In comic translation, keeping the audience is more important than excessive fidelity to the text.
Children and Young Adults Service of the Iran Book News Agency (IBNA) – Sayeh Barin: In an era where picture books and comics have connected with the new generation more than ever, the translator of these books is not just a conveyor of meaning but a vital bridge between the world of narrative and the minds of children and young adults. Nasim Aliasin is an editor active in the field of children’s and young adult literature. She has recently translated and edited the comic book “Galactic Hotdog,” written by Max Brallier and illustrated by Rachel Maguire and Nicole Kelley; a fresh, energetic, and humorous work that has managed to captivate children with its contemporary language and sci-fi atmosphere. This comic’s translation has been published by Komika Publications.
In an interview with IBNA, Aliasin discusses the challenges of comic translation, the importance of the new generation’s language, fidelity versus textual fluency, the role of images in narrative, and the fine line between accurate meaning transfer and maintaining connection with the audience; a line a capable translator must tread with care and precision. Let’s read the full text of this conversation:
First of all, when you first read “Galactic Hotdog,” what aspects of the comic book’s overall atmosphere captivated your attention? Humor, rhythm, imagery, or characters?
An important point about the characters is that at the beginning of the story, we don’t understand their nature at all; we don’t know if they are humans, machines, or alien beings. Gradually, we discover these characteristics through details. When friendship forms among these diverse characters, it seems to show us that humans, despite their differences, can connect with each other and build lasting relationships. In the story, we first have two friends, and then they become three; beings who have each come from somewhere, but are friends with each other, stand by each other, and care for each other.
What characteristics did you see in the text that made you decide to translate it?
When I received the book, I liked its humorous theme and visual appeal. I wanted to try my hand at translation this time and contribute to the creation of the work with a different perspective. Fortunately, Ms. Mehrabian trusted me in this path, and I started the translation work.
As an editor active in the field of comic book translation publication, what problems and challenges have you encountered in the translation process of this type of books?
In editing, we sometimes come across cases and find the problem in the translation. Sometimes translators refer to a dictionary and choose the first or most common meaning and construct the rest of the sentence based on it. This prevents the correct concept from being conveyed. Sometimes a word has several meanings, but you use the first one, while the author intended the last one. Until the Persian translation is comprehensible, it means we haven’t found what we are looking for yet.
Sometimes a sentence or phrase is not understood, so the translator cannot convey it correctly to the audience, and this causes part of the text to remain incomprehensible. In children’s books, especially comics, we only have one chance to convey the correct meaning. Unlike adult books, we cannot expect a child to search for meaning. We cannot add extra explanations elsewhere or compensate for deficiencies. If the phrase is not translated correctly, the entire meaning is affected, the child’s attention is lost, and they feel they don’t understand the text, which means they become discouraged from continuing to read the book.
So, we must make the best use of that one chance, and even if it takes a long time, put the correct meaning. New comics are written in the language of today’s generation. A comic published in 2025 is very different from a comic from the 1990s because children’s language has changed. The translator’s duty is to spend hours, if necessary, to find the correct and precise meanings.
The translator is the first Persian-speaking audience of the book and must translate in such a way that they realize the challenges and shortcomings of the work. Of course, the editor’s role in this regard is very important. They are the first reader of the translated book and a third eye that sees the work from a different perspective.
In translating comic books, the limitation of fitting text into speech bubbles is a significant challenge. For this book, how did you harmonize the size, tone, and rhythm of the dialogues with the visual space?
Many of the challenges are related to the layout artist; the one who has to fit the text into the specific comic formats. I have learned from my professors to take font size seriously in comic translation and editing. In comics, sometimes font size carries meaning; for example, when the font is very soft and simple, the dialogue seems normal, but if it is slightly angled or bold, it indicates emphasis or excitement, or shows that the character is speaking loudly. I always try to observe these points, because otherwise, part of the meaning is lost.
Comic books have a very specific format, and all these details are important in them. Usually, there isn’t much difference in text size between Persian and English; therefore, we don’t have a big challenge in converting from English to Persian.
The setting of “Galactic Hotdog” is somewhat sci-fi and humorous. What was the hardest part of conveying the humor and linguistic plays of the original text into Persian?
In this particular text, I did not face any special challenges. When you want to convey a message correctly, first of all, you must understand its meaning and the linguistic plays of the original language. Usually, there are two situations: either you can find an equivalent in Persian that reflects the linguistic play or not. If a suitable equivalent is not found, it is better to simply state the meaning of the sentence or phrase. If the audience feels they don’t understand, they lose attention, and our opportunity is lost. If we insist too much, the entire text will be damaged. I always prefer the audience to understand what I want to say rather than just trying to convey the linguistic play to them. Once we find the overall structure of the book, we can use this possibility in other places where the text allows us and linguistic play is possible in Persian.
As a translator, when translating comics, which do you consider more important: complete fidelity to the text or creating a fluent and localized experience for the Persian-speaking reader? How did you strike a balance in this project?
What I have heard from many great translators and my professors is that the most important issue is the output that attracts the audience. An Iranian audience, especially children and young adults, needs to read a fluent and comprehensible text, because they are not supposed to search for meaning or guess complex parts. Wherever the translator cannot establish a connection, the link between the text and the reader is broken.
