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Fw: Batchelder Award
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From: Marian Creamer <mlcreamer>
Date: Sun, 20 Mar 2005 21:46:04 -0800
As a member of the 2005 Batchelder Committee and an inveterate ccbc lurker, I have taken great delight in following the most recent discussion of Shadows of Ghadames, Crow Girl, and Daniel Half Human and the Good Nazi
This year's Batchelder Committee was fortunate in that we had more translated books to consider than previous committees, yet too few foreign titles are translated and published in the U.S. I presume that in part, the reluctance stems from a reliance on others to determine the quality of the original text and the ability of the translator to preserve the story and create a seamless translation. Publishing foreign titles is risky business but critical in these times. Where else do children have the opportunity to learn and appreciate the role of the female in Libyan society? How can we convey the unique Danish folkloric tradition? When would American readers have the opportunity to read a story written by a German about a period in history when the characters could not define their friendship nor predictably resolve their problems in black and white terms?
I commend publishers and editors who have taken the risk to publish foreign stories, and enlisted talented translators to bring some of the best foreign works to our young American readers. Thanks to those publishers we address homophobia and provide our children with a lens to view the world more closely and accurately.
Finally, I wonder why so few books are translated from Spanish. This being a significant language and culture in the U.S. it seems odd that we translate primarily American titles into Spanish, overlooking the culture and heritage of a significant minority.
Marian Creamer Children's Literature Alive! 11657 S.W. Breyman Avenue Portland, Oregon 97219
Received on Sun 20 Mar 2005 11:46:04 PM CST
Date: Sun, 20 Mar 2005 21:46:04 -0800
As a member of the 2005 Batchelder Committee and an inveterate ccbc lurker, I have taken great delight in following the most recent discussion of Shadows of Ghadames, Crow Girl, and Daniel Half Human and the Good Nazi
This year's Batchelder Committee was fortunate in that we had more translated books to consider than previous committees, yet too few foreign titles are translated and published in the U.S. I presume that in part, the reluctance stems from a reliance on others to determine the quality of the original text and the ability of the translator to preserve the story and create a seamless translation. Publishing foreign titles is risky business but critical in these times. Where else do children have the opportunity to learn and appreciate the role of the female in Libyan society? How can we convey the unique Danish folkloric tradition? When would American readers have the opportunity to read a story written by a German about a period in history when the characters could not define their friendship nor predictably resolve their problems in black and white terms?
I commend publishers and editors who have taken the risk to publish foreign stories, and enlisted talented translators to bring some of the best foreign works to our young American readers. Thanks to those publishers we address homophobia and provide our children with a lens to view the world more closely and accurately.
Finally, I wonder why so few books are translated from Spanish. This being a significant language and culture in the U.S. it seems odd that we translate primarily American titles into Spanish, overlooking the culture and heritage of a significant minority.
Marian Creamer Children's Literature Alive! 11657 S.W. Breyman Avenue Portland, Oregon 97219
Received on Sun 20 Mar 2005 11:46:04 PM CST
