Abstract
This article examines the various factors (beyond simply the perceived cultural and economic value) that influence a book being selected for translation and publication in the English language. More specifically, this article asks, “What influences the prospects of a book for young readers being published in translation in Australia?” Using a combination of literature review, the collection of publication data about translated books for young readers, and interviews with industry professionals, it was determined that there are three factors that influence a book being selected for translation and publication. These factors are the global language hierarchy, narrative structures and relationships.
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Appendix A: Books for Young Readers Published in Translation in Australia, 1993–2020
Appendix A: Books for Young Readers Published in Translation in Australia, 1993–2020
No | Title | Author | Year of Original Publication | Original Publisher | Original Language | Translator | Year of Australian Publication | Australian Publisher | Source of Translator | Genre/Summary | Page Count |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Falling | Anne Provoost | 1997 | Houtekiet | Flemish | John Nieuwenhuizen | 1997 | Allen & Unwin | Australia | YA, post-WWII political conflicts, historical fiction | 288 |
2 | The Baboon King | Anton Quintana | 1993 | Wolters-Noordhoff BV | Flemish | John Nieuwenhuizen | 1998 | Allen & Unwin | Australia | Coming-of-age, survival, adventure, living among animals | 192 |
3 | And What About Anna | Jan Simoen | 1999 | Querido’s Uitgeverij BV | Flemish | John Nieuwenhuizen | 2001 | Allen & Unwin | Australia | YA, Coming-of-age, family drama | 254 |
4 | Against the Odds | Marjolijn Hof | 2006 | Querido Kinderboek | Flemish | Johanna H Prins | 2001 | Allen & Unwin | Canada | Juvenile fiction, survival, missing family member, war | 144 |
5 | Sleep Tight, Baboon Bear | Bette Westera | 2001 | Uitgeverij Hillen | Flemish | John Nieuwenhuizen | 2001 | Allen & Unwin | Australia | Juvenile fiction, sleeping over at a different house | 24 |
6 | The Book of Everything | Guys Kuijer | 2004 | Querido’s Uitgeverij BV | Flemish | John Nieuwenhuizen | 2006 | Allen & Unwin | Australia | Coming-of-age, family problems, domestic violence | 123 |
7 | With a Sword in My Hand | Jean-Claude van Rijckeghem and Pat van Beirs | 2009 | Uitgeverij Manteau/Standaard Uitgeverij, Antwerpen | Flemish | John Nieuwenhuizen | 2010 | Allen & Unwin | Australia | YA, fourteenth century historical fiction, romance | 276 |
8 | Mouse Mansion: Sam and Julia | Karina Shaanman | 2011 | Rubinstein Publishing | Flemish | in-house staff | 2012 | Allen & Unwin | Netherlands | Juvenile fiction, adventure, mice, friendship | 58 |
9 | Mouse Mansion 2: Sam and Julia at the Theatre | Karina Shaanman | 2011 | Rubinstein Publishing | Flemish | in-house staff | 2013 | Allen & Unwin | Unknown | Juvenile fiction, adventure, mice, friendship | 65 |
10 | Mouse Mansion 3: Sam and Julia at the Circus | Karina Shaanman | 2011 | Rubinstein Publishing | Flemish | in-house staff | 2014 | Allen & Unwin | Unknown | Juvenile fiction, adventure, mice, friendship | 65 |
11 | Nine Open Arms | Benny Lindelauf | 2004 | Querido’s Uitgeverij BV | Flemish | John Nieuwenhuizen | 2014 | Allen & Unwin | Australia | Coming-of-age, family/sisters, “house with a past” | 257 |
12 | Monster Nanny | Tuutikki Tolonen | 2015 | Tammi Publishers | Finnish | País Pitkanen | 2020 | Allen & Unwin | U.S.A | Juvenile fiction, fantasy, adventure, siblings | 298 |
