International Conference on Translation and Childhood Development Kicks Off in Tunis
The works of the international conference on translation and childhood development, organized by the Tunis Institute of Translation (Itrat), commenced on Tuesday at the City of Culture and will continue until October 5. The conference brings together researchers and experts in translation and children's literature from various countries, including Tunisia, Algeria, Jordan, Syria, Italy, England, Russia, and Japan.
Opening Remarks
At the opening of the conference, Itrat Director General Tawfiq Grira highlighted the role of translation in shaping and forming the personality and consciousness of individuals. He noted that children grow up in a multilingual and multicultural environment, where translation plays a fundamental role in helping them understand the different contexts in which they live, whether in their native language or through exposure to other languages.
The Importance of Translation in Childhood Development
Grira emphasized that translation is a means of exchange between peoples and a crucial lever in the context of forming a child's personality and developing their cognitive, linguistic, and cultural abilities.
Expert Insights
Gillian Lathey from the University of Roehampton in London shared her experience as a teacher of children aged 5-7, to whom she read translated stories from the Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault, and Erich Käster. She explained that the translator plays the role of mediator and interpreter of different cultural universes, as she did with her own students.
Challenges in Translating for Children
Lathey added that translation for children is linked to their psychological and cognitive development, and that translators face significant challenges, such as adapting texts to different reader levels and balancing the preservation or adaptation of cultural specificities. She highlighted the importance of adult mediation during the reading of texts.
The Role of Adults in Mediation
Lathey noted that adults, such as parents, often read texts to children and that translators should consider how to facilitate this mediation without overloading the texts with footnotes or explanations.
Statistics on Translated Children's Books
She also pointed out that in the UK, for example, the percentage of translated books does not exceed 3% of all children's publications, while in Finland, it reaches 80%.
Conclusion
Lathey concluded by quoting the famous Swedish author Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002), known for her children's books, who emphasized that with the help of qualified translators, children have the ability to relive the most strange worlds, considering translation as an essential tool for nourishing children's imaginations and allowing them to open up to the world.
