International Journal of Language & Linguistics

Translating Shakespeare’s As You Like It to Modern English: Challenges and Rewards
Gül Kurtuluş

Abstract
Shakespeare’s popularity and authenticity throughout centuries in different nations and countries is evident. As the lapse of time between the audience and Shakespeare’s plays widens there appears various problems in terms of translation of his plays. Shakespeare’s plays are translated into different languages many times. Use of language in his plays is not only problematic for the foreign speakers but also native speakers may find comprehending the meaning that Shakespeare intends to give difficult in. As You Like It, a romantic pastoral comedy is a challenging play in terms of translation. This paper aims to analyze As You Like It in translation form and scrutinize contributions of the new translated versions of the text. Older versions of As you Like It and the new editions of Folger Shakespeare Library’s As You Like It will be considered to highlight differences in Shakespeare’s language. The article examines challenges and possibilities that the translator faces in trnaslating As You Like It and intends to offer suggestions about the points to be closely considered for attaining more accurate translations of the play’s text.

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