enviromommy Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Dr. Seuss translations are proving a fabulous way of reading to my kids in French. They know the books by heart in English, they are fascinated to hear how the lines are translated, and the repetition of words with pictures can't be beat for absorbing vocabulary. Once you've read Les Oeufs Verts au Jambon a few times, you'll never forget how to say mouse, house, train, boat, goat, rain, etc. So perfect. I'm now collecting all the childhood favorites I can find that they already know in English (not just Dr. Seuss). I'll Love You Forever, Where the Wild Things Are, Goodnight Moon... I'm so excited by how well this is working! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 I'm glad it's working! I find that some translations bother me. For example, Amazon just sent me an email with some Spanish suggestions for me because I had looked up "Are You My Mother?" in Spanish. One of them was "One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish" translated as "Un Pez Dos Peces Pez Rojo Pez Azul." There's no rhythm or rhyme in the Spanish so, for me, much of the appeal is lost. The same thing with "Goodnight Moon" - it loses the soft, soothing quality of the English. But with the repetition, you're right, it would be really good! I've been reading the boys German books and Spanish books at bedtime, so I've been looking at a lot of children's books lately LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zillymom Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 We have both Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat in the Hat in Italian here, and I agree, it's a fun way to pick up vocab! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 that's why they're also available in Latin... As for me, I never really liked the translations. Too often, they make no sense, but that's from a French speaker who never really got the appeal for Dr Seuss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Holanamaste Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 Some translations are really bad, like "Is your mama a llama?". I actually change it a little when I read it to my kids. But some are really good! I have Green Eggs and Ham in Spanish and it falls in the very good translation and it has had the same effect that you describe in my kids. I love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enviromommy Posted August 9, 2011 Author Share Posted August 9, 2011 Yeah, I agree that the translations aren't as good, and the rhyming and meter are often forced. But for the purpose of teaching vocabulary, these books are great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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