Picture book translations for translators with strong literary expertise

Translation paths for illustrated books

The cultural editorial translation for recreational and educational purposes is a true and brilliant ally of the pedagogical art of the image that visually represents what is transmitted by the text in the form of writing, offering the reader the opportunity to draw on the original message in its entirety.

When the two binary factors (text and images) of an illustrated book meet, absolute harmony must reign since the main intent of the writers/authors is that their creativity is communicated, visualized and subsequently translated in a clear and impeccable manner. This can only happen if the text and related images are masterfully made for each other.

Our translators and editors have worked for years with enthusiasm and commitment to carry out linguistic projects required by international fiction, in close collaboration with book authors, artists/illustrators and specialized publishers. Stimulating happily written content combined with beautiful illustrations for digital or paper publications, representS a vehicle of communication immediately usable by every category of readers. To enhance this original quality, the choice dedicated to the translation of the illustrated book must fall on a translator selected based on his narrative consonance, good knowledge of the topics covered, with numerous translation experiences appropriate to these backgrounds.

Translating and transcreating with sensitivity and respect

Changing the cultural context may result in an audience that is more sensitive to certain problems while elsewhere the same had even gone almost unnoticed. Also for this reason, deciding to translate an illustrated book is not a routine operation and the work of a simple editorial translator, at times, is insufficient. Cultural differences can often be profound and, at the same time, publishers are aware that presenting a correct or deficient edition to their readers can determine the success or blatant fiasco of the work.

There are cases in which the literal translation of a title is impossible. In this case, the best equivalent in the language of translation must be identified. In many cases, the exercise of translation is renounced and the title or part of the text itself is rewritten in the parts in which it appears untranslatable. The result is that the editor in charge of the internationalization of the work intervenes on a text resulting from the intersection of two languages. Actual rewriting is preferred to classical literary translation, providing an even higher level of linguistic service than transcreation.

When does the translation of an illustrated book also extend to symbols?

For some requests, to say the least "extreme" regarding the translation into symbols of illustrated books for children, we have based ourselves on the mechanisms of psycho-lingusitic acquisition of very young readers, using organized and shared translation methods, identified in the basic perceptual characteristics of symbolic translation.