Developing Auslan educational resources: a process of effective translation of children's books

This paper discusses the process of translating resources from English to Auslan as part of the pilot Auslan Resources project, under the auspices of the Thomas Pattison School Bilingual Program and Renwick College. The remit of the project was to produce translations of various books targeted at children of K - 2 reading level (5 -7 years old), for parents and teachers to use as a resource in reading books with children of this age group. An outline will be given of the various stages involved in developing effective deaf-culturally appropriate translations, with consideration given to the goal of each translation. Examples are given to demonstrate how the translation progressed from the initial draft, through consultation with children, teachers, interpreters and linguists, to achieve the final product. The aim of this paper is to highlight the significance of translation theory and consultation in producing effective Auslan translations of books.