The Role of Memetics in Cultural Translation

Abstract

When a children’s book becomes known around the world, its translation plays a key role, not only in making the book accessible to the target language reader, but also in bridging the gap between the target language culture and the global literary phenomenon. The translation can thus contribute to further interpretations, adaptations, and allusions of the work, which shape the literary tradition in different genres and cultures. The aim of this paper is to approach cultural translation from a new, memetic perspective. Although translation decisions are not consciously made for the purpose of meme transfer, successful meme transfer can mean successful translation. This paper explores how local memes become global, the challenges of meme transfer, and the outcomes of successful intercultural translation. Through examples from children’s literature, I illustrate the extent to which Hungarian readers are able to relate to the cultural context of the original works and to the global cultural impression.