With the increasing international dissemination of Chinese children's literature, the cross-cultural adaptation of cover design has become a crucial factor influencing reader reception. Based on Roland Barthes’ semiotic theory and the framework of multimodal discourse analysis, this study examines the cultural adaptation mechanisms in the cover designs of contemporary Chinese children's picture books translated into Korean. Through a comparative analysis of the visual (color, imagery) and linguistic (title, typography) elements in ten Chinese picture books and their Korean translations, the study finds that localization strategies—such as the reinterpretation of traditional cultural symbols and adjustments in child-oriented color schemes—facilitate cross-cultural transmission. Core cultural elements are preserved within the target language context while being enhanced through multimodal coordination (text-image interaction, color symbolism) to foster reader engagement. This study provides a systematic analytical model for the transformation of visual semiotics in children's literature translation and reveals the implicit translational function of cover design as a cultural medium, offering new perspectives and practical guidance for cultural adaptation in future translation strategies.

Children's picture books, Chinese-Korean translation, cover design, semiotics, multimodality

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