Contrastive Analysis of Children’s Literature Translation - J.K.Rowling’s Novels

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The author of the study will establish what in theory is meant by children’s literature and which are the main problems in translating this genre. The author will also discuss the phenomenon of Harry Potter books, in order to understand its cultural and also educational value, as there have been a number of controversial suggestions concerning Harry Potter books as an example of modern children’s literature.
One chapter of the paper will be dedicated to the study of different experiences presented by translators of Harry Potter books. The experience in dealing with different problems is rather useful to compare with the solutions presented in Latvian translations. The last part of the study is dedicated to the analysis of practical examples to be found in the Latvian translations of Harry Potter books - proper nouns, place names, translations of names of mystical creatures and verses. Due to the fact that J.K. Rowling’s books provide a very vast material for the research the examples for the practical study will be chosen randomly from different books, mostly from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
By studying different literature, such authors, as Tiina Puurtinen and Riitta Oittinen, the author will try to establish main features of children’s literature and its general message. The investigation of works written by Elizabeth E. Heilman and Liza Anatol Giselle will provide the necessary critical analyses of Harry Potter books as a phenomenon of children’s literature. The study of books written by Lawrence Venuti will help to establish the main notions of translation foreignization. Harry Potter books are an example of modern literature and in the age of globalization of information the Internet resources are very important part of the work, as this source provides vast material for research.
The goal of the study is to establish the main methods used by the Latvian translators of Harry Potter, assuming that main translation method has been domestication as J.K.Rowling’s books present aspects that cannot be understood by the reader if the translator uses method of foreignization.
The objectives of the research paper are - analyse the theory on children’s literature and try to define this genre, establish the basic requirements for translating children’s literature and to investigate practical examples presented by Latvian translator of Harry Potter books Ingus Josts and his team. …