Children's literature and translation studies

Since literature written specifically for children first emerged around the middle of the 18th century, it has been a site of intense translational activity. Serious critical interest in the subject of its translation, however, is a relatively recent phenomenon. This chapter examines what translating children's literature actually comprises as well as the key differences between translating it and translating literature for other audiences. It provides a critical account of the type of research has been done and is currently being done, probing key theoretical approaches and methodologies, with a special focus on the issues of target culture norms, narratology, the ‘internationalism’ of children’s literature and translating picturebooks.