Translating Children's Literature

Translating children's literature is a very specific field and it's translators are facing many challenges that are not present in adult books translations. However, existing literature on translation attends to the specifics of this subject only marginally. This work attempts to differentiate translating children's literature as a specific area, similar to technical or scientific translations. The theoretical part deals with children's literature as such, its typical features and development; it also presents general translation theory with specific methods and procedures. Afterwards it explores the area of translating children's literature itself, attempting to define specific challenges and to suggest appropriate strategies. The practical part contains the original English text and my Czech translation of two chapters of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald. The third part, analysis, presents the strategies used, as well as specific translation procedures demonstrated on practical examples. The book is intended not only for the translators of children's literature, but also for the theorists of translation.