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Susie Morgenstern; translations
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From: Susan Stan <stan1sm>
Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2004 11:51:57 -0500
Barbara Tobin related some of the experiences she has had reading Batchelder books with her university students. I can chime in here too. While I think it's true that a book like Secret Letters is particularly accessible to American readers, my university students have noticed elements beyond the superficial that cause us to wonder if they represent differences between French and American cultures. One that stands out is the way Ernest is treated--he's such an oddball, and yet the other children accept him without question--there's no bullying or teasing going on. Of course, the whole story is kind of far out, but still it makes us notice the extent of peer pressure in American classrooms. There are also some frank references in passing we don't find in American books for younger readers--something about the teacher's breasts, I think--that immediately stand out as red flags for my preservice teachers. We chalk this up to cultural differences concerning attitudes to bodies and bodily functions. I notice, too, that both families have housekeepers--this may just be a function of these two specific families, but I do know, based on my experiences with a few French friends in New York some years ago, that having daily help when raising children was almost a given.
On the subject of translation, one problem that has arisen in some years is that the translation was not commissioned by the American publisher but came via a publisher in another English-speaking country. The rule stipulates that the first appearance of the book in English must occur in the year for which books are being considered. That is, the book can have been published in English in Australia, for instance, and the US simultaneously, but it can't have appeared in Australia the previous year. I see the intent of that criterion as reinforcing Batchelder's motive for the award--to encourage American publishers to take a risk on translations. But it doesn't really serve that purpose, as, in my example, it is really the Australian publisher that took the risk of translation. That rule hamstrings award committees, making excellent international books ineligible for the award, and they die sooner rather than later. That might be one change to make.
Susan Stan susan.stan at cmich.edu
Received on Sun 28 Mar 2004 10:51:57 AM CST
Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2004 11:51:57 -0500
Barbara Tobin related some of the experiences she has had reading Batchelder books with her university students. I can chime in here too. While I think it's true that a book like Secret Letters is particularly accessible to American readers, my university students have noticed elements beyond the superficial that cause us to wonder if they represent differences between French and American cultures. One that stands out is the way Ernest is treated--he's such an oddball, and yet the other children accept him without question--there's no bullying or teasing going on. Of course, the whole story is kind of far out, but still it makes us notice the extent of peer pressure in American classrooms. There are also some frank references in passing we don't find in American books for younger readers--something about the teacher's breasts, I think--that immediately stand out as red flags for my preservice teachers. We chalk this up to cultural differences concerning attitudes to bodies and bodily functions. I notice, too, that both families have housekeepers--this may just be a function of these two specific families, but I do know, based on my experiences with a few French friends in New York some years ago, that having daily help when raising children was almost a given.
On the subject of translation, one problem that has arisen in some years is that the translation was not commissioned by the American publisher but came via a publisher in another English-speaking country. The rule stipulates that the first appearance of the book in English must occur in the year for which books are being considered. That is, the book can have been published in English in Australia, for instance, and the US simultaneously, but it can't have appeared in Australia the previous year. I see the intent of that criterion as reinforcing Batchelder's motive for the award--to encourage American publishers to take a risk on translations. But it doesn't really serve that purpose, as, in my example, it is really the Australian publisher that took the risk of translation. That rule hamstrings award committees, making excellent international books ineligible for the award, and they die sooner rather than later. That might be one change to make.
Susan Stan susan.stan at cmich.edu
Received on Sun 28 Mar 2004 10:51:57 AM CST
