Abstract:
Literary translation is a skill, both technical and creative in nature, the end
result of which allows readers to have access to and enjoy stories written by
authors in different countries around the world. ‘Unlocking New Worlds: An
English Translation of Cornelia Funke’s Herr der Diebe’ consists of five
sections. Section One examines the types of challenges translators face when
rendering a literary work from one language into another, with a particular
focus on children’s stories, and also includes a discussion of Cornelia Funke
and the source text. Section Two comprises my translation (entitled ‘Master
of Thieves’) of 15 chapters from Cornelia Funke’s Herr der Diebe. From my
translation of the original German text, I gained a practical insight into the
process and issues involved with rendering parts of this novel into English.
Section Three details some of the most intriguing problems associated with
translating this children’s book: names and titles, explanatory notes,
swearwords, illustrations, the use of pronouns, English versus German
conventions and idiomatic expressions. Section Four consists of a comparison
between the solutions I decided on for my target text and some of those
employed by Oliver Latsch in the official English version, The Thief Lord,
published by The Chicken House in 2003. Section Five is a summary of my
findings. My research revealed that, though many varying opinions exist
amongst translation theorists, there is no definitive guide on the ‘rules’ of
translation. The features belonging to each individual literary work will
determine how a translator might decide to reproduce the author’s original
creation in a foreign language, as has been demonstrated by this case study of
Cornelia Funke’s Venetian adventure story.
