Abstract This article reflects on the translation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland into the isiNdebele language of Zimbabwe. The isiNdebele translation, Insumansumane zika-Alice, is one of the numerous translations produced towards the 150th commemorative exhibition of Carroll’s legacy following the publication of Wonderland in 1865. The translations resulted in Wonderland becoming one of the most translated English novels, thereby vindicating the ‘universal-child hypothesis’ propounded by Warren Weaver in an earlier appraisal of Wonderland translations fifty years earlier. Weaver regarded the translation of Wonderland as a measure of the popularity of the text among children, who are arguably fascinated by Alice, with whom they are assumed to identify. This article problematises this argument in the light of most translations being initiated by non-mother-tongue speakers of target languages. It is argued that Alice’s worldwide appeal should not be taken for granted as a universal one, partly because of her particular identity, which is different from the diverse target readers. Therefore, the question of whether Alice can really become African reflects on the domestication approach that was adopted by the isiNdebele translator, among others. Special attention is paid to proper nouns and other complex features characterising Carroll’s language usage.

中文翻译：

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《爱丽丝梦游仙境》的翻译和改编为isiNdebele

摘要本文将刘易斯·卡洛尔的《爱丽丝梦游仙境》翻译成津巴布韦的isiNdebele语言。isiNdebele译本Insumansumane zika-Alice是在1865年《仙境》出版后为卡罗尔逝世150周年纪念展览而制作的众多翻译之一。这些翻译使《仙境》成为翻译最多的英语小说之一，从而证明了“沃伦·韦弗（Warren Weaver）在五十年前对《仙境》译本的较早评估中提出了“普遍儿童假说”。韦弗认为《仙境》的翻译是衡量文本在儿童中受欢迎程度的一种量度，而儿童可能被爱丽丝迷住了，并被认为可以与他们识别。鉴于大多数翻译是由目标语言的非母语使用者发起的，因此本文对此问题提出了疑问。有人认为，爱丽丝的全球呼吁不应被视为一种普遍的呼吁，部分原因是她的独特身份与不同的目标读者不同。因此，爱丽丝能否真正成为非洲人的问题反映了isiNdebele译者等人采用的驯化方法。特别注意专有名词和表征卡洛尔语言用法的其他复杂特征。与不同的目标读者不同。因此，爱丽丝能否真正成为非洲人的问题反映了isiNdebele译者等人采用的归化方法。要特别注意专有名词和表征卡洛尔语言用法的其他复杂特征。与不同的目标读者不同。因此，爱丽丝能否真正成为非洲人的问题反映了isiNdebele译者等人采用的驯化方法。特别注意专有名词和表征卡洛尔语言用法的其他复杂特征。