Translating Children’s Literature into Arabic

This book offers an in-depth exploration of the development of the translation of children’s literature into Arabic, providing unique insights into the prominent role of Kāmīl Kīlānī in shaping its history as well as for the translation of children’s literature more broadly.

The volume surveys existing scholarship on the translation of children’s literature, which encourages cross-cultural understanding and the promotion of reading in minority languages. In particular, Ayoub and Elimam call attention to translation by adaptation as the driving force in many most translations of children’s literature into Arabic and other languages in which cultural differences between source and target languages can prove challenging. The book reflects on Kīlānī’s importance to the translation of Arabic children’s literature as one of the first writers to specialize in adapting works for Arab children, charting his influence through the use of narrative theory and framing strategies in adaptations. A final chapter examines the limitations and opportunities of the study, building toward new research on adaptations as the primary route for translations of children’s literature both in Arabic and beyond.

This book will be of interest to scholars in translation studies, adaptation studies, Arabic literature, and children’s literature.

Dr Amal Abdul-Aziz Ayoub holds a PhD in Translation Studies from The University of Manchester and Helwan University, Egypt. She is currently Assistant Professor of Translation Studies at Taiba University, Saudi Arabia. Her research specialistions include translation theory and practice, the translation of children’s literature and interpreting. Dr Ayoub is also interested in exploring innovative teaching methodologies and the use AI to enhance translation education.

Dr Ahmed Saleh Elimam holds a PhD in Translation Studies from the University of Manchester in 2009 and is currently Associate Professor in Translation Studies at Qatar University. Dr Elimam previously held teaching positions at the University of Leicester, the Open University, the University of St Andrews and the University of Manchester. His research interests span Arabic literary translation, Qur’an Translation, and Translation and Ideology. Among his recent publications are Arabic-English-Arabic Literary Translation: Issues and Strategies (2023) and The Qur’an, Translation and the Media: A Narrative Account (2021).