Kay Hutchinson, Scottish radio producer, author and publisher of Belle Kids, recently translated Michael Bond’s classic tale of Paddington Bear into the Gaelic language. The children’s book includes a series of classic Paddington stories, which – for the first time – are all told in the Gaelic language.

“I saw a lack of well-known book titles available in Gaelic,” Hutchinson explains from her home in Cotswolds, U.K. “We thought it would be a good idea to create a Gaelic book featuring a character that is loved and known the world over – Paddington fit the bill.”

This is not the first time Hutchinson has dipped her toes in Gaelic waters; in addition to her new radio shows Stormy Weather and Waverly – both of which showcase the language – she has also produced two Gaelic language radio series for children, along with publishing a series of Gaelic children’s books titled Captain Bobo.

“We began to build our connections with the Gaelic community, and everyone seemed to like what we were doing. But we soon realized that kids want to feel that they are part of a wider cultural spectrum.”

The book was published this past spring, aptly timed, as another Paddington film – Paddington in Peru – I s scheduled to hit theatres in the coming months. The book launch – which included marmalade and treats, as per the original story – featured on BBC Alba’s main evening news An Là.

Hutchinson worked with publishers Harper Collins, along with the Gaelic Books Council, to bring her vision for Paddington to life. Thanks to the popularity of the “little bear from Darkest Peru” – and the recent feature film – support for the project was immediate and strong.

She is quick to add, however, that the project wasn’t without its issues.

“There are two key challenges in a project like this; the first is getting a translator that can translate the text into Gaelic in a way that properly expresses the sense of fun that is intrinsic to Michael Bond’s original stories. The second is a slightly more practical issue – these are picture books, beautifully illustrated in colour by R. W. Alley, and colour printing is expensive.”

The team opted to print the books in a two-stage process; first, the printing of the colour illustrations was done, followed by the printing of the black text only. This put even more emphasis on the quality of translation as the words had to fit the remaining available space.

Hutchinson found what she needed with Scottish teacher, actor, and musician Gillebride MacMillan.

“Gillebride was great at both conveying the sense – and the humour – of the original stories and working to the physical demands of the printed pages.”

Since then, Paddington has been selected as the only Gaelic title for the School’s Programme at this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival, one of the most prestigious literary events in Scotland.

“The book is selling very well. It is not really a surprise as they are great stories, and the illustrations are fun. They lose nothing in the retelling. Local shops have also reported a marked increase in marmalade sales too, although that might just be a rumour.”

Hutchinson believes that projects like this are important for Gaelic learners as it allows them to see the language in the mainstream.

“The key is in making the language part of the everyday…that we are in some small way contributing to keep the language relevant through our books and radio work is something I am happy about.”

But the work won’t end there. And while the Gaelic language may be currently under some strain, Hutchinson is hopeful for the future.

“One encouraging thing is seeing the steady increase in the number of school students attending Gaelic medium school. I am a Gaelic learner myself and it is interesting to see that some of my classmates are parents keen to keep up with their children.”

Hutchinson already has several new projects on the go, including a second Paddington story for Christmastime titled Paddington agus Iongantas na Nollaige.

“There is also the possibility of at least one another iconic children’s character that we want to bring to Gaelic-speaking children before the end of next year. We also have a couple of radio projects in mind, one of which would involve working with traditional musicians. So, it is an exciting time for us.”

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