The Linguist

@Linguist_CIOL AUGUST/SEPTEMBER The Linguist 21 FEATURES translated. We also provide a downloadable list of expert readers who can help publishers assess children's and young adult (YA) books in a range of languages. Many of them are also translators. They are often keen to share information about books from their country of interest and have a wealth of expertise, including knowledge of funding that may be available to English-language publishers. Branching out Starting life as a blog entitled World Kid Lit Month, the initiative has since evolved to provide resources not only for publishers but for translators too. While we do still celebrate September as World Kid Lit Month, our resources are available all year round and we post weekly content on the blog, which is edited by Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp and me. Engagement on the website has risen over the years, with more than 18,000 visitors in 2020. Despite being a voluntary collective, our pool of contributors and reviewers is expanding, and we encourage anyone who would like to get involved to contact us. We are active on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, 2 often responding to requests for help from teachers who are looking for books from certain areas of the world or to support certain areas of the school curriculum. Translated literature doesn't just have to be about languages; it can support topics in history, geography, religious studies and art, to name a few examples. We are also seeing an increase in events focusing on the translation of books for young people. Recently, Five Leaves Bookshop included an online discussion between publisher Emma Dai'an Wright and me as part of their series investigating diversity in children's publishing. Cork World Book Fest featured readings and discussions of children's books in translation for the first time in 2021, including books translated from Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese, Latvian and Spanish. At the American Literary Translators Association Conference 2020, the session which drew the biggest virtual crowd featured Ruth, Mia Spangenberg, Daniel Hahn and David Jacobson talking about translating children's books. The YA Studies Association also featured a panel discussion about translated books during their inaugural conference in 2020. The challenges of the pandemic have driven many of us to think more creatively and to increase our use of technology. To celebrate World Kid Lit Month 2020, we launched World Kid Lit Live: live-streamed discussions on Facebook and our YouTube channel. Initially a two-part series for September, the success of these panel discussions was such that the series has continued, focusing on certain regions or languages. Managed behind the scenes by Marcia Lynx Qualey (ArabLit) and Mohini Gupta (Mother Tongue Twisters), these sessions have been very well received. Commenting on the DIVERSE STORIES Author Hadil Ghoneim speaks at World Kit Lit Live (above); and a selection of translated books and 'Translate This!' recommendations (left) Arabic session, Alexandra Büchler (Literature Across Frontiers) said: "The response shows that you have tapped into a strong need in the Arabic-speaking world and that there is a lack of opportunities to debate the topic." For World Kid Lit Month 2021, we have a new series of resources to help educators, librarians and booksellers engage more easily with translated literature. This includes reading lists of 20th- and 21st-century classics in translation – books that may well be found on the bookshelves of any school or library. We also have reading lists that focus on books by language and geographical region, including bilingual reading lists. The website is searchable by age group, country, region and source language, so if teachers are looking for books that relate to a specific topic or age group, a simple search should provide lots of ideas. In the run-up to September, why not speak to your local library or school and ask what they're doing for World Kid Lit Month? www.worldkidlit.wordpress.com; to join the discussion group email worldkidlit@gmail.com. Notes 1 cutt.ly/reflect_realities 2 @worldkidlit and facebook.com/worldkidlit

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