The concept of translation as mere interlingual transcoding still exists in the minds of many who work with language, and it is also kept alive in the practice of dubbing and subtitling, where the translator merely provides raw material which is then processed by the artists producing the film. This essay shows that where multiple codes are involved, as in the transfer from narrative prose to stage and screen, more is gained by a holistic concept of literary translation as multimedial communication. The first example (from page to stage) is the musical Les Misérables as based on the novel by Victor Hugo, whereby interviews are quoted with Herbert Kretzmer, author of the English version, and Heinz Rudolf Kunze, who as author of the German version, was entirely integrated into the team of the Vienna production. The second example (from page to screen) is Emma Thompson’s film version of Sense and Sensibility.