Translation as child’s play: proposed translation of a children’s picture book about deafness

The main topic of this thesis is the proposed Italian translation of an English children’s picture book, which discusses themes of disability, inclusion and communication through the eyes of the deaf main character. We will briefly introduce the history of children’s picture books and their main characteristics. Then we will discuss benefits of reading aloud to children and what it takes to create a successful reading experience in a class environment. The topics of why representation matters and why centering disables authors who write books about disability is essential will also be highlighted. Next, key terminology relating to the field of translation studies will be explained, and critical concepts from different scholars will also be highlighted. After that, approaches to translation and models for text analysis will be examined. The book and its characteristics will be presented, discussing the possible translation challenges. The proposed Italian translation will then follow, together with a commentary on the procedures used and how the challenges were tackled. The ending focuses on best practices and suggestions that could further improve accessibility of children’s picture books.

The main topic of this thesis is the proposed Italian translation of an English children’s picture book, which discusses themes of disability, inclusion and communication through the eyes of the deaf main character. We will briefly introduce the history of children’s picture books and their main characteristics. Then we will discuss the benefits of reading aloud to children and what it takes to create a successful reading experience in a class environment. The topics of why representation matters and why centering disables authors who write books about disability is essential will also be highlighted. Next, key terminology relating to the field of translation studies will be explained, and critical concepts from different scholars will also be highlighted. After that, approaches to translation and models for text analysis will be examined. The book and its characteristics will be presented, discussing the possible translation challenges. The proposed Italian translation will then follow, together with a commentary on the procedures used and how the linguistic challenges were tackled. The ending focuses on best practices and suggestions that could further improve accessibility of children’s picture books.