Translating Childhood: Stylistic and Cultural Challenges in the Translation of Ana María Matute (ES–DE)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12795/mAGAzin.2025.i33.06Keywords:
Children’s literary translation, Ana María Matute, Musicality, Rhythm, MetaphorAbstract
This paper analyzes the German translation of El polizón del Ulises by Ana María Matute, an iconic figure in Spanish children's literature, with the aim of identifying the strategies employed and the challenges involved in its stylistic and cultural transfer. Through a comparative approach, it examines elements such as narrative rhythm, musicality, poetic imagery, the metaphorical system associated with the heart, and the treatment of cultural references. The study reveals a tendency toward syntactic simplification, lexical neutralization, and cultural adaptation, which –while enhancing accessibility for young German-speaking readers– diminishes the lyrical and emotional texture of the original. It concludes that, although the German version successfully preserves Matute’s evocative atmosphere, it conveys a different sensibility, one that is less musical and poetic. This study contributes to highlighting the translational complexity of children’s literature with a strong poetic dimension and its role as an intercultural mediator.
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