2005) and edited The Genealogy of Kumi-wudui-from Choken’s five masterpeices of Kumi-wudui to Ozkinawawn Shibai(Plays) and Jinruikan (The house of man) in 2012. She’s concerned of the preservation and revitalization of the native Ryukyu/Okinawa languages since it is crucial in Okinawan performing arts.≪2014．9≫
[1]. Delia Chiaro “ISSUES IN AUDIOVISUAL TRANSLATION” The Routledge Companion to Translation Studies, Routledge, p.148 , 2009
