아동을 위한 언어유희 번역

Translating wordplay for children

The present study aims to observe how wordplay is translated in picturebooks for young children. Wordplay is widely recognized as a difficult device to translate, often being discussed along untranslatability on the one hand, and the need for active intervention by the translator on the other. If we regard the primary function of picturebooks as entertaining the young audience so as to give them pleasure of literature, creative ways to translate wordplays in picturebooks should be sought. Examining picturebooks revealed that a variety of strategies were used for wordplay translation, including new wordplays not present in the source text, and related rhetoric devices of the target language. The translations have endeavored to find ways to convey the function of wordplays-humor to enhance enjoyment of reading by young children, educational function, and other text-specific functions. Increasing the number of wordplays of more variety in the future is expected to shed more light on wordplays in translation of picturebooks targeting young children as the prime readership.