In"Challenges for the 21st Century. Dilemmas, Ambiguities, Directions." R.Ambrosini, R. Colombo, A.Contenti, D.Corona, L.M.Crisafulli, F.Ruggieri (eds), 2011
"Children’s literature in Scots is a relatively recent phenomenon and a remarkable one, consideri... more "Children’s literature in Scots is a relatively recent phenomenon and a remarkable one, considering that until very recently the Scots language was frowned upon in educational institutions and marginalised in favour of English (Sutherland, 1997). Born out of the desire to teach children the language that “is an integral part of Scottish life” (http://www.itchy-coo.com/abootus.html) it has been mainly developed by Scottish publishers Itchy Coo, who since 2002, have released not only new children’s books in Scots but also Scots versions of classic English children’s literature. These latter texts constitute a problem both in terms of their nature and their function. Defined by the publishers as “translations”, the Scottish versions of texts such as Winnie the Pooh by A.A.Milne and The Twits by Roald Dahl clearly do not fit the traditional view of translation as a text whose role is to fill an information gap. Scottish children are almost certainly already familiar with and understand the English versions of these texts, and seen from a purely informative perspective these “translations” are obviously redundant. What then is their role and nature and are they likely to fulfill other educational purposes in addition to that of raising Scotland’s young readers’awareness of Scots? This paper will attempt to answer these questions by analysing these translations as acts of “cultural reversal” (Rosenstock, quoted in Cronin, 1996:186) redressing the “unidirectionality” (ibid.) of education in Scotland that had required the children to translate themselves into English (cf MacIlvanney, quoted in Craig, 1999:77). In particular we want to look at the “liberatory potential” (Cronin, op cit.) of these texts and the way in which their textual ambiguity construe a number of possible addressees, the ultimate question being: who really are the readers who need to be re-educated, Scottish children, Scottish adults, or the English readers?
References
Craig, Cairns (1999). The Modern Scottish Novel, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press
Cronin, Michael (1996). Translating Ireland, Cork, Cork University Press
Itchy Coo website:
http://www.itchy-coo.com/abootus.html
Sutherland, George (1997) “Language in Scotland Today” in Teaching Scottish Literature, ed. By Alan MacGillivray, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press: 57-69
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Papers by Diana Bianchi
https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/2WzfhjjVrHjkydYKTsD2/full
ever since it was ‘imported’ in Italy in the early1950s, translations from English have been the main form through which SF has circulated in Italy in the following decades. Such translations were initially published in popular book series that highlighted the most escapist and colourful elements of the genre. In the 1970s, however, there was an attempt to ‘revise’ it, toning down science fiction’s popular roots and employing discursive strategies more typical of canonical literature. Paratexts played a key role in relation to this re-articulation of a popular genre. Titles, cover illustrations and advertising blurbs, all contributed to offering a new representation of science fiction, more sophisticated from a literary point of view but also with more generic constraints. This paper will analyse the presentational strategies employed in these new ‘revised’ versions of science fiction, focusing in particular on the translation of titles and the way in which they rebuilt different generic borders. http://edizionicf.unive.it/riv/dbr/14/41/AnnaliCaFoscariOcc/1/585
References
Craig, Cairns (1999). The Modern Scottish Novel, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press
Cronin, Michael (1996). Translating Ireland, Cork, Cork University Press
Itchy Coo website:
http://www.itchy-coo.com/abootus.html
Sutherland, George (1997) “Language in Scotland Today” in Teaching Scottish Literature, ed. By Alan MacGillivray, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press: 57-69
"
Talks by Diana Bianchi
https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/2WzfhjjVrHjkydYKTsD2/full
ever since it was ‘imported’ in Italy in the early1950s, translations from English have been the main form through which SF has circulated in Italy in the following decades. Such translations were initially published in popular book series that highlighted the most escapist and colourful elements of the genre. In the 1970s, however, there was an attempt to ‘revise’ it, toning down science fiction’s popular roots and employing discursive strategies more typical of canonical literature. Paratexts played a key role in relation to this re-articulation of a popular genre. Titles, cover illustrations and advertising blurbs, all contributed to offering a new representation of science fiction, more sophisticated from a literary point of view but also with more generic constraints. This paper will analyse the presentational strategies employed in these new ‘revised’ versions of science fiction, focusing in particular on the translation of titles and the way in which they rebuilt different generic borders. http://edizionicf.unive.it/riv/dbr/14/41/AnnaliCaFoscariOcc/1/585
References
Craig, Cairns (1999). The Modern Scottish Novel, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press
Cronin, Michael (1996). Translating Ireland, Cork, Cork University Press
Itchy Coo website:
http://www.itchy-coo.com/abootus.html
Sutherland, George (1997) “Language in Scotland Today” in Teaching Scottish Literature, ed. By Alan MacGillivray, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press: 57-69
"