Of Witches, Children's Literature and its translation

Abstract

Much has been written about the myth of the witch in traditional literature. This typical character is also one of the most familiar elements in the history of children's literature. However, taking into account that almost half of this gender in Spain is translated literature, little has been written about the treatment of this figure and her world in the translator´s hands. There are not many critical studies about the way witches travel from one language/culture to another. The presence of a special addressee - the child - with a world full of nuances, apparently simple but in extremely complex, obliges the translator to establish a dialogue with his or her readers. The translation of children's literature is an appropriate training for not forgetting the target audience. The translator has the opportunity to re-create in his or her own language and to take decisions to keep the balance between the need and/or the obligation to clarify something that might be incomprehensible for the readership. The aim of this article is to analyse how these magical characters - the witches and their environment - have been treated in the hands of the translator. To this end, an analysis of some translations of works in which the character of the witch is the protagonist is offered. In order to contextualise the study, first, some data and a brief introduction to children’s literature in Spain is given; then,  the a brief study of the evolution of  the  translation of children’s literature in Spain follows; finally, the analysis of the translation of some  children’s´ books and the strategies used by translators is offered as a way of illustration.