ABSTRACT
Picturebooks are a unique art form. They entertain and educate, they inform and intrigue. Perhaps most importantly, they offer experiences for children and adults alike; experiences that help the child and adult reader achieve new understandings together. Translators always need to comprehend language on various levels, to understand cultural intricacies, to be sensitive towards the needs of the new target audience, and to adjust their translation strategies accordingly. The interpretive and assimilative abilities of the child reader need not be underestimated. Producing simplicity may result in a tedious translation. In picturebook translation, the consideration of cultural references is not limited to the verbal level: the translator also needs to carefully examine the culture-specific visual context in which the words are presented. In the translation industry, picturebook translation is not usually very highly valued; at least the translation commissions do not tend to be financially lucrative.
