Translating Greek children's picturebooks as an interpretive, intercultural, and creative endeavor: Points of departure, arrivals, and cultural interchanges

pdf2 (ελληνικά)
Published: Mar 13, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/dial.41553
Keywords:
children's literature, translation of picturebooks, polysystem theory, multimodal approach to translation
Rosy Triantafyllia Angelaki
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5096-2211
Nikoletta Korka
University of Patras
https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8050-2564
Abstract

Translated children's literature possesses the potential to significantly contribute to the promotion of intercultural dialogue among children of different nationalities, offering them the opportunity to become familiar with cultural elements that diverge from dominant norms. In this context, it may be viewed both as an intercultural act and as a tool for exploring and studying fundamental issues related to how literature for children is constructed and produced. This article examines the Greek picturebook Η Ποντικίνα Δώρα, η περιέργεια και η γάτα (2025), written by Petros Panaou and its Chinese translation 小老品多拉 (2025), as both works are situated within a different target cultural context. The research focuses on the interactive relationship between translation and cultural context, investigating the extent to which the translated product reflects the content and intentions of the original text. Through the Chinese version, the study explores how elements of the Greek polysystem and its cultural characteristics are disseminated. Methodologically, the study draws upon the Polysystem Theory as well as the multimodal approach to the translation of children's literature, with particular emphasis on the translation of picturebooks.

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