Relational Communication in the Translation of Children’s and Young Adult Literature: Self-Translation as a Special Form of Cultural Mediation

Abstract

The translation of children’s and young adult literature shows notable parallels to translation of texts for an adult audience: every act of translation entails modifications of the original linguistic structure and thereby complicates the relational-communicative function of literature. The aim of this paper is to examine to what extent this interpersonal communicative function can be preserved in cases of self-translation. Using Eugene Yelchin’s historical narrative for children and young adults Breaking Stalin’s Nose (2013) as a case study, the analysis explores the strategies the author employs to maintain closeness, authenticity, and cultural connectivity between the source and target texts.