The Translation of Working-Class Speech and Culture in Japanese Translations of Robert Westall’s Novels Set in North–East England

Robert Westall (1929–1993) was one of the most successful British children’s writers in the latter half of the twentieth century. However, his novels often provoked controversy in Britain because of his inclusion of working-class language and culture in children’s books. This paper examines how such “controversial” working-class dialogues are translated in Japan, where his novels are particularly popular. This paper explores Japanese translations of Westall’s novels published between 1980 and 2009, with a particular focus on three novels set in north-east England in the 1940s: The Machine-Gunners (1975; Japanese translation, 1980), Fathom Five (1979; Japanese translation, 2009), and The Kingdom by the Sea (1990; Japanese translation, 1994). Examination of these translations, which were produced during different economic periods in Japan, will contribute to understanding the cultural and political roles of translators and of children’s literature, as it reveals the hegemonic process of how working-class culture is reduced and how gender stereotypes, as well as normative middle-class culture, are reinforced through translation.