Evaluating translated children’s literature through the use of the ecocritical lens: a case study of the Chinese translation of Charlotte’s Web

Abstract

In our rapidly urbanizing world, the growing number of city dwellers increasingly lose touch with nature and this stretched distance between human and the nature diminishes our affinity and affection for the environment and nonhuman creatures. Meanwhile, one of the common means to instill values and build character is by education, in particular, the books that children read. Unlike other genres, children’s literature usually come with a pre-determined target audience and the plots are written to communicate certain ideas that are intentionally designed by the author. E.B. White’s 1952 novel, Charlotte’s Web, is one of these books. He crafted the endearing story of fostering “friendship” on the farm with the hope to encourage readers to treat animals with compassion and kindness. However, unlike English readers who directly read the tale in the original language, Chinese readers read what the translator has re-produced and this brings the concern of whether the ecological values in the source text are kept intact or manipulated. While there are numerous papers discussing the two separately produced mainstream Chinese versions by Ren Rongrong and Kang Xin, there is minimal discussion that takes up the perspective of ecocriticism, that looks at how and if translation distorts the ecological framing or intentionality of the source text. Thus, this thesis aims to triangulate children’s literature, Skopos theory and ecocriticism to discuss how translators could manipulate source texts. Using categorized textual evidences, the paper reaches the conclusion that there is a significant lack of awareness of ecological understanding during translation, which leads to distortion of the source text. Given White’s environmentalist motivation and purpose of writing the book, the misaligned translation largely renders White’s efforts futile. Thus, the ecocritical lens should not be left out in discussions of the translation quality of texts that cover this area.