The adventures of translation in The Adventures of Pinocchio


Published: Dec 17, 2019
Keywords:
Translated children’s literature Descriptive Translation Studies translation strategies The Adventures of Pinocchio
Μary Drosopulos
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6268-0038
Sofia Gavriilidis
Abstract

Research over the recent decades in the field of translation and cultural studies has shown that, during the transfer of a literary text from a linguistic/cultural system to another, modifying mechanisms are employed. According to relevant studies, the analysis of how translators manage culturally exotic elements provides insights into the dynamics of the intercultural function of the translated text; the text itself is also indicative of the ideological values promoted by the domestic book industry. Specifically, in the case of children’s fiction, studies have shown strong modifying interventions in translation. This tendency has triggered doubts over the notions of interculturality and integration allegedly connected with Children’s Literature.

The present paper explores diversity in translated children’s literature by juxtaposing recent translations of the classic book The Adventures of Pinocchioin Greek and Turkish with the original Italian text. The descriptive translation studies have been used as a point of reference. Translators’ strategies are examined and commented upon in relation with the values and principles of the target culture and the sociopolitical context of the period during which each translated version was published. The comparative study of the translated texts has shown that Greek translations tend to be more faithful to the original text, while the Turkish translations manifest an inclination to moral values connected with national and religious ideals.
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Author Biographies
Μary Drosopulos, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
PhD in Intercultural and Translation Studies
Sofia Gavriilidis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Professor
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