Sul sentiero meno battuto: Proposta di traduzione di sei albi illustrati che si allontanano dagli stereotipi sui temi di genere, multiculturalismo e disabilita

This thesis focuses on the translation of six picture books that challenge and subvert – each one in its peculiar way – typical stereotypes found in Children’s Literature. I think that stereotyping is an all-important theme in picture books because these books are the ones that will introduce children to literature and young readers have the right to find in it every kind of model. Showing children a variety of characters that reflects the multiple forms of reality will allow them to choose which kind of person to be. In my opinion, this freedom is much needed especially here, in Italy, in this moment of history. This work also studies the stereotypes that have appeared – and are still present, to some extent – in Children’s Literature, the ways in which they are dangerous for young readers, and how they have changed over time. I centered my research on three major themes that have been subject to stereotyping: race, disability and gender. I searched for the right books to translate paying attention not only to the themes they focused on but also to how they dealt with such themes, the tone of each picture book and, obviously, its quality. The selection resulting from my research reflects a diverse world and a celebration of difference. Before actually translating them, I engaged in a deep analysis of their structures, themes and meanings, so that I would be able to enter the ‘world’ of the book and to understand its ‘secrets’ better. This analysis proved to be fundamental during the translation phase and allowed me to make conscious translation choices that I have explored in the part dedicated to the commentary of the translation.

“È per un bambino o una bambina?” Stereotipi di genere nella letteratura per l'infanzia: proposta di traduzione di due albi illustrati

The aim of this dissertation is to propose a translation into Italian of two American picturebooks: Is That For a Boy or a Girl? written by S. Bear Bergman and illustrated by Rachel Dougherty, and Jacob's New Dress written by Sarah and Ian Hoffman and illustrated by Chris Case. The common thread of the two books is the critique of gender stereotypes in children’s literature and in other aspects of childhood at large, such as gender expression. The two titles were in fact selected from the bibliography created by the European project G-BOOK (Gender Identity: Child Readers and Library Collections), which was spearheaded by Centro MeTRa, an Italian research centre affiliated with the University of Bologna which aims to promote gender-positive and inclusive literature. The thesis is divided into four chapters, the first of which is devoted to a discussion of children's literature as a whole and to the analysis of the illustrated fiction subgenre, the category to which the above-mentioned volumes belong. The second chapter focuses on diversity, highlighting its key role in education and the relevant trends in publishing and translation studies. The third chapter consists of a brief presentation of the works I have chosen. Following the introduction of the plot and the biography of the authors, the chapter focuses on the analysis of the two illustrated books from a linguistic, stylistic, iconographic and commercial point of view, in preparation for translation. Finally, in the fourth chapter I present my translation proposal, complete with a commentary on the problems I encountered and the translation techniques that allowed me to overcome them.

Verso una rappresentazione positiva delle identità arcobaleno nella letteratura per l’infanzia. Proposta di traduzione di Rethinking Normal: a memoir in transition

Con il presente elaborato si vuole illustrare il ruolo che la letteratura per l’infanzia e per ragazzi/e può avere nell’eliminazione degli stereotipi e delle discriminazioni di tipo omolesbotransfobico. I libri di narrativa per bambini/e e adolescenti hanno infatti uno scopo pedagogico e guidano lettori e lettrici nel percorso di crescita e maturazione. L’analisi si concentra sulla rappresentazione, ancora oggi quasi totalmente assente, delle identità LGBTQ+, in particolare di quelle transgender, nella letteratura per l’infanzia e per ragazzi/e. Vengono inoltre approfondite tematiche come la storia del movimento arcobaleno e l’uso di una terminologia adeguata in riferimento alle persone trans. Ampio spazio viene lasciato ad alcune riflessioni sulla traduzione di testi per l’infanzia e l’adolescenza aventi personaggi LGBTQ+, nonché sulle difficoltà e criticità a essa correlate. Viene infine proposta la traduzione di un piccolo estratto del libro autobiografico Rethinking Normal: A Memoir In Transition, scritto dall’autrice e attivista transgender Katie Rain Hill.