From Translation Theory to Practice: a possible English translation of "Le avventure di Gatto Manno", a book by Pier Luigi Coz

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the translation of a literary text. The first chapter provides an analysis of the development of translations studies and an overview of the relevant aspects of translation theory. After providing some definitions of translation given by Susan Bassnett and Roman Jakobson, it presents the different ways in which this process was approached through the centuries, taking into consideration the role of the translator in the relationship between the source text and the target text. Also, it analyses the various theories studied by authors such as Basil Hatim and Jeremy Munday, Umberto Eco, Georges Mounin, and the possible procedures to follow while translating distinguished by JP Vinay and J. Darbelnet. After that the chapter addresses some peculiar characteristics of the translation of children’s literature, through the works of Gillian Lathey, Jan Van Coillie, Riitta Oittinen, Belen Gonzáles-Cascallana. The second section gives an overview of the Italian author Pier Luigi Coz, his life and the reasons why he decided to publish the book, followed by a presentation of the book, its characteristics and of the texts which will then be translated. Finally, the third part of this thesis contains a possible commented English translation of excerpts taken from the book "Le avventure di Gatto Manno". In particular the translation will include parts from the first two chapters, in which the different characters are presented, and the last chapter, to give the reader an idea of how the book ends.