A sociological and paratextual study of literary translations by child translators

While research on literary translation has traditionally focused on adult translators, this article explores the underexamined role of children as translators. Drawing upon concepts of children’s agency and generational order from the new sociology of childhood, it analyzes six translations produced by five Chinese child translators. The analysis employs close readings of paratextual materials, which frequently frame the child translators’ motivations as non-commercial and emphasize their ‘childlike’ qualities–often to appeal to readers of similar age. At the same time, these paratexts reveal the essential role of adult mediation, from initiating the translation to liaising with publishers and ultimately endorsing the final product. This study demonstrates that child translators are not merely imagined recipients but can be active, albeit mediated, agents in literary production. Children’s agency is relational, emerging within adult-led structures that simultaneously enable and constrain their involvement. The findings illustrate how translations by children offer a lens through which to examine the interplay between empowerment and control, revealing the possibilities and tensions inherent in intergenerational collaborations. This article calls for further research to reconceptualize children’s roles in translation, not only as readers but also as cultural producers whose voices merit greater visibility and critical attention.