Mediating worlds

The term “mediation” first entered the English language in the fifteenth century from Latin (mediatio) to refer to the state of being in the middle, most frequently for the purpose of conflict arbitration. Since then, it has acquired a range of different meanings, technical and non-technical, positive and negative. This chapter explores how “mediation” is relevant to picturebooks and graphic narratives in the domains of education and translation, focusing on (amongst other things) the way these works filter and frame knowledge, culture and ideology for diverse readers; the mediating role of teachers, translators, aloud-readers and other cultural agents; and of course the very act of construing information in a particular medium – a notion that is acquiring increased relevance in the context of the multimodal revolution.