Children and children’s literature translation

Outline Children and children’s literature Children and translation of children’s literature Children’s choice— Flexibility in translating children’s literature Conclusion

1. Children and children’s literature Literature is traditionally described as the body of writing that exists because of inherent imaginative and artistic qualities. Readers pursue enjoyment and understanding of life from literature

“Children are not little adults “Children are not little adults. They are different from adults in experience, but not in species, or to put it differently, in degree but not in kind” (Lukens 1986,8-9). Literature for children can and should provide the same enjoyment and understanding as literature does for adults.

Children are different from adults in experience, so the expression of ideas must be simpler—both in language and in form. simplicity in the expression of ideas and short attention span. Stories are more directly told, with fewer digressions and more obvious relationships between characters and actions, or between characters themselves.

There are varieties in children’s literature, but they do have two things in common. They are short, simple, often didactic in intention, and clearly positive in their outlook on life—optimistic, with happy endings. The apparent simplicity contains depths, “often surprisingly pessimistic qualifications of the apparent optimism, dangerously and delightfully counterproductive possibilities that oppose and undermine the apparent messages”( Nidelman, 2000).

2. Children and translation of children’s literature The role of a translator is like that of a message conveyer who hands over the message from the author to the child. Children are limited in the life experience and knowledge, but they have their own way of comprehending the world.

The translator has to assist his readers by making his version a little more accessible. the language used in the translation of children’s books should be simple, smooth, natural, beautiful and standard. being faithful to the meaning of the original.

Big and ornate words and sentences that are beyond children’s understanding will only kill their reading interests.

Translation study of the children’s literature may show more concern about readers’ response. Accomplishing the effect of “equivalence” plays particularly significant role in the translation for children.

Nida advocates dynamic equivalence, which is directed towards the receptor/ reader response by way of reproducing the closest natural equivalence of the source language message (Nida, 2001). Peter Newmark says “the overriding purpose of any translation should be to achieve ‘equivalent effect’, i.e. to produce the same effect (or one as close as possible) on the readership of the translation as was obtained on the readership of the original”. Mona Baker concludes that “equivalence can usually be obtained to some extent, … and is therefore always relative”( Baker: 1992; 2000: 6-7).

3. Children’s choice— Flexibility in translating children’s literature 3.1 Analysis at Lexical levels 3.2 Analysis at Syntactical level 3.3 Transferring of the linguistic particularity of source language 3.4 Transplanting of cultural difference

3.1 Analysis at Lexical levels 1. If they had lost their only son, there would be no use in saying anything more about this matter. 要是他们已经失掉了他们的独生子， 那还用得着我来多讲。(1077页)[1] 2 They never hit me, of course; we swallows fly far too well for that, and besides, I come of a family for its agility;… 不消说他们是打不中的；我们燕子飞得极快， 不会给他们打中，而且我还是出身于一个以敏捷出名的家庭， 更是不用害怕。(1029页) [1]注明页码的译文选自《巴金译文选集》以下同

Translating for children, and “keep the reader in mind” means translating versions should keep the special flavor of “childlike”. 3. His courtiers, … had retired to the Great Hall of the Palace, to receive a few last lessons from the Professor of Etiquette; there being some of them who had still quite natural manners, which in a courtier is, I need hardly say, a very grave offence. 他的朝臣们, 退出去，到宫内大殿中，向礼仪老师再学几遍宫廷礼节；因为他们中间有几位还不谙熟朝礼，朝臣不熟悉朝礼，不用说，这是大不敬的事。（1087页）

4 “If you want to give pleasure to others”, cried the Roman Candle, “you had better keep yourself dry.” “要是你想使别人快乐，你最好不要流眼泪弄湿你的身子，”罗马花筒大声说。（1076页）

3.2 Analysis at Syntactical level The translators shall help the young readers entangle the knots and enjoy the same pleasure and beauty from the works as the native readers do. The translator should use sentence patterns that are familiar to children instead of the sentences with long and awkward Europeanized sentences.

