Exploring the Translation Process of Bruce Pascoe’s Young Dark Emu into Italian: Choices, Reflections and Learnings

Abstract

“Teaching children that’s the only way to change anything” affirms Bruce Pascoe (Smyrk 29). It can be argued that his book Young Dark Emu: A Truer History (YDE), aimed at young people (7-12 yr.), contributes to changing Australian identity and rethinking life across the planet at a time of global environmental crisis. As is often the case, Aboriginal Australian literature’s well-defined political identity demands ethical awareness in translation. YDE’s dual nature: culture-sensitive counter-memory and children’s literature contributes to complexity. Arguably, antagonistic translation strategies would suit this type of text. Translating YDE for Italian children, became an exploration of strategies and choices in relation to our ethical positioning. A priori standards were met by navigating a theoretical framework interwoven to assist the process. An action research design guided action and reflection, leaning broadly (but not restrictedly) on the contributions to Translation of Reiss, Toury, Eco, Venuti and Osimo. This article discusses choices, rationale behind solutions, insights, consistency with ideology and ethical positioning. The focus is on the process of making ‘common sense’ of the encounter of two very far apart cultures.