ABSTRACT
Dialogue is central to the development of character and plot in modern childrens fiction. Spoken exchanges drive narrative momentum, but they also offer respite from lengthy descriptive or explanatory passages that may seem daunting to younger readers. A translator working on spoken language in childrens books therefore needs to become acquainted with small childrens speech patterns and to listen to the exchanges of their elder siblings on city streets in order to create a convincing young peoples vernacular that will not date too quickly. There is a clear distinction between Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) as taught in schools and colloquial Arabic, which is regarded as low status and is not usually represented in MSA. Although colloquial Arabic is increasingly used in fiction, specifically for dialogue, it rarely filters into childrens literature, and even the dubbing of dialogue in films tends to be in fusha.