5. and he looked sternly across the table at his little son, who felt so ashamed of himself that he hung his head down, and grew quite scarlet, and began to cry into his tea. However, he was so young that you must excuse him. 他用严厉的眼光望着坐在桌子那面的小儿子，那个孩子十分不好意思，埋下头，满脸通红，眼泪偷偷地掉到他的茶杯里去了。然而，他年纪还这么小，你们得原谅他啊。（1058页）

6. … (1) and he actually burst into real tears, (2) which flowed down his stick like raindrops, (3) and nearly drowned two little beetles, (4) who were just think of setting up house together, (5) and were looking for a nice spot to live in. (1) 他真的流出了眼泪来，(2) 泪水象雨点似地流下他的棍子，(4) 两个小甲虫正打算一块儿安家，(5) 要找一块干燥的地方住进去，(3) 差一点被这泪水淹死了。（1078页）

7. His mother had whipped him for drinking some cream which he had never tasted and knew nothing about it; it was plain that she was tired of him and wished him to go; if she felt that way, there was nothing for him to do but to succumb. (Adventures of Tom Sawyer. ) 他的妈妈怪他吃了奶油，还揍了他一顿，其实他根本没有吃，对奶油的事儿一无所知；她分明是在讨厌他，希望他走得远远的。既然她有那个念头，他也没有办法，只有认了。 (严维明)

3.3 Transferring of the linguistic particularity of source language 8. “The newspapers wrote about his performance in very flattering terms. Indeed, the Court Gazette called him a triumph of pylotechnic art”. “Pyrotechnic, pyrotechnic, you mean,” said a Bengal Light; “I know it is Pyrotechnic for I saw it written on my own canister.” “Well, I said Pyrotechnic,” answered the Rocket, in a severe tone of voice, … “……报纸上用了非常恭维的字句记载他的表演，的确《宫报》上称他为化炮术的一大成功。” “花炮，你是说花炮吧”，旁边一个蓝色烟火说：“我知道是花炮，因为我看见我自己的匣子写得有这样的字。” “唔，我说‘化炮’，”火箭用了庄严的声调说，……（1074页）

If the features of source language are too strong, we have to sacrifice the form or even semantic equivalence to achieve the similar effect or responses from young readers’ aspects.

9. “Did you say pig, or fig?” said the cat. “I said pig,” replied Alice… (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland ) 那猫问道， “你刚才说猪还是书？” 阿丽思道，“我说的是猪。”…… (赵元任）

3.4 Transplanting of cultural difference Young readers usually are short in foreign cultural knowledge, so their understanding of the literature may be affected by some cultural barriers. Traditionally, from cultural perspective, translation methods can be broadly classified into three categories: (1) domesticating approach, (2) foreignizing approach and (3) compromising approach.

11. and the Cracker nearly exploded with laughter. 炮仗差不多要笑破肚皮了。 10. And the marvelous rose became crimson, like the rose of the eastern sky. 这朵奇异的蔷薇变成了深红色，就像东方天空的朝霞。 （1045页） 11. and the Cracker nearly exploded with laughter. 炮仗差不多要笑破肚皮了。

If the specific culture element has been rooted in the deep structure of the source language, and it forms the basis of the contexts, the cultural barrier becomes untranslatable to the whole text. In such circumstance, transplanting of the cultural difference becomes impossible without adding some necessary notes to explain.

12. “Encyclopedia realized that Molly Haggerty knew too much about Mr 12. “Encyclopedia realized that Molly Haggerty knew too much about Mr. Mackey to be just a maid. She knew he went out at night and slept during the day! Seeing Mr. Mackey in his pajamas and slippers at eight o’clock in the morning, a maid would have brought him cereal, fruit and toast—that is breakfast. But Molly Haggerty had brought a light supper!”

4. Conclusion The flexibility should maintain the coherence and consistency of the context. The flexibility should keep the similar stylistic features of the source text. It should maintain the humorous effect and beauty of the original text to the greatest extent after conversion. Flexibility in translation should not be constrained by the features of the original language in the phonetic, lexical and sentence structural level. If no equivalence in form can be obtained, the emphasis should fall on the effect that translated version has achieved to the target readers. To those heavy culture-loaded texts, some explanation in the form of footnote or annotation is necessary.

Thank you