RETRANSLATING CHILDREN’S LITERATURE: AN ACCOUNT OF A CONFERENCE HELD AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TRENTO

Abstract

The third edition of the “Giornate di studio sulla ritraduzione” Ritradurre la letteratura per ragazzi (University of Trento) had a special focus on the retranslation of children’s literature. The aim of these meetings is to bring together specialists of different languages and cultures and provide them with a space for discussion taking the idea of retranslation as a vantage point, as well as to propose a practical and theoretical reflection on the concept of retranslation. Children’s literature is a particularly interesting field of investigation for a variety of interrelated reasons including it’s tendency to favour target-oriented translation approaches and its key role in processes of nation-building. The Trento conference saw the participation of twenty speakers, from a number of Italian and European universities, whose contributions dealt with different historical periods and cultural spheres. These contributions investigated phenomena concerning the history of language and especially emphasised the profound connections between children’s literature, politics and deep changes in ideology and society.

Keywords: children’s literature, young adult literature, retranslation, adaptation, history of translation