DOMESTICATION AND FOREIGNIZATION IN THE TRANSLATION OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
Abstract
Abstract
This article studies domestication and foreignization in the translation of
children’s literature. The topic is important because children’s books carry language,
culture, values, humor, and daily life together. When a story is translated, the translator
must decide whether to make the text closer to the young reader or preserve the foreign
color of the source text. The article analyzes how this problem appears in culture-
specific items, food names, proper names, and short rhythmic lines. The research is
based on descriptive translation analysis, close reading, and comparative textual
analysis. Classical works by Lawrence Venuti, Riitta Oittinen, Gillian Lathey, Göte
Klingberg, and Emer O’Sullivan are used together with newer studies by Haidee
Kruger, Fenik M. Ghafur, and Kaveh Bassiri. Short extracts from well-known
children’s stories are examined to show how each strategy changes meaning, tone,
rhythm, and cultural atmosphere. The main result is that children’s literature translation
usually works best when a balanced method is used: very difficult items may be
adapted, but important cultural signs should remain visible.
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