Translations and Adaptations of Roald Dahl's Books for Children in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Tsai, Yueh-Mei, 蔡月媚
• Other Authors: Lai, Tzu-Yun
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2017
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/c2bkvg

碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 翻譯研究所 === 105 === Roald Dahl (1916-1990) is not only a renowned western author of children’s literature, but a controversial one, whose stories for children tend to be written in sarcastic language, replete with contents inappropriate for young readers. This research, via a diachronic approach, aims to explore his reception history in Taiwan, along with how his works for children have been translated and adapted for Taiwan’s children’s literature market. Initially, while varied Taiwanese publishers had Dahl’s books for children rendered, none attempted to soundly introduce them to Chinese readers, hence obscuring the identity of him and his works for children. Unlike previous publishers, Zhi-wen Publishing House edited through a cohesive plan the renditions of his books for children, with his harsh writing style mostly preserved and stories fully rendered, not adapted any more, due to the lifting of martial law. After procuring the latest copyright, Global Kids Books turned to publish Dahl’s works in book series, endeavoring as well to shape him as Master of children’s literature. Yet its translation strategy, besides modifying past renditions of Dahl’s books for children, inclined to tone down their seemingly inappropriate story parts for children. As mentioned above, the collective efforts of different Taiwan’s publishers and their translators led Dahl and his books for children to evolving from an indistinct image to eventually assuming a canonical status in Taiwan. Moreover, the analysis on corresponding strategies employed by those publishers and translators, especially over the controversial contents of Dahl’s stories for children, indicated translations and adaptations of his books for children happen to be also the ultimate outcome of dialogue among publication norms, concurrent mainstream values and translation strategies in discrete phases of children’s literature in Taiwan. Keywords: Roald Dahl, children’s literature, translation, adaptation