Multimodal Translation and Ideological Representation in Picture Books: A Case Study of King and King

This paper presents a multimodal contrastive analysis of the picture book King and King (De Haan & Nijland 2000) and its Spanish translation. By integrating Halliday’s (2004) functional systemic linguistics, Kress & van Leeuwen’s (2006) social semiotics, and Nikolajeva & Scott’s (2001) taxonomy of text–image relationships—expanded by Martínez (2022)—the study explores how linguistic and visual choices interact to construct and translate representations of non-traditional princesses and homosexual couples. The analysis reveals that translation decisions are influenced by the visual narrative, resulting in linguistic modulations that challenge traditional gender stereotypes. Findings show that complementary, expanding, and counterpoint relations between text and image play a pivotal role in shaping inclusive meanings and redefining the portrayal of gender and sexuality in the target text. The study concludes that picture book translation is an ideologically charged, multimodal process through which translators act as mediators of cultural and ethical values.