Publisher Home ↗ editor@randspublications.org
International Journal of Social Sciences, Language and Linguistics eISSN 2051-686X Submit Article
Research Articles Open access

Exploring Reader Expectation Norms in English-Chinese Translations of Children's Literature in China

Published
Pages 01-06
Views 97
Downloads 162

Authors

  • Dr. Li Hua Professor, Department of Translation and Interpreting Studies Beijing Foreign Studies University Beijing, China Author
  • Dr. Sarah Thompson Associate Professor, Department of English and Comparative Literature Fudan University Shanghai, China Author

DOI

https://doi.org/10.55640/ijssll-01-08-01 ↗

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of reader expectation norms on the English-to-Chinese translation of children’s literature in China. Through an analysis of popular translated works, the research explores how cultural and linguistic expectations shape the way children’s stories are adapted for Chinese readers. By examining various translation strategies, including domestication, foreignization, and hybrid approaches, the paper highlights the complex interplay between maintaining fidelity to the source text and meeting the expectations of young readers. The study also considers the role of the translator in navigating these norms, balancing the preservation of original meaning with the need for accessibility and cultural relevance. Findings reveal that reader expectation norms significantly impact translation decisions, emphasizing the importance of cultural sensitivity in children’s literature translation. This research contributes to the broader discourse on translation studies, particularly in the context of cross-cultural literary exchange.

Keywords

translation studies , children’s literature , English-Chinese translations , reader expectation norms , cultural adaptation , domestication , foreignization , translation strategies

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

1. Bartlett, M. S. (1954). A note on the multiplying factors for various χ 2 approximations. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. Series B (Methodological), pp. 296–298.

2. Bijani, S., Khoshsaligheh, M., & Hashemi, M. R. (2014). Categorisation of the fiction translation expectancy norms to Iranian undergraduate readership. Asia Pacific Translation and Intercultural Studies, 1(3), 210–221. https://doi.org/10.1080/23307706.2014.956982

3. Chen, X. (2022). Interactive reception of online literary translation: the translator-readers dynamics in a discussion forum. Perspectives, pp. 1–15.

4. Chesterman, A. (1993). From “Is” to “Ought”: Laws, Norms and Strategies in Translation Studies. Target., 5(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1075/target.5.1.02che

5. Chesterman, A. (2007). Bridge concepts in translation sociology. Benjamins Translation Library, pp. 74, 171.

6. Chesterman, A. (2016). Memes of translation the spread of ideas in translation theory. In Benjamins Translation Library.

7. De Queiroga, M. G., & Fernandes, L. P. (2016). Translation of Children’s Literature. Scientific Electronic Library Online, 36(1), 62–78. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/2175-7968.2016v36n1p62.

8. Desmidt, I. (2014). A prototypical approach within descriptive translation studies? Colliding norms in translated children’s literature. In Children’s literature in translation: Challenges and strategies (pp. 79–96). Routledge.

9. Di Giovanni, E., & Gambier, Y. (2018). Reception studies and audiovisual translation (Vol. 141). John Benjamins Publishing Company.

10. Faber, D., & Hjort-Pedersen, M. (2013). Expectancy and professional norms in legal translation: A study of explicitation and implicitation preferences. Fachsprache, 35(1–2), 43–63. https://doi.org/10.24989/fs.v35i1-2.1342

11. Farzaneh, N., & Haratyan, F. (2017). Chesterman’s professional norms in Children’ s story translation: Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe. International Journal of Modern Language Teaching and Learning, 2(3), 149–160. http://www.ijmltl.com/fulltext/paper-12012019213503.pdf

12. Gambier, Y. (2018). Translation studies, audiovisual translation and reception. In Reception studies and audiovisual translation (pp. 43–66). John Benjamins Amsterdam.

13. Geng, R. (2016). Studies of Translation Norms of Ai Xi La Ge by Ma Junwu: Within the Framework of Andrew Chesterman’s Theory of Translation Norms. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 6(3), 534. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0603.11

14. Guo, X., Ang, L. H., Rashid, S. M., & Ser, W. H. (2020). The Translator’s Voice through the Translation of Characters’ Names in Bian Cheng. 3L, Language, Linguistics, Literature, 26(3).

15. Jääskeläinen, R. (2012). Translation psychology. In Handbook of translation studies (Vol. 3, pp. 191–197). John Benjamins Amsterdam.

16. Kaiser, H. F. (1970). A second generation little jiffy.

17. Kaiser, H. F. (1974). An index of factorial simplicity. Psychometrika, 39(1), 31–36.

18. Karas, H. (2019). Intelligibility and the reception of translations. Perspectives: Studies in Translation Theory and Practice, 28(1), 24–42. https://doi.org/10.1080/0907676X.2019.1612929

19. Khoshsaligheh, M., Kafi, M., & Ameri, S. (2020). Fiction translation expectancy norms in Iran : a quantitative study of reception. 12(1), 74–89. https://doi.org/DOI: 10.12807/ti.112201. 2020.a05

20. [Kruger, H. (2013). Child and adult readers’ processing of foreign elements in translated South African picturebooks. Target. International Journal of Translation Studies, 25(2), 180–227. https://doi.org/10.1075/target.25.2.03kru

21. Kruger, H., & Kruger, J. (2017). Cognition and Reception. In The Handbook of Translation and Cognition (Issue 1998, pp. 71–89). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119241485.ch4

22. Lathey, G. (2010). The Role of Translators in Children’s Literature. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203845233

23. Lee, S.-B. (2020). Reception and revision of women-related translation paratexts: South Korean cases. The Translator, 26(2), 176–189. https://doi.org/10.1080/13556509.2020.1783881

24. Liu, B. (2015). On Expectancy Norms in E-C Translation of Trade Names of Drugs in Light of Chesterman’s Theory of Translation Norms. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 5(9), 1857. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0509.13

25. Ma, C. (2017). A Study on Zeng Hu’s Translation of The Thorn Birds from the Perspective of Chesterman’s Norm Theory. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 7(11), 996. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0711.08

26. Marčetić, M. (2016). Emerging Expectancy Norms in Subtitling for Television. Hieronymus 3, 3, 32–63.

27. Mejdell, G. (2011). Nattfuglene > Night Birds > Tuyūr al-layl: Textual reflexes of sociocultural norms in a children’s book translated from Norwegian — via English — into Arabic Article. Translation and Interpreting Studies, 6(1), 24–39. https://doi.org/DOI: 10.1075/tis.6.1.02mej

28. Nord, C. (2012). Quo vadis, functional translatology? Target. International Journal of Translation Studies, 24(1), 26–42.

29. O'Sullivan, E. (2005). Comparative Children's Literature. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203508664

30. Pinsent, P., & Reynolds, K. (2006). Children’s Literature at Postgraduate Level in the United Kingdom. In Butler, C.(eds) Teaching Children’s Fiction (pp. 172–180). Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230379404_8

31. Pitkäsalo, E. (2018). Images without words—the focus group as a method of examining the reading experience of comics. Linguistica Antverpiensia, New Series – Themes in Translation Studies, 17, 231–245. https://doi.org/10.52034/lanstts.v17i0.466

32. Puurtinen, T. (1997). Syntactic Norms in Finnish Children’s Literature. Target. International Journal of Translation Studies,

Explore related research

Similar Articles

1-10 of 148

Search the journal

Find articles by title, author or keyword.