13 | Ultimate Game | Christian Lehmann | 1996 | L’Ecole de Loisirs | French | William Rodarmor | 1999 | Allen & Unwin | U.S.A | Sci-fi, videogames, war-games, fantasy adventure, YA | 168 |
14 | The Killer’s Tears | Anne-Laure Bondoux | 2003 | Bayard Editions Jeunesse | French | Y. Maudet | 2007 | Allen & Unwin | U.S.A | YA, realistic fiction, mystery/crime | 162 |
15 | And Picasso Painted Guernica | Alain Serres | 2007 | Rue du Monde | French | Rosalind Price | 2010 | Allen & Unwin | Australia | Non-fiction, art education, art history | 52 |
16 | Press Here | Hervé Tullet | 2010 | Bayard Editions Jeunesse | French | Hervé Tullet | 2011 | Allen & Unwin | Author | Picture book, tactile book, sensations, colours | 56 |
17 | Mix It Up | Hervé Tullet | 2014 | Bayard Editions Jeunesse | French | Hervé Tullet | 2014 | Allen & Unwin | Author | Picture book, mixing colours | 32 |
18 | Let’s Play | Hervé Tullet | 2016 | Bayard Editions Jeunesse | French | Hervé Tullet | 2016 | Allen & Unwin | Author | Picture book, colours, shapes | 60 |
19 | Say Zoop | Hervé Tullet | 2017 | Bayard Editions Jeunesse | French | Hervé Tullet | 2017 | Allen & Unwin | Author | Picture book, making noises | 64 |
20 | Erebos | Ursula Poznanski | 2010 | Loewe Verlag | German | Judith Pattison | 2012 | Allen & Unwin | Australia | YA, dystopia, video-games | 486 |
21 | Mimus | Lilli Thal | 2003 | Gerstenberg Verlag | German | John Brownjohn | 2005 | Allen & Unwin | U.K | Middle grade/YA, adventure, historical fantasy | 394 |
22 | Dark Hours | Gudrun Pausewang | 2006 | Ravensburger Buchverlag | German | John Brownjohn | 2006 | Allen & Unwin | U.K | WWII, YA, family, siblings | 198 |
23 | Red Rage | Brigitte Blobel | 2006 | cbj Verlag | German | Rachel Ward | 2007 | Allen & Unwin | U.K | YA, coming-of-age, teen angst, anger at family/world | 254 |
24 | The Island | Armin Greder | 2002 | sauerlander verlag | German | Armin Greder | 2007 | Allen & Unwin | Author | Juvenile fiction, racism, refugees | 37 |
25 | The City | Armin Greder | 2009 | Orecchio Acerbo | Italian | Armin Greder | 2010 | Allen & Unwin | Author | Mother-son relationship, death, protection from the world | 31 |
26 | Mediterranean | Armin Greder | 2017 | Orecchio Acerbo | Italian | Brigid Maher | 2018 | Allen & Unwin | Unknown | Juvenile fiction, shipwreck, refugees | 35 |
27 | Elephant Man | Marianela Di Fiore | 2013 | Cappelen Damm | Norwegian | Rosie Hedger | 2016 | Allen & Unwin | Canada | Non-fiction, individuality, diversity | 46 |
28 | The Fly | Gustavo Rosemffet | 2005 | Abrapalabra | Spanish | Karen Coeman | 2006 | Allen & Unwin | Walker Books | Juvenile fiction, fun, expectations | 30 |
29 | It’s Useful to Have a Duck | Isol | 2008 | Fondo de cultura economica USA | Spanish | Isol | 2009 | Allen & Unwin | Author | Two stories in one, juvenile fiction, points of view, duck and boy | 32 |
30 | Secret in the Fire | Henning Mankell | 1995 | Raben & Sjogren Bokforlag | Swedish | Anne Connie Stuksrud | 2000 | Allen & Unwin | Australia | Political fiction, landmines, Mozambique | 165 |
31 | Playing with Fire | Henning Mankell | 2001 | Raben & Sjogren Bokforlag | Swedish | Anna Paterson | 2002 | Allen & Unwin | Unknown | Political fiction, Mozambique, family, poverty | 240 |
32 | Fury in the Fire | Henning Mankell | 2007 | Raben & Sjogren Bokforlag | Swedish | Anna Paterson | 2009 | Allen & Unwin | Unknown | Political fiction, Mozambique, family, poverty | 168 |
33 | X Changes | collaboration | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | 2000 | Allen & Unwin | Unknown | Unknown | |
34 | Hugo | Yohann Devezy | Unknown | Unknown | French | In-house translation | 2019 | RedPaperKite | Australia | Diversity, juvenile fiction | 40 |
