I’ve been kicking around these forums mostly as a reader so far. Much obliged for the helpful tips and reviews. Now that I’m fixing to perform more often, I’m hoping yall might have some advice for my situation. Getting to the specifics, I’m an American working and living in Shanghai, China. I speak a pretty good Mandarin now, but still end up in a conversational tizzy from time to time.

I’m looking for some advice from people who perform in a non-native language themselves.

I don’t want to use a translator. I’ve found twice the talking makes even the most economical effects run slower than molasses going uphill. To avoid it I’m working with some native friends to study up on some scripting translations. I reckon my scripts may end up being some of my finer bits of Mandarin I’ll ever learn. But that would come at the cost of losing some of the back and forth improvisation I’d otherwise employ.

In the way something “funny/mysterious/awe inspiring or awful” isn’t universal when translated word for word, how do you go about your translating? I’m not shooting for a shortcut, just hoping there might be some tips to the process beyond bombing and constant rewrites. Not opposed to that approach, but I’d like to make the material enjoyable even for those subjected to my early attempts.

Thanks in advance,

Jonathan

I live and work in Spain and regularly have an audience of English, German, Spanish and Russians. I have to make evrything very visual and self explanatory. I speak Spanish and get by in German but you cant say everything three times, it wouldjust slow things down too much.
I tend to just speak to any helpers in their own language but even then if I have a Spaniard and a German up helping its still too slow so I just go for a very visual approach. Its a shame because there are many excellent routines that I cant do in these situations.

One thing you could do is to do a STEM script, a script with mutiple outs. If you don't feel to confortable Jazzing, the best thing is stick to the plan, GEORGE is right, is language is the issue, try being more visual.

I have played a few shows in Russia, and although I can speak enough of the language to understand, and to be understood - I always perform more "Mental Magic" in these shows than I ever would back home. This can cut down on the language barrier that can become really testing for you and your audience, particularly if the effects that you are performing require a lot of dialogue.
Try and learn some colloquial terms, this should also aid you.

In the end, there are no short cuts to this dilemma, other than to immerse yourself in the language and become proficient at same. This is what I would do if I was playing a lot of shows in a non - English speaking country.

Thank you kindly for sharing your experiences regarding an issue that is still (apologies in advance) foreign to me. I’ve spent the last week rummaging through my brain for routines to adapt and make more visual and landed on a few candidates. Focusing on visual results sure does sound like a good idea, and I reckon paring down the scripts to their essentials will make each effect a darn sight better than their previous presentations.

While I have your attention, do you take the same approach when performing for an audience of people, some of who speak the same language as yourself, but where the majority does not? While dangerously close to falling down the rabbit hole of hypotheticals, would your answer change if it were a 50-50 split? How about less than half non-native speakers? If I take your notion, visual mentalism will work in all three circumstances. My reservation is that I’ll miss an opportunity to enhance the effect for some spectators in the pursuit of communicating to all.

Grind up that last paragraph into one sentence and I come up with this: "When is it “ok” to make something special for one person at the cost of potential boredom to others?"

Much obliged,
Jonathan

Would you explain what a STEM script is, please? It sounds interesting.