Throstle or Jenny Wren? : the magic world of Annie M.G. Schmidt

Translation Studies are increasingly occupied with questions about the translation of children's literature, since from its special position and characteristics we can learn a lot about translation in general, and about the personality of the translator and factors affecting the translation. This paper provides insight into the translation problems and solutions for a few novels of the well-known Dutch children's literature author, Annie M.G Schmidt. I demonstrate through the translation of proper nouns, geographical names, culture-bound terms and puns in the novels, what kind of translation methods and strategies were chosen by the translator and why; and how the voice and discursive presence of the translator can be traced. In the effect of the examined expressions the relevant role is not played by the fact that they originate from a foreign culture. The most important elements of the impression are the recognizable, yet unique and fairytale-like (linguistic) environment and humor, as well as a certain playfulness. Accordingly, the applied translation strategy is naturalization, while in the meantime the action, and 'beyond language' elements of the story clearly reflect the possibly foreign features of the source language in the target language. The translation of children's literature in general is characterized by naturalization, because the translator aims to enable the young target language reader to elaborate and understand the translation based on their own knowledge.