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Winding Down: Translated Children's Books
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From: Ginny Moore Kruse <gmkruse>
Date: Mon, 03 Apr 2000 12:10:10 -0500
To wind up our discussion of Translated Children's Books and the Year 2000 Batchelder Books, here's a comment from Arthur Levine (editor, Arthur A. Levine Books, Scholastic Press):
Arthur writes, "It's been a fascinating discussion, this Batchelder chat. It's only since I've been at Scholastic -- three and a half years -- that publishing a book in translation (other than a picture book) has even been possible... So it's been a tremendous learning experience. It takes such a long time to find reliable readers in each language and even longer to find translators. You have to get through so many layers (finding someone who (a) reads the language fluently and can interpret the influences of culture and language on the text,
(b) can distinguish between bad, mediocre, and outstanding writing and articulate that response, and (c) knows something about children's literature, let alone (d) knows anything about my list in particular!!)
"Of course just because something is difficult doesn't mean it shouldn't be done, and shouldn't be done with excellence in mind! Offering American children the voices of a broad spectrum of people and cultures within and without the United States has always been one of the things that motivates me passionately. So, here I am going off to do it, feeling a bit daunted, but excited too. I always find that having the "voice" of the CCBC community in my ear gives me fortification. So, thank you for that."
Thank you, Arthur, for those words, and thanks, as well, to each person who wrote a comment or provided information about translated books during the past couple of weeks. We have a hunch that the books brought to visibility through the Batchelder Award process this year are books not achieving high visibility throughout the U.S. publishing year of 1999. That leads us to wonder if each was reviewed for all it might offer, rather than what it isn't. For example, what might possibly keep any reader of book reviews from wanting to locate and read "Asphalt Angels" published through great effort by Front St. Books? How many books are there about street kids living by their wits and a bit of luck - or dying for lack of same? Very few, and we heard about one during our discussion.
It's so important for adults interested in books and reading to pay attention to new translated books of substantial length on behalf of the young readers in this country who might otherwise not find these few books on their own. We hope this discussion has provided fortification for you, too, as you think about which new books to notice, read, and recommend to others.
Ginny Moore Kruse (gmkruse at ccbc.education.wisc.edu) A Library of the School of Education, UW-Madison
Received on Mon 03 Apr 2000 12:10:10 PM CDT
Date: Mon, 03 Apr 2000 12:10:10 -0500
To wind up our discussion of Translated Children's Books and the Year 2000 Batchelder Books, here's a comment from Arthur Levine (editor, Arthur A. Levine Books, Scholastic Press):
Arthur writes, "It's been a fascinating discussion, this Batchelder chat. It's only since I've been at Scholastic -- three and a half years -- that publishing a book in translation (other than a picture book) has even been possible... So it's been a tremendous learning experience. It takes such a long time to find reliable readers in each language and even longer to find translators. You have to get through so many layers (finding someone who (a) reads the language fluently and can interpret the influences of culture and language on the text,
(b) can distinguish between bad, mediocre, and outstanding writing and articulate that response, and (c) knows something about children's literature, let alone (d) knows anything about my list in particular!!)
"Of course just because something is difficult doesn't mean it shouldn't be done, and shouldn't be done with excellence in mind! Offering American children the voices of a broad spectrum of people and cultures within and without the United States has always been one of the things that motivates me passionately. So, here I am going off to do it, feeling a bit daunted, but excited too. I always find that having the "voice" of the CCBC community in my ear gives me fortification. So, thank you for that."
Thank you, Arthur, for those words, and thanks, as well, to each person who wrote a comment or provided information about translated books during the past couple of weeks. We have a hunch that the books brought to visibility through the Batchelder Award process this year are books not achieving high visibility throughout the U.S. publishing year of 1999. That leads us to wonder if each was reviewed for all it might offer, rather than what it isn't. For example, what might possibly keep any reader of book reviews from wanting to locate and read "Asphalt Angels" published through great effort by Front St. Books? How many books are there about street kids living by their wits and a bit of luck - or dying for lack of same? Very few, and we heard about one during our discussion.
It's so important for adults interested in books and reading to pay attention to new translated books of substantial length on behalf of the young readers in this country who might otherwise not find these few books on their own. We hope this discussion has provided fortification for you, too, as you think about which new books to notice, read, and recommend to others.
Ginny Moore Kruse (gmkruse at ccbc.education.wisc.edu) A Library of the School of Education, UW-Madison
Received on Mon 03 Apr 2000 12:10:10 PM CDT
