A Functionalist Approach To The English-Chinese Translation Of Picture Storybooks

Children's picture storybooks are a special literary text type integrating both visual arts and verbal arts, thus belonging to a special text type of literature. In a picture storybook, the text writer and the illustrator work together to produce the intended text effect and achieve the intended function. In this thesis, the author applies the model of literary translation proposed by Nord based on functionalism as well as her Skopos suggestions to picture storybook translation, reconstructs the translation process of picture storybooks in line with the features of this text type. Based on this analysis, the author predicts and examines some of the challenges that may confront the translator, typically the indeterminacy in the picture/text interplay, coherence within the target text world, and rhythm of picture storybook narrative as well as performance. The author suggests that the translator shall examine the picture/text interplay and select code elements according to the intended text function and the target readership to achieve the intended text effect. Meanwhile, the author stresses that the translator shall always produce a coherent text.