The Impact of Persuasive Language on Ideology Perceived in Translated Children’s Literature: A Case Study

Rahil Akbarpour

doi:10.7575/aiac.ijclts.v.1n.3p.26

Abstract

This study was conducted to examine the impact of persuasive language on ideology perceived by children while reading translated children’s books. To do so, the author studied the ideological manipulations made in children's literature translation (ChLT) through analyzing the two abridged Persian translations of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The researcher also was looking for major strategies used by the translators to reinforce the ideological attitudes of the recipients. In this regard, a model of critical discourse analysis (CDA), that of Fairclough, was used to analyze the translations in terms of their vocabulary. The model introduces three values of words, namely, experiential, relational, and expressive. Making use of the expressive value, the researcher found that the translators of the novel tried to fit the translated novel into the Iranian culture, using modification, addition, and deletion strategies. Those strategies were determining factors of the ideologies perceived by the young readers.

Highlights

These days, there is a tendency to translate adult books, especially classics, for children and adolescents
In the case of the expressive values of words, eight extracts were identified in this study
The two translators differed in their approach toward the translation of the source text

Summary

Introduction

These days, there is a tendency to translate adult books, especially classics, for children and adolescents. In this respect, many classic books, such as Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist, have been abridged while translated for children. Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was originally intended for an adult audience. Today it is widely read as a part of children's school curriculum in the United States. It has been translated into Persian for children

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Conclusion