Russian tradition of translating children’s literature: between education and ideology
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15503/onis2018.507.512Keywords:
adaptation, children's literature, culture-bound elements, Russian literature, sociology of translationAbstract
Aim of the study. The aim of the article is to show translation strategies of translators who were active during the years of the Soviet Union. The author intends to investigate the significance of Soviet ideology and socialist realism as regards the character of the world presented in children’s literature at that time.
Methodology. My research subject included classic books and novels of children’s literature, written by such authors as: Lewis Carroll, L. Frank Baum, Alan Alexander Milne, Hugh Lofting, and Carlo Collodi. The translations were analyzed in accordance with modern theories which pertain to translation studies. Special attention was paid to domestication and adaptation.
Results. The translations were identified as adaptations. The translators intend to modify the novels in order to adjust the text to the needs of children, many a time neutralizing culture-bound elements. The text could thus be understood even by those readers who were not acquainted with Anglo-Saxon or Italian culture.
Results. The strategy that was particularly dominant in the Soviet Union was adaptation. The ideology was an important factor, although it was just one of many aspects. Rich traditions of domestication played an important role, and they had been present in Russian literature long before first tenets of socialist realism were established.
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