Emma Page

My research sits at the intersection of translation studies, book history and children's literature. I am interested in the sociology of translation and children's publishing, the history and politics of the transnational children's book field, and Latin American children's publishing in a global context. I am currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate based at the University of Reading Centre for Book Cultures and Publishing, working on 'Stories on the Move' creative translation in schools project and supporting the development and execution of the Languages of Children's Books event and associated activities.

I completed my PhD in 2026 at University of Reading & Cardiff University, where it was funded by the AHRC via the South, West and Wales Doctoral Training Partnership. My thesis focused on international children's literature advocacy and translation in contemporary British children's publishing, and combined ethnographic, archival and text-based methodologies. I have drawn on elements of this research in articles for International Research in Children's Literature ("Incomplete maps: towards a sociology of children’s literature in English translation") and Wasafiri ("‘Something New’: British Children’s Publishing and the ‘Discovery’ of Latin American Kid Lit in Translation").

After graduating from Wellesley College in the US with a BA in Comparative Literature & French, I completed an MA in Translation at Lancaster University. Beyond this academic background, my research has also been shaped by my professional experience with the commercial worlds of children's books and translation. I have worked as a bookseller specialising in children’s books, written book reviews for industry publication Shelf Awareness, and been a communications manager for Asymptote, a leading journal of contemporary translated literature. I have also worked as a freelance translator, working from French & Spanish into English across a wide variety of genres, and as a project manager and strategic lead within a boutique, tech-focused localisation agency.

My published translations include Wandering Memory by Jan J. Dominique (University of Virginia Press, 2021) and English versions of the French graphic novel adaptations of Enid Blyton’s Five on Treasure Island and Five Go Adventuring Again (Hachette, February 2022). Originally from Seattle, Washington, I am now based in Brighton, England.