Lost in Title Translation: A Comparative Analysis of English-Persian Book Titles for Children and Adults

The titles of translated books have a significant impact on their marketability, as they are among the first features perceived by potential readers. This study focuses on the strategic differences in the translation of book titles for children and adults, an under-researched area in translation studies. To this end, 100 English book titles for children and 100 English book titles for adults were selected, translated into Persian, and analyzed according to Newmark’s communicative translation and semantic translation and Vinay and Darbelnet’s (1994, 2004) model. The analysis shows that, according to Newmark, 74 children’s book titles were translated using the communicative translation and 26 using the semantic translation. Of the book titles for adults, 75 were translated using semantic translation and 25 using communicative translation. The analysis of the titles based on Vinay and Darbelnet’s model showed that the titles of the translated children’s books were mostly rendered using a modulation process. In contrast, literal translation came first in the books for adults. The use of different procedures and approaches by Iranian translators shows that the translation of children's books requires different skills. The greater number of modulations in children’s books compared to adult literature also shows more creativity to appeal to the younger audience. This study has implications for various bodies in the translation industry, including translators, translation educators, and policymakers for publishers in the translation market.

Lost in Title Translation: A Comparative Analysis of English-Persian Book Titles for Children and Adults Keywords:

Children’s Literature , Adult books , title translation , communicative translation , semantic translation