1 H APPILY E VER A FTER : The Art of Translating Children’s Books Naturaleza Moore, M.A. * CHICATA * 25 April 2009
2 O VERVIEW Introduction Development Techniques Examples Discussion
3 O NCE UPON A TIME … Tales spread through oral interpretation. Then written versions appeared. Gradual rejection of realism. Followed by translations and re-interpretations. Perrault Brothers GrimmAndersen
4 T RANSLATION OF C HILDREN ’ S L ITERATURE Shavit’s “Poetics of Children’s Literature” (London, 1986) Subjective adjustments Translator’s influence is greater
5 R OLE OF THE TRANSLATOR Anonymous and invisible Define perception of childhood
6 A IDA M ARCUSE Born in Montevideo, Uruguay Educational market short stories and poems Translator of children’s books Gives lectures and workshops
7 E XAMPLE :
8 G LORIA F UERTES EL CAMELLO COJITO (AUTO DE LOS REYES MAGOS) El camello se pinchó Con un cardo en el camino Y el mecánico Melchor Le dio vino. Baltasar fue a repostar Más allá del quinto pino.... E intranquilo el gran Melchor Consultaba su "Longinos". -¡No llegamos, no llegamos y el Santo Parto ha venido! -son las doce y tres minutos y tres reyes se han perdido-. El camello cojeando Más medio muerto que vivo Va espeluchando su felpa Entre los troncos de olivos. Acercándose a Gaspar, Melchor le dijo al oído: -Vaya birria de camello que en Oriente te han vendido. A la entrada de Belén Al camello le dio hipo. ¡Ay, qué tristeza tan grande con su belfo y en su hipo! Se iba cayendo la mirra A lo largo del camino, Baltasar lleva los cofres, Melchor empujaba al bicho. Y a las tantas ya del alba -ya cantaban pajarillos- los tres reyes se quedaron boquiabiertos e indecisos, oyendo hablar como a un Hombre a un Niño recién nacido. -No quiero oro ni incienso ni esos tesoros tan fríos, quiero al camello, le quiero. Le quiero, repitió el Niño. A pie vuelven los tres reyes Cabizbajos y afligidos. Mientras el camello echado Le hace cosquillas al Niño.
9 R ECOGNITION : Presented biennially since 1996 Books translated into English, published in Britain Submissions continue to increase
10 R ESEARCH L IBRARIES Newberry Library Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature
11 Founded in 1953 (Zurich, Switzerland) Network committed to uniting children with books Promote international understanding Give children access to quality books Encourage distribution Provide training Promote scholarly work International Children’s Book Day: April 2 www.ibby.org
12 C ONCLUSION The field of translating children’s literature is ever-evolving and more necessary than ever. Translators interested in pursuing the challenge should not only strive to produce excellent translations, but also seek avenues to promote the translator as a vital participant who should not remain unknown.
13 I NTRODUCTORY B IBLIOGRAPHY General introduction and history: Hunt, Peter. An Introduction to Children’s Literature. OUP, 1994 -- Children’s Literature. Routledge, 1993 Nikolajeva, Maria. Children’s Literature Comes of Age. Garland, 1996 Reynolds, Kimberley. Children’s Literature. Northcote House, 1996 Zipes, Jack. Fairy Tales and the Art of Subversion. Wildman, 1983 Language and values: Bettelheim, Bruno. The Uses of Enchantment. Peregrine Books, 1978 Chapleau, Sebastien. New Voices in Children's Literature Criticism. Birmingham: Pied Piper Publishing, 2004 Knowles, Murray and Kirsten Malmkjaer. Language Control in Children’s Literature. Routledge, 1996 Ingles, Fred. The Promise of Happiness. Value and Meaning in Children’s Fiction. CUP, 1981 Zohar, Sahvit. Poetics of Children’s Literature. Univ. of Georgia press, 1986. Translation: Klingberg, Gote. Children’s Fiction in the Hands of Translators. CWK, 1986 Lathey, Gillian, ed. The Translation of Children's Literature, A Reader. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, 2006 Oittinen, Riitta. I am Me- I am Other. On the Dialogics of Translating for Children. Univ. of Tampere, 1993 Pedersen, Vigo. Essays on Translation. Nyd Nordisk, 1988 Van Coillie, Jan & Walter P. Verschueren, eds. Children’s Literature in Translation: Challenges and Strategies. Manchester: St. Jerome, 2006