Modern Social Science Research

This paper employs CiteSpace software to conduct a scientific knowledge map analysis of the translation studies of children’s literature in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Through the co-occurrence analysis and clustering analysis of keywords, this study reveals the research hotspots and development trends in this field. The study uses the China National Knowledge Infrastructure database as its data source, searching for relevant Chinese academic journal articles from 1984 to 2024, and after screening, obtained 221 valid samples. The results show that functional equivalence theory holds a central position in the translation of children’s literature, emphasizing that translation should achieve functional equivalence between the source and target languages, providing important methodological support for the translation of children’s literature. Meanwhile, as a classic of children’s literature, the translation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has received widespread attention. The study also finds that the main focus of research in this area is on the application of functional equivalence theory, the analysis of translation strategies and techniques, and the trend is shifting from foundational theoretical discussions to practical applications and cultural and educational perspectives. This research not only deepens the understanding of the theories and practices of children’s literature translation but also provides valuable references for improving translation quality and promoting the inheritance of innocent narratives in cross-cultural communication, contributing to the construction of a diverse and inclusive landscape of spiritual culture among global child readers.

Functional equivalence theory; Children’s literature translation; Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland; CiteSpace