One of the most successful and best-selling children’s book series in the world has been translated and published in Manx Gaelic.

The popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid has been translated by Adrian Cain, the former Manx language officer with Culture Vannin and given the new translated title of ’Jeelune Tootagh’.

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series is hugely popular across the globe and has already been translated in to 56 languages across the world, including Irish Gaelic and even in Scots dialect, under the title ’Diary o a Wimpy Wean’.

’Jeelune Tootagh’ is a translation of the first book in the series and features the desperate attempts of the book’s hero, Greg Heffley, to navigate life in an American middle school where ’undersized weaklings share the hallways with kids who are taller, meaner, and already shaving’.

There are 15 books in the series, which have sold more than 200 million copies world wide

Adrian said he was moved to translate the books into Manx after he enjoyed reading and translating them with his own son and he said that it has been a joy bringing the trials and tribulations of this most normal of children to a Manx-speaking audience.

’My son had read most of the ’Wimpy kid books and we had started to translate the books in Manx ourselves,’ he said.

’When I started to teach at the Bunscooil we did a littler club at lunchtimes for a few weeks, translating bits of books and it went from there.

’I then contacted Abrahams books in New York and we’re delighted to be able to publish the translate versions now.’

Adrian hopes that younger and older readers will find the books both enjoyable and helpful to reading and learning Manx Gaelic.

’These are brilliant books and they are one of the biggest selling kids books series in the world.

’They are particularly good for boys to read but also there is the need for far more material in Manx that is suitable for young readers.

’But this is also actually very good for adult speakers too. The nature of the language is very accessible and written in dairy form that will be familiar to most readers, and that may help people with reading, understanding and ultimately speaking Manx Gaelic.’

While the translation of the actual text of the book proved to be fairly straight forward, the title proved a little tricky.

’"Wimpy" was a difficult term to translate in Manx, as it is more of an American slang phrase, but people might be aware of the word "toot".

’In Manx, "toot" means something that is a bit babyish and whiny, and that is the nearest we were going to get to it.’

’Jeelune Tootagh’ is available from all books shops and from Culture Vannin.

by Mike Wade

Twitter:@iomnewspapers