Children’s Literature and Translation

Al-Assad Library recently hosted a symposium titled “Children’s Literature and Translation” with the participation of a number of prominent Syrian writers and translators.

Organized by the Syrian General Book Commission, in cooperation with the Arab Writers Union and Damascus University, the symposium focused on various aspects of children’s writing and translation.

Head of the Arab Writers’ Union Malek Saqqour made an intervention about Russian writer Tolstoy Children’s stories such as “The Elephant,  “Two Friends” and “Turtles and the Eagle”, pointing out that these stories were simple in form but with important moral lessons and educational message.

Throughout these simple stories, Tolstoy managed to immunize children educationally and morally through teaching them noble values of courage, magnanimity, altruism indirectly away from the didactic style. He also taught them to sympathize with the poor. He himself worked for helping the poor and opened a library for them.

In her intervention, Mrs. Nahed Hashem cast light on advocating human values in the writings of Kamel al-Kilani, who is considered one of the pioneers of children’s literature in the Arab homeland. As for translation of world children’s writings, she affirmed that focus should be put on the human and educational values that will be passed to our children.

In his intervention, writer Hussam Khaddour reviewed the History of children’s writing in Syria and called for launching competitions for children’s writings in Syria.

Shakespeare and Children’s literature was the title of Mrs. Zainab Khadour’s paper in which she said that many of Shakespeare’s plays have been adapted to children because they are teeming with moral and educational lessons.

Employing translation in Children’s literature was Dr. Ward Rabee’s intervention in which he highlighted the most important theories of translating children’s literature.

The symposium began with a letter directed by Syrian translators to translators all over the world calling on them to organize an international campaign to support Syrian people in confrontation of the takfiri terrorism, rebuilding Syria and bringing all those who conspire against Syria to trial

KH.Q