IIDoff i .=+StLl )g Z Course Unit Code

l, i t le of Essay or Assignment: Research

First Marker: Dr Maeve Olohan

&Tit le: ELAN 60212 ResearchPro oosa I

Methods (Translat ion & Interpret ing Studies) I I

Please pass to 2nd Marker bVl.26/O3/20t0First Marker 's Comments (Please complete each sect ion):

1. Understanding of ToPic:

I L \ - . - l

l,rtur nl'--1 i A2oLv

o* /W, fr*f tr fL-- )*T,"d

2. Awareness and Application of Crit ical/Theoretical Ideasl"i;;p;; ;b"- /zo:^- ;;'-"^'^ '+

Y-r)'n --a'!'0..(A -lt€*,,t -t1"a: ct)a ; 't*''k*d fJ- w'ln

U rrr^^n,rJt ed .

fir:"- ).,i-3e c,' I*J

,oL fu-"\ f . f[. ou^ x,nu,-oJw,yu n- illk Jr )G />4L_

ap..4.{\,;^A N\ @VI +r- n--k^rc*at / o-

4. Style, Presentation and Documentation:

h v\--JV'v' 4, v-'-l'*"-t'a t'7-- 16

ffi, A,AT'.g^d\ , qhd Vire vc-'s't'

A,//u "^ -!^N uo'J..'r- A l^"Jo\

"-l- /t'c r,"^*1ft1 sJJd \'"-

Second Marker: Dr James St AndrdSecond Marker 's Comments (Please each section Please return to PG Office

1' Understanding of ToPic:! : t l l

. . r 1 ' ( . ;s ' t ' ' '1d\ / i ) 's \ {

t -<t t '

,u

2. Awareness and Application of Critical/Theoretical Ideas:

'6<' 6' l : D'vK

3, Structure and Argument: ( .

n ,r"f, ,.' '-*(-l { '' 3 ' -a

at {\' Ac 't \\\ , ' ,J V\r \\\ tri'f ' ( ".lfid'

4, Style, Presentation and Documentation:

-,,.*-v.l -L',",<, ""'- i r- ft ,-;.'i--''-{1 f''i\ - : - l

\a \- i . - r 'c

\)

Agreed Internal Mark (NB: This mark is subject to conf i rmat ion, and is NOT f inal)

Notes to Markers:

Pleasa Lrsc th is s ic ls cf the s l .eel

7514402

nThg@fflcts qf ni)ingua{ ch}ldren's books: A Case Study of Dr. Seuss' Chinese Translation

\-/ \) \-/ a phD one year project

The translation of children's literature has traditionally focussed on the comparison of the

target text and the source text. The problems often addressed are adaptation and ideological

differences because the translators and the target readers are in an unequal relationship (Lathey

2006). This relationship leads to the different strategies that translators adopt. Considering the target

readers, the adult translator often positionlthemselves in a didactic role, which gives them an/\

invisible responsibility to transform the source text into something more appropriate, or commonly

accepted in their cultures. These changes that the translators made were not investigated until

recently because children's literature and translated literature had long been posited in the periphery

(Zohar l931) and the translation of children's literature was usually thought of as an original work,

deprived of its source, its author, and its translator. Nonetheless, there is a trend recently of making

children's books that are written in other languages into language learning materials. In Taiwan, Dr.

Seuss'beginner's series was translated into Chinese as bilingual books, with Chinese replacing the

original place where English text was. and the English text being moved to the blank spaces wherei' nal, othere was originally no illustration. If the adaptation of the translation of children's literature O I E)fLI

--^Lr^*^+:^ .,,^,,r,1 +1^^ ̂ -^^^-^^ ^r+L^ +a-+ ontrra rJ"o ^.^l,lo,-"

I of'"'{f'"^problematic, would the presence of the source text solve the problem?

Wf ^FH- €tt@rproves of bilingual books for children because she thinks that seeing the

ar.P" 0 unknhffibols right next to the language that they know could make them curious about the

)_/ strange 'squiggles and dots', knowing that those things are actually languages that people from

different countries speak, and thus enhance their acceptability towards other cultures (2005:18).

However, it might not be so for Dr. Seuss'books. The illustration in his books is very important

because it is one of the devices that encourage children to read and master the stories (MacDonald

1988:122). The change of the texts'position changes the whole setting, and thus could possibly

0o alter the function of the book ffiuiemphasizes the importance of translating picturesi "-n- \--/

db, (2006:1 13). But her discussion oilhow illustrations should be rendered does not include the type of\ 2 | texts in which source text and target text coexist.

To investigate the strategies that are applied in the translation of this series, I will interview

the three translators who are all famous writers in Taiwan. To examine the effect of the translation

on readers, I will conduct four focus groups (1. adult Chinese speakers, 2. adult English speakers, 3.

children Chinese speakers, a. childr{n English speakers), with which I will discuss how they

\\ r

-\;Tg-s"?

7Y r MS^o

7514402

perceive the books. Each group will consist of 10 people. After that I will analyze their responses

and compare that with the translators strategies and their expectation.

As an experienced child psychologist, I will be able to facilitate the children's focus groups

smoothly and enhance the objectivity of the research. Having translated 23 children's books,I am

also aware of potential problems when translating, which allows me to benefit this discipline with

this research.

t-bo ^lo.alJ)

References

Hallford, Deborah and Edgardo Zaghini (eds) (2005) Children's books in translation, Malta'.

Compass Press.

t,^rc*'tdI,/

,l

/

f,"?,.,L+' ?

cyds.Lathey, Gillian (ed.) (2006filye Translation of Childrenb Literature: a Readen Great Britain:v

Cromwell Press.

MacDonald, Ruth K. (eds) (1988) Dr. Seuss, the United States of America: Twayne Publishers.

Shavit, Zohar (1979)'Translation of Children's Literature as a Function of its Position in the

Literary Polysystem' , Poetics today 2(4): 171-179