35 | Snoozette | Valentine Paradis | Unknown | Unknown | French | In-house translation | 2019 | RedPaperKite | Australia | Imagination, juvenile fiction, tea, sleepiness | 39 |
36 | Plastic: Past, Present, and Future | Eun-ju Kim | Unknown | Unknown | Korean | Joungmin Lee Comfort | 2019 | Scribbles | Australia | Non-fiction, plastic use, recycling | 36 |
37 | My Donkey Benjamin | Hans Limmer | 2008 | Lennart Osbeck | German | Elke Wakefield | 2016 | Scribbles | Unknown | Juvenile fiction, friends, animals, children | 48 |
38 | My Pig Paulina | Hans Limmer | 2015 | Tulipan Verlag | German | Elke Wakefield | 2016 | Scribbles | Unknown | Juvenile fiction, friends, animals, children | 60 |
39 | Little Mouse Helps Out | Riikka Jäntti | 2016 | Tammi Publishers | Finnish | Lola Rogers | 2017 | Scribbles | Australia | Juvenile fiction, mice, helping out | 40 |
40 | Little Mouse | Riikka Jäntti | 2015 | Tammi Publishers | Finnish | Lotta Dufva | 2016 | Scribbles | Finland | Juvenile fiction, mice, growing up | 48 |
41 | Little Mouse’s Christmas | Riikka Jäntti | 2017 | Tammi Publishers | Finnish | Lola Rogers | 2017 | Scribbles | Australia | Juvenile fiction, mice, Christmas | 48 |
42 | Little Mouse’s Holiday | Riikka Jäntti | 2018 | Tammi Publishers | Finnish | Lola Rogers | 2019 | Scribbles | Australia | Juvenile fiction, mice, country-side holidays | 48 |
43 | Lunch at Number 10 Pomegranate Street: A Collection of Recipes to Share | Delicita Sala | Unknown | Unknown | Italian | In-house | 2019 | Scribbles | Australia | Juvenile non-fiction, recipes | 40 |
44 | A Winter’s Promise | Christelle Dabos | 2013 | Gallimard Jeunesse | French | Hildegarde Serle | 2018 | Text Publishing Company | Europa Editions | Middle grade/YA, magic, fantasy, adventure | 496 |
45 | The Missing of Clairdelune | Christelle Dabos | 2015 | Gallimard Jeunesse | French | Hildegarde Serle | 2018 | Text Publishing Company | Europa Editions | Middle grade/YA, magic fiction, fantasy, adventure | 511 |
46 | The Memory of Babel | Christelle Dabos | 2017 | Gallimard Jeunesse | French | Hildegarde Serle | 2020 | Text Publishing Company | Europa Editions | Fantasy, middle grade/YA (13+) adventure, book 3 | 464 |
47 | The Watcher in the Shadows | Carlos Ruiz Zafon | 1995 | Edebé | Spanish | Lucia Graves | 2013 | Text Publishing Company | Unknown | Mystery, adventure, friendship, 14+ | 240 |
48 | The Beach at Night | Elena Ferrante | 2007 | Edizione E/O | Italian | Ann Goldstein | 2016 | Text Publishing Company | Europa Editions | Imagination friendship, picture book | 40 |
49 | Emil and Karl | Yankev Glatshteyn | 1940 | Unknown | Yiddish | Jeffrey Shandler | 2008 | Text Publishing Company | Unknown | Holocaust, friendship, survival, middle grade/YA | 208 |
50 | Max | Sarah Cohen-Scali | 2012 | Gallimard Jeunesse | French | Penny Hueston | 2016 | Text Publishing Company | In-house | Holocaust, moral choices, friendship | 464 |
51 | The Prince of Mist | Carlos Ruiz Zafon | 1993 | Editorial Planeta | Spanish | Lucia Graves | 2010 | Text Publishing Company | Unknown | Good and evil, friendship, 13+ | 208 |
52 | I’m Not Scared | Noccolo Ammaniti | 2001 | Giulio Einaudi Editore | Italian | Jonathan Hunt | 2003 | Text Publishing Company | Unknown | Fear, family secrets, mystery, 15+ | 224 |
53 | The Midnight Palace | Carlos Ruiz Zafon | 1997 | Editorial Planeta | Spanish | Lucia Graves | 2011 | Text Publishing Company | Unknown | Good and evil, honour, adventure, 13+ | 288 |
54 | Brown Bear Can’t Sleep | Yijun Cai | Unknown | Unknown | Chinese | Unknown | 2018 | Starfish Bay Publishing | Unknown | Juvenile fiction, bear, hibernation | 40 |
