Welcome to Talking Translation, where we go behind the scenes and between the lines to learn more about the process of translating Australian children’s books. Today we meet Hels Kure, the Estonian translator of many popular Australian children’s books, including middle grade fiction by Nat Amoore and Jessica Townsend. 

Why talk about translation?

Children’s and YA books make up over 54% of the international rights sales of Australian literature. They are vibrant agents of cross-cultural exchange and exciting contributors to the arts economy. And Aussies love an international success story! So, by all means, praise the authors! Praise the illustrators! But do remember that none of this success happens without exceptional translators, who deftly manipulate words to ensure new audiences can enjoy the same reading experience as the book’s first readers. In the age of AI it’s never been more important to celebrate these gifted creators who do SO much more than swap one word for another. Let’s make our translators visible!  

Talking Translation with Estonian translator Hels Kure 

Hels Kure is an English teacher and experienced translator of over 144 titles. “It’s been great to take time to reflect on my work,” she says, “thank you for noticing translators!” 

Q: How many Australian picture books have you translated in your career?

A: In addition to some books by Australian authors who write for adults, I’ve had the pleasure of translating six books by two talented Australian children’s authors. From Nat Amoore, I’ve translated Secrets Of A Schoolyard Millionaire, The Power Of Positive Pranking, and The Right Way To Rock. I’ve also translated all the books published so far in Jessica Townsend’s Nevermoor series, including Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow, Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow, and Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow. It’s been a joy to bring these wonderful stories to the Estonian audience and help share the magic of Australian children’s literature.

The Right Way To Rock, Estonian edition

Q: Do you notice similarities across the Australian books you’ve worked on that pose challenges to translation?

A: While each book is unique, the one similarity I can bring out is the use of sometimes whimsical expressions and slang specific to Australians that I’ve had to pay attention to. Trying to convey the same meaning in Estonian in the same playful tone is always a fun challenge. Naturally, as with all authors, wherever they are from, I’ve had to be careful with cultural references and jokes, especially since I haven’t had the chance to experience Australian culture firsthand. That sometimes requires a fair amount of research and double-checking to ensure I haven’t missed any nuances or specific Australian customs.

The Right Way to Rock, Australian edition

Q: For your work on the popular Nat Amoore titles, specifically, can you identify some of the challenges you faced? Are there particular pages or lines of text that were hard to render into Estonian?

A: Translating Nat Amoore’s books has posed more challenges and required more creativity and out-of-the-box thinking than translating any others, I think. The anagrams in The Power Of Positive Pranking and the musical translations in The Right Way To Rock both needed clever solutions. In The Power Of Positive Pranking, I had to translate anagrams, including two anagram sentences which both carried a very specific meaning that needed to come across in the translation: “Mayor Lupphol, Watterson hero” and “Stop, Mayor! Help our Earth now”. That meant that I had to convey both meanings while using the same letters in both sentences in Estonian as well. On top of everything else, the original sentence contained the letter W as part of a name I had to keep in the translation of the first sentence, and this letter is not commonly used in Estonian. Luckily, I could turn it upside down and make it an M. I had pages and pages filled with scribbles, trying out different options.

While translating The Right Way To Rock I spent a lot of time singing along to musical numbers – to my family’s great delight, I’m sure – to make sure the translation of the new lyrics made up by one of the main characters not only matches the meaning and rhyming scheme but also the rhythm and tune of the original songs.

I also met an unexpected problem with The Power Of Positive Pranking when just as I reached the very end and thought there would be no more puzzles to solve, the author thanked a mysterious PB and she could have meant anything from “polar bear” to “power breaks” or “prayer book” for all I knew. Luckily for me, I could reach out to Nat and she explained that it’s short for Papa Bear, a nickname for her dad.

Secrets of a Schoolyard Millionaire, Estonian edition

Q: What are some of the challenges involved in translating children’s books, in general? For example, how do the illustrations impact the way you translate the words? How do you adjust rhyming texts?

A: While illustrations can be very helpful when choosing vocabulary when there are several options to choose from in the target language, they can actually make translating more difficult at times. For example, I’ve had to translate idioms or wordplays that include things depicted in the illustration, but in the target language, the phrase does not. Then it’s up to the translator to find a clever way to get the meaning across while keeping the connection to the illustration. Translating rhymes, which are also often used in children’s literature, can be tricky and it requires creativity and a bit of poetic license at times.

The same applies to translating puns and other forms of humour to recreate the comedic effect, and children’s books tend to contain them quite often. Sometimes it may take weeks to come up with a solution (or a better one than the first) but when the right idea pops into your head – sometimes in the most unexpected situation – it’s a very rewarding feeling.

Secrets of a Schoolyard Millionaire, Australian edition.

Q: Finally, please tell us a bit about your career as a translator (background, education, experience, languages).

A: When I finished high school, there was no question about what I’d do next – I’ve always loved English, so it was a natural step to choose English Philology as my major. At the same time, I was given a chance to start translating literature from English to Estonian, which, looking back now and considering I was fresh out of high school, was a huge show of trust. During my studies at the university, in addition to a minor in teaching English, I completed one in literary translation and another one in translating and interpreting and planned to focus on a career as a translator. Unexpectedly, I was asked to start teaching English part-time. Fast forward almost 19 years and I am working full-time as a high school English teacher and part-time as a translator instead.

I have studied German and Russian in school and just a bit of Italian on my own, but somehow, they have always taken the back seat to English, so English is the only language I translate from. So far, I have translated 144 books in various genres, with more focus on children’s and young adult books in recent years, and plan to keep going. Although looking for solutions to tricky translation problems, the pressure of deadlines, and juggling two careers can be challenging at times, translating literature is a rewarding job that offers intellectual fulfillment, a sense of achievement, and a chance for creative expression.

Quality translation is a skilled blend of art and science. I hope this interview series helps elevate our respect for the creative efforts of translators, as well as the sophisticated (misunderstood!) work of children’s writers and illustrators.