Chinese Translations of Third-Person Pronouns for Talking and Non-talking Animals in Charlotte's Web.
The article investigates how translators deal with third-person pronouns for non-human animals in eight Chinese translations of American animal story Charlotte's Web, by E. B. White (1952). In the source text, the personal pronouns he and she are used for most animals, while neuter pronouns are appl...
| Published in: | Children's Literature in Education Vol. 56; no. 3; pp. 460 - 476 |
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| Format: | Article |
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Springer Nature
Sep2025
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=187670175&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 187670175 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00456713 CLE jtl: Children's Literature in Education issn: 00456713 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Sep2025 vid: 56 iid: 3 pid: 237 pub: Springer Nature artinfo: ui: 187670175 10.1007/s10583-023-09572-6 ppf: 460 ppct: 16 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P size: 812KB tig: atl: Chinese Translations of Third-Person Pronouns for Talking and Non-talking Animals in Charlotte's Web. aug: au: Chen, Xuemei affil: Applied Translation Studies, BNU-HKBU United International University, 2000 Jintong Road, Tangjiawan, Zhuhai, China su: Translating & interpreting Pronouns English fiction Animal stories Third person narrative White, E. B. (Elwyn Brooks), 1899-1985 sug: subj: Translating & interpreting Pronouns English fiction Animal stories Third person narrative White, E. B. (Elwyn Brooks), 1899-1985 keyword: Anthropomorphism Charlotte's Web Talking animals Third-person pronoun Translation ab: The article investigates how translators deal with third-person pronouns for non-human animals in eight Chinese translations of American animal story Charlotte's Web, by E. B. White (1952). In the source text, the personal pronouns he and she are used for most animals, while neuter pronouns are applied to others. This reflects the author's differentiated view of (non)-talking animals, his distinction between reality and fantasy, and the characters' changing attitude towards animals. Four translations largely adhere to the source text's pronominal use. However, the use of neuter pronouns in two versions and personal pronouns in another for all animals obscures the author's hierarchical view of animals and the central theme of not eating talking animals. Neuter pronouns also conceal the animals' genders from readers. The analysis of these translations provides insight into how translated anthropomorphic stories appeal to ethical concerns regarding animal treatment. Pronoun choice serves as a focal point for ethical deliberations concerning human-animal relations and ethical stances on eating animal meat. This article highlights the importance of careful consideration when translating pronouns for talking animals, as pronouns can shape child readers' perception of animals and their treatment. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y custom: Children's Literature in Education is a copyright of Springer, 2025. All Rights Reserved. item: Children's Literature in Education holder: Springer Nature dt: @attributes: year: 2025 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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