55 | Have You Seen Mr. Robinson? | Arwen Huang | Unknown | Unknown | Taiwanese | Unknown | 2019 | Starfish Bay Publishing | Unknown | Juvenile fiction, friends, meeting new people | 40 |
56 | I Need a Plan! | Federica Muia | Unknown | Unknown | Italian | Unknown | 2019 | Starfish Bay Publishing | Unknown | Juvenile fiction, friends, animals | 32 |
57 | The Flying Light | Yuanhao Yang | Unknown | Unknown | Chinese | Unknown | 2019 | Starfish Bay Publishing | Unknown | Juvenile fiction, friends, animals, children | 32 |
58 | Footprints in the Clouds | Zhiwei Xing | Unknown | Unknown | Taiwanese | Unknown | 2019 | Starfish Bay Publishing | Unknown | Juvenile fiction, friends, adventure | 40 |
59 | Mine! | Federica Muia | Unknown | Unknown | Italian | Unknown | 2020 | Starfish Bay Publishing | Unknown | Juvenile fiction, animals, hoarding, sharing | 32 |
60 | Bake Babushka | Celine Dupont | Unknown | Unknown | French | Unknown | 2015 | Berbay Publishing | Unknown | Juvenile fiction, dolls, love, baking | 40 |
61 | What Will I Do When I Grow Up? | Margherita Borin | Unknown | Unknown | Italian | Unknown | 2019 | Berbay Publishing | Unknown | Juvenile fiction, jobs, growing up | 44 |
62 | The Blue Bench | Albert Asensio | 2016 | Babulinka Books | Spanish | Unknown | 2019 | Berbay Publishing | Unknown | Juvenile fiction, passing time, growing up, love | 40 |
63 | 365 Real-Life Super Heroes | Valentina Camerini | 2019 | De Agostini Planeta libri | Italian | Moreno Giovannoni | 2020 | Piccolo Nero | Australia | Juvenile non-fiction, jobs, growing up | 360 |
64 | Greta’s Story: The Schoolgirl Who Went on Strike to Save the Planet | Valentina Camerini | 2019 | De Agostini Planeta libri | Italian | Moreno Giovannoni | 2019 | Piccolo Nero | Australia | Juvenile non-fiction, saving the planet, climate change | 144 |
65 | The Two Acrobats, 2nd ed | Jeanne Ryckmans | 1998 | Seuil Jeunesse | French | Simon Leys | 2015 | Piccolo Nero | Australia | Juvenile fiction, acrobats, circus | 32 |
66 | The epic race | Marie Dolrleans | 2017 | les incorruptibles | French | Philippine McDonald | 2018 | Wilkins Farago | Australia | Juvenile fiction, horses, racing, animals | 32 |
67 | The Bureau of Weights and Measures | Anne-Gaelle Balpe | 2016 | Milan Editions | French | Unknown | 2017 | Wilkins Farago | Unknown | Juvenile fiction, measurements, emotions | 32 |
68 | My Father the Great Pirate | Davide Cali | 2013 | orecchio Acerbo | Italian | Unknown | 2014 | Wilkins Farago | Unknown | Juvenile fiction, pirates, adventures | 48 |
69 | What Is This Thing Called Love? | Davide Cali | 2011 | Sarbacane | French | Unknown | 2011 | Wilkins Farago | Unknown | Juvenile fiction, love, Q&A | 32 |
70 | Why | Lila Prap | 2003 | Mladinska knjiga | Solvenian | Lili Potpara | 2006 | Wilkins Farago | Unknown | Juvenile fiction, zebra, Q&A | 32 |
71 | Santa’s Suit | Davide Cali | 2005 | Éditions Sarbacane | French | Unknown | 2008 | Wilkins Farago | Unknown | Juvenile fiction, Santa Claus, comic-style | 32 |
72 | Sam and His Dad | Serge Bloch | 1998 | Bayard Editions Jeunesse | French | Unknown | 2011 | Wilkins Farago | Unknown | Juvenile fiction, family | 40 |
73 | Piano Piano | Davide Cali | 2005 | Éditions Sarbacane | French | Randi Rivers | 2008 | Wilkins Farago | Unknown | Juvenile fiction, piano, practice, family | 28 |
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de Vicente Capua, M.C., Henningsgaard, P. Publishing Translated Books for Young Readers in Australia. Pub Res Q 37, 573–599 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-021-09841-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-021-09841-6