Translators’ manipulation of texts: the case of children’s books on gender equality

ABSTRACT

This research applied the analytical method proposed by Kaniklidou and House to examine power manipulation in existing translations of children’s books that include gender equality issues in Taiwan. Fifty-one translations of gender-related picture books were analysed, and 411 instances of power manipulation phenomena were annotated. The study identified content explicitation and simplification as the most frequently used translation strategies, followed by cultural filtering, manipulation of ideology, sentimentalisation, infantilisation, and genre specificity. These categories overlapped and were closely related; instances of explicitation, cultural filtering, and ideological manipulation could occur in the same passage. The results of this study contribute to providing an objective basis for the development of gender equality education, and also serve as a reference for the translation industry, the government, and academia in enhancing or adjusting translation strategies, editing high-quality children’s books, strengthening the foundation of children’s language development, and promoting innovation and multi-faceted discussion.

KEYWORDS:

• Gender issues
• gender stereotypes
• ideology
• text analysis
• linguistic features

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The listed translators of Piggybook are the publishing house “Hansheng Magazine”, and the names of the actual translators are not given.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan: [Grant Number 108WFA110877].

Notes on contributors

Yvonne Tsai

Yvonne Tsai is an Associate Professor in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at National Taiwan University. She received her MA in Translation and Interpreting from the University of Bath and her Ph.D. in Translation Studies from Newcastle University. Her major research interests include patent translation, translation technology, and translation pedagogy.