Putting the Child Reader First: The Croatian Translation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Father Christmas Letters

Abstract

<p>The paper analyzes the Croatian translation of a collection of J.R.R. Tolkien’s letters to his children – the posthumously published <em>Father Christmas Letters</em> (1976). Situated within the theoretical and methodological framework of descriptive translation studies, the paper will examine specific translation strategies and tactics utilized to make the text more comprehensible and accessible to the target (child) audience, thus demonstrating that the translator, Zlatko Crnković, is first and foremost translating <em>for</em> children. The analysis is focused on the level of content (with special emphasis on culture-specific items) and style. By examining one of Tolkien’s “minor” works and its translation into a “minor” language, the paper aims to address underscrutinized areas within Tolkien, translation, and children’s literature studies.[1] </p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong> children’s literature, <em>Father Christmas Letters</em>, J.R.R. Tolkien, <em>Pisma</em><em> </em><em>Djeda</em><em> </em><em>Božićnjaka</em>, translation strategies<br /></p>