Fidelity to the text is important, but fidelity to the audience is more important; that is, we must convey the meaning correctly. Let me give an example: during my student days, the most important source for physics was “Halliday’s” book, whose translation was available in Iran. The Persian translation of the book was very difficult to understand and obscure. When I first flipped through the English version, I encountered a simple and fluent text and enjoyed reading it. I, a Persian speaker, understood the English version better than the Persian translation!
Translators who think they should be very faithful to the text sometimes destroy the connection, and the result is that they lose the audience. If such a gap is created in a scientific text, let alone in a story. Of course, note that great authors have their own unique style, and translators of these works must be style-savvy; meaning, while maintaining complete fidelity to the style, they should not lose the fluency of the text. But in children’s books, keeping the audience is more important than dry and inflexible fidelity. Although sometimes in the dubbing of some cartoons, we see that what is presented is more attractive and funnier than the original cartoon, and the dear voice actors have said whatever seemed interesting to them! Neither so irregular, nor so strict; translation must be both faithful and sweet and attractive for the audience.
In comic books, images carry a large part of the narrative. Did you remove or rearrange any part of the text to better highlight the visual narrative?
In comic books, images are of fundamental importance. When we receive black and white Word files without images, we don’t understand more than half of the meaning, because comics are based on visuals. In comics, many exciting parts are carried by images, and this makes teenagers have a special interest in these types of books. I remember the first comic I saw was “The Adventures of Tintin”; the book I received was torn, but I loved it so much that I read the same repeated copies every summer. What really attracted me were the drawings.
The new generation, constantly interacting with virtual spaces and visual stimuli, is accustomed to seeing images. Children’s novels with black and white pages do not have the same appeal as before; except for children who grew up with books.
Fortunately, in this book, there was no need for deletion or rearrangement. Deletions are usually related to cultural differences, and this book did not have such cases.
The audience for this book are children and young adults. What decisions did you make to ensure the translated language was suitable for this age group? For example, simplification, moderating jokes, or implicitly explaining concepts.
We also have adult comics. In Japan and many countries, many comics are produced for adults. Usually, one can understand the comic’s target audience from the images and content. Galactic Hotdog is a book written for the children and early teenage age group in its original language and has nothing that needs redefinition or restriction.
Here, I need to make a point: it must be considered that despite cultural differences between various countries, today’s children are not like our generation. Virtual space has reduced distances so much that it’s wrong to think we are still isolated. Children today know exactly how others live in other countries, what they eat, what they wear, or whether they have pets or not. Hiding these realities does not help.
Today the world has changed; previously, if you went from Tehran to a provincial city, it was as if you went back several years in time. But now the differences are not noticeable. The way children dress, their behaviors, and their information are very similar. The same applies to the differences between Iran and other parts of the world. Distances have decreased, and children around the world are very similar today. Therefore, we should not sacrifice the story for these differences and think that Iranian children can be kept away from common world events. Fortunately, in this book, there was no case requiring such interventions.
In your opinion, how does “Galactic Hotdog” differ from common comic books in the Persian children’s book market? What new points does it offer in terms of fantasy or visual design?
This book is engaging, lively, and cute. Its humor brings a smile to the reader’s face from beginning to end; there are no loud laughs, but a continuous smile. There are many surprising scenes in it. The most beautiful parts are where the characters make sacrifices for each other in unexpected situations; sometimes it doesn’t seem wise or logical, but it garners the audience’s admiration.
The book is new. Many comics, both in the original language and in translation, are old. A comic or any other sci-fi book needs to be up-to-date, especially with the rapid pace of technological advancement. If a sci-fi book does not reach children in time, it loses some of its appeal. Because this book is new, it can connect well with the new generation.
If you were to summarize your experience of translating this comic into one lesson or advice for young translators, what would you say?
Every book teaches me something new. I have been editing translations for eight years and translate less, but every book has its unique characteristics, and this is what makes the world of books attractive to me.
In stories and comics, a balance must be struck between fidelity to the text and simplicity and comprehension; it should not be so dry that the meaning is lost, nor so free that we stray from the original text. The translator is the first Persian-speaking audience of the text and must convey the same feeling they get from reading the text to the Persian version. Sometimes it is necessary to slightly let go of superficial fidelity to establish a deeper connection with the audience.
And finally, if you were to translate future volumes or similar comics, what direction would you like them to take? Is there a particular style or atmosphere you are interested in?
I am very interested in comics and science fiction, especially when they also contain an element of humor; and Galactic Hotdog has all three features. In the sci-fi genre, I like books to be up-to-date and reflect new technologies, because the pace of technological advancement is very high, and works in this genre must keep up with it.
Our audience today are children whose minds are engaged with virtual spaces and computer games. We must maintain our connection with them and deepen the relationship between children and books. This is possible through translating books that have meanings and appeals suitable for this generation; a book that keeps the child engaged until the end. This is our most important responsibility. Children’s view of the world is forming at this age, from early years to adolescence. These are the children who are going to make real changes in the world. Books open doors for them to worlds they might not be aware of. They see forms of connections and friendships that seem impossible in real life.
For these reasons, I enjoy editing comic books; and if given the opportunity, translating them too.
