Editorial Practices in Publishing (“Translating”) Wordless Picture Books

Despite the terminological designation, wordless picture books always contain certain verbal elements. Precisely because of the predominant visual aspect in wordless picture books, the verbal aspect is additionally laden with meaning, which can significantly influence (broaden/narrow) interpretative possibilities. In this sense, even the smallest change can significantly affect the artistic structure or perception of the work itself. Given the limited number of scholarly contributions in the Slovenian cultural space that theoretically address wordless picture books, the first part of this article will present key terminological issues related to naming the genre and summarize the most important genre characteristics and their relationship to paratext. In the analytical part, based on the analysis of selected original Slovenian editions and editions in other languages, general editorial tendencies as well as positive and negative editorial practices will be examined. Additionally, direct editorial interventions that result in genre transgressions will be highlighted.