Transforming Tales: The Impact of Intralingual Translation on Children's Literature

This study focuses on the intralingual translation of children’s books from British into American English, supporting the notion that it is more common for British texts to undergo modifications prior to entering the American market. This phenomenon, known as Americanisation, has been a central topic in numerous studies related to intralingual translation. There are apparent reasons for the 'Americanisation' of these texts, such as their potential marketability (Whitehead 1996). However, further analyses have unveiled a hidden ideology, described as a form of hegemony aimed at challenging the cultural and unique identity of Britain (Leonardi 2020: 58). For the purposes of this study, the intralingual translation from British into American English of Noel Streatfeild’s The Painted Garden will be examined to identify and evaluate the translation changes that have occurred in the American edition. This research aims to demonstrate the significant influence that intralingual translation can exert in children’s literature (ChL) concerning ideological manipulation and hegemony through the Americanisation of British texts. It also calls for further investigation into this type of translation, as interlingual translations may, in some instances, consider these adaptations as reference source texts.