Translation or rewriting of proper names : A study of children’s literature across a century

Abstract: The translation of names is a topic for discussion within many fields, no less so within translation studies. Furthermore, the translation of proper names in children’s literature is a topic with on-going changes. There is a divide between those who believe that the names should be translated into proper cultural equivalent and those who believe it is time to have faith in children being able to handle foreign names. That is what this study will focus on. Approx. 15 names from seven children’s books from 1865 to 2011 were studied to conclude that there seems to be a greater faith in children’s ability to handle foreign names. Three languages were compared English, Spanish, and Swedish with the majority of the 337 names studied being kept in their original format, with spelling intact.