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Re(2): [CCBC-Net] Translation
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From: Monica R. Edinger <edinger>
Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 12:41:12 +0100
Recently on Child_lit I started a thread about those books we felt we should have read, but hadn't . The thread morphed into various directions, among them some mulling over the differences in the way we read certain books as adults versus how we read them as children. How, for example, several of us adored The Water Babies as children, completely ignoring any of the preachy stuff therein.
I think of this as we discuss translation because clearly one of the most difficult aspects of translation for American children is to do what is needed to help them not be bogged down by any cultural differences. That is I suspect very tough. Think for example, the tensions experienced by Arthur Levine as he decided whether to use jumper or sweater in the American editions of Harry Potter. I noticed it when children I know read and enjoyed Philip Pullman's The Amber Spyglass completely oblivious and disinterested in the heavy theological stuff.
Kids read in many ways. The trick with translated books, I suppose, is to be able to figure how much cultural difference they can absorb without becoming confused or frustrated. They can often just skip over stuff
(witness my reading of The Water Babies as a child which I can't stomach today or my nephew's lack of interest in religion in Pullman.)
Ideally, we want our children to be able to enjoy and appreciate all cultures and not be stopped cold by something in a book that is terribly unfamiliar to them. Or ideally there will be an adult around to answer questions. However, most children are not reading this way at all and therein is the problem. I have no idea what the answer is because I do know that I'm continually
"translating" for my students. Not only books translated from other languages (such as Secret Letters from 1 to 10 which I read to my class a few months ago), but books written in the US about places and people unfamiliar to them, and books written long ago (e.g Alice in Wonderland).
I suspect publishers are more likely to cut, change and Americanize a book rather than leave it alone and risk that it not sell because the adults who buy decide the kids will find it too different.
I think Rukhsana's of the word patience is right on target. We Americans are not a patient people and do tend to think the world revolves around us. We assume that anything unfamiliar is going to be made clear to us; why should we have to do any work to figure it out?
Monica Edinger The Dalton School New York NY edinger at dalton.org monicaedinger at yahoo.com
Received on Sat 31 Mar 2001 05:41:12 AM CST
Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 12:41:12 +0100
Recently on Child_lit I started a thread about those books we felt we should have read, but hadn't . The thread morphed into various directions, among them some mulling over the differences in the way we read certain books as adults versus how we read them as children. How, for example, several of us adored The Water Babies as children, completely ignoring any of the preachy stuff therein.
I think of this as we discuss translation because clearly one of the most difficult aspects of translation for American children is to do what is needed to help them not be bogged down by any cultural differences. That is I suspect very tough. Think for example, the tensions experienced by Arthur Levine as he decided whether to use jumper or sweater in the American editions of Harry Potter. I noticed it when children I know read and enjoyed Philip Pullman's The Amber Spyglass completely oblivious and disinterested in the heavy theological stuff.
Kids read in many ways. The trick with translated books, I suppose, is to be able to figure how much cultural difference they can absorb without becoming confused or frustrated. They can often just skip over stuff
(witness my reading of The Water Babies as a child which I can't stomach today or my nephew's lack of interest in religion in Pullman.)
Ideally, we want our children to be able to enjoy and appreciate all cultures and not be stopped cold by something in a book that is terribly unfamiliar to them. Or ideally there will be an adult around to answer questions. However, most children are not reading this way at all and therein is the problem. I have no idea what the answer is because I do know that I'm continually
"translating" for my students. Not only books translated from other languages (such as Secret Letters from 1 to 10 which I read to my class a few months ago), but books written in the US about places and people unfamiliar to them, and books written long ago (e.g Alice in Wonderland).
I suspect publishers are more likely to cut, change and Americanize a book rather than leave it alone and risk that it not sell because the adults who buy decide the kids will find it too different.
I think Rukhsana's of the word patience is right on target. We Americans are not a patient people and do tend to think the world revolves around us. We assume that anything unfamiliar is going to be made clear to us; why should we have to do any work to figure it out?
Monica Edinger The Dalton School New York NY edinger at dalton.org monicaedinger at yahoo.com
Received on Sat 31 Mar 2001 05:41:12 AM CST
