Patricia Crampton facts for kids
Patricia Crampton (born December 12, 1925 – died December 1, 2016) was a talented British translator. She was especially known for translating books for children, but she also translated many novels for adults. Patricia studied at Oxford University and later worked as a translator at the Nuremberg Trials, which were important trials after World War II. She translated over 200 children's books and more than 50 adult novels, winning many awards for her work.
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Her Early Life and Languages
Patricia Elizabeth Cardew Wood was born in Bombay, India, on December 12, 1925. Her father, John Cardew Wood, was a colonel in the Royal Engineers, and her mother was Vera Marion.
In 1930, her family moved back to England and settled in Beaconsfield. Patricia went to Oakdene School, where she showed a great talent for learning languages. She grew up speaking Hindi and English. Later, she studied German and French at St Hugh's College, Oxford, from 1943 to 1946. Throughout her life, Patricia Crampton learned to speak nine different languages!
Working at the Nuremberg Trials
After finishing her studies at Oxford, Patricia Crampton became a translator and interpreter for the Nuremberg Trials in 1947. She was only 22 years old at the time. These trials were very important because they held people accountable for terrible actions during World War II.
Her main job was to translate documents related to the trials of people who had conducted harmful experiments during the war. She also helped with translating and interpreting during the IG Farben Trial, another important case. Her work helped ensure that justice could be carried out.
A Career in Translation
After the Nuremberg Trials, Patricia became a commercial translator. This meant she traveled all over the world, translating for different clients. She worked for organizations like NATO, which is a group of countries working together.
In the 1960s, Patricia started translating books specifically for children. This became a very important part of her career, and she won many awards for her children's book translations.
On December 12, 1959, she married Seán Crampton, who was an officer. They lived in Brentford and later in Calne, Wiltshire, where Patricia lived until she passed away on December 1, 2016.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Patricia Crampton received many awards for her amazing translation work.
- In 1984, she won the Schlegel-Tieck Prize for her translation of a book called Marbot by Wolfgang Hildesheimer.
- She won the Mildred L. Batchelder Award twice! This award is given to the most outstanding translated children's book published in the United States.
- She won it in 1987 for her translation of No Hero for the Kaiser by Rudolph Frank.
- She also won it in 1984 for her translation of Ronia, the Robber's Daughter by Astrid Lindgren, a very famous children's author.
- In 1996, the Fédération Internationale des Traducteurs (an international federation of translators) gave Patricia Crampton the Pierre-François Caille Medal. This was a special honor for all her contributions to the field of translation.
See also
In Spanish: Patricia Crampton para niños
