The trans-regeneration of Geordie into Albanian. A case study

In this article, we will introduce the concept of trans-regeneration: the way in which a traditional discourse (in this case a folk ballad) may be manifested as different texts as the story that it contains is told and retold both over time and over space. Our aim is to illustrate this process with the example of a well-known English-language ballad Geordie (of uncertain origins), and how, in its lifespan, it has undergone numerous changes in content both in the various English and non-English versions as it has been appropriated and performed by artists in many other languages. We will argue that, because of its distinct nature, it is useful to describe such a process with a distinct term, trans-regeneration, which differently to terms like transcreation, takes into account the important artistic considerations underlying the choices made by the various rewriters and performers. Finally, we will describe a case study where Albanian-speaking students participated in a workshop analysing the various trans-regenerations of Geordie based on Christiansen (2022) and were invited to produce their own version in Albanian, thereby becoming themselves not just spectators but also actors in this process.