Literary awards have always been a way to recognise and appreciate books and have been immensely influential on the professional lives of writers, translators, and illustrators. In Iran, a number of state and non-state organisations present such awards, honouring laureates with cash prizes, medals, and certificates.
However, none of these awards are specifically for translated works of children’s and young adult literature. That is why the Task Force for the Translation of Children’s and Young Adult Literature of the Translators and Interpreters Association of Tehran (TIAT) designed an award to be presented to translators who have worked to draw attention to foreign cultures and make foreign stories accessible to young readers.
This new, as-yet unnamed award is a gold medal to be presented annually on International Translation Day (30 September) to the translator of the most outstanding work in translation for young readers. A number of other exceptional translated titles will receive certificates. Winners will be selected by a panel of judges who will review translated works with the aim to, “promote and elevate the quality of translated works in the field of young adult literature as an autonomous and distinguished genre and provide an opportunity for translators who have devoted their career to attracting young readers to literature”.
To choose the most outstanding work of the year, judges will consider the following criteria:
- Faithfulness to the original
- Comprehensibility and coherence of the translation
- Appeal to young readers
- Level of creativity in approaches to translation
- Use of the most suitable equivalents
- Precision in conveying meaning
- Translator’s efforts to gain the copyright for the original work
It is worth mentioning that this award may be presented to both first-time translators and seasoned ones. By creating such an award, TIAT hopes to pay homage to the efforts of translators of children’s and young adult literature.
Dr Shaghayegh Nazarzade (TIAT)