Book translation can be an extremely rewarding and exhilarating experience, if somewhat fastidious and painstaking. It is the marathon, or even ultra-marathon of translation, and the test of any translator’s competence. And, that’s right: “The pride lasts longer than the pain.” In my opinion, any professional translator should do at least one book translation in the lifespan of their career.
From the client’s perspective, choosing the right (or wrong) translator can make or break the success of the book, so it’s a vital matter. In fact, I would not be exaggerating if I said it was a matter of life and death – sure, not for the person, of course, but for their voice as an author and the integrity and success of their manuscript.
The Product of a Book Translation
Like anything else, translation (and book translation specifically) has a product – a particular result that is supposed to be achieved at the end of a process. For a car repair, it’s a fully functional car; for a dental visit – a tooth that’s repaired and no longer hurts; for a personal training session – not being able to walk for days (joke). But you get the point.
For a book translation, simply put – it’s the “same” book, only in another language.
If we slightly expand and expound, we can say that the product is a book in the target language that conveys all there is to convey: the meaning, concepts, and details; the author’s voice (including his or her style and intention); the register, the humor, the cultural allusions (adapted as needed), etc.
During every stage of the process, from selecting the translator (or accepting the project, from the translator’s viewpoint), to translating, editing, proofreading, even publishing, both the translator and client (not always the author) should have this product in mind as a guiding star and make their decisions accordingly.
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Selecting the Translator for a Book Translation
Price, while an important factor, should not be the deciding one. Clearly, the cheapest translator is not necessarily the best. But neither is the most expensive one – not always.
The fact of being the highest-priced translator on the market doesn’t make one the top dog (cat, tiger, etc.). Sure, there is a correlation between a professional’s fee and their competence; certainly, higher prices tend to indicate more experience, competence, etc. But to play devil’s advocate to myself and incur the wrath of every highly paid translator out there, I should say that I’ve gotten services nearly 10X as cheap as a comparable service, yet better.
That said, I’m no cheap translator. So, Mister or Madam Author, please don’t go on a wild goose chase for cheap translations. To quote my linguistic idol, Alexander Pushkin:
Frowning, scolded him Balda rather cheerily:
“Why, my Friar, you should never chase the cheapness.”
Balda was a very resourceful worker hired by a stingy friar for a year, the contract price being “only” three fillips (flicks) on the forehead at the end of said year. After the third and final fillip, the poor friar goes crazy. So, yeah, cheapness is very expensive.
Clearly, choosing the cheapest translator only on the basis of cost is pointless. Then why even do the translation at all? This might sort of, kind of make sense for a cookie-cutter translation – if some company just needs to “tick the box” that their forms have been translated (even that’s silly), but it certainly makes zero sense for a book translation.
Think about it – a bad translation, one that stifles the author’s voice, one that is rendered idiotically vs idiomatically, is not a result – it’s just wasted time, effort and money. So, in fact, one is not at square one but at square minus one.
Therefore, a translator should be chosen based on other traits, and the price should be negotiated to the satisfaction of both, clearly.
Mastery of the Language Pair
This is a much more telling characteristic, even though it’s not yet a guarantee of a high-quality product – rather, it’s the prerequisite. A basketball center must be tall, and a distance runner must be lean, but neither of these traits guarantees Olympic-level performance, and that’s what we’re striving for in your book translation, isn’t it?
Billion-dollar question: which language is more important for the translator, the source or the target language? What’s your answer?
Ah, but there is no right answer in choosing, for it is like choosing a favorite between two children or choosing between coffee and ice cream. Is speed or endurance more important in a mile race? The right answer is both, if in slightly different ways…
The ideal translator would have native command of both languages, because problems occur when either one is wobbly.
Here’s the standard, though:
The translator should fully understand the source language, even if it’s not their native tongue – in other words, he or she should (nay, must) be able to duplicate exactly what the book is saying, as well as its style and register.
The translator should be able to express themselves natively in the target language. Here, I left the “should” rather leniently, because if the translator works with an editor (as any translator should), the editor can help smooth out the rough edges. As a crude estimate, though, I’d say a translator should never be less than 90-95% native in the target language.
Again, ideally, they’re fully bilingual.
Translation Skills and Work Ethic
This topic could easily fill an essay, even a book, so I’ll be brief:
It is not sufficient to have mastery of both languages. The linguist must have the skills necessary for translation, which is like understanding strategy and tactics in chess vs just knowing how to move.
The translator must know how to clarify terms and phrases, seek out the exact right term in the target language, look for and select synonyms, shift grammar, break up sentences, find equivalent idioms, clarify ambiguities with the author and on paper, ghost-write parts as needed to adapt/localize the book, add necessary definitions, work with the reviewer, the editor, the proofreader, and especially with truly ornery, recalcitrant, disagreeable, and otherwise impossible authors, accept or reject suggestions, and so on. This is not an exhaustive list, though it may already seem exhausting.
Desire and Willingness
This particular factor is as important as any other, sometimes more. A translator who’s qualified yet disinterested or unwilling (for any reason) and who only accepts a job for the sake of money or obligation will not truly do justice to the translation project.
So, when choosing a translator or when choosing the project (as a translator), please make very sure that the interest factor is there…
I’ve been interested in many books, which were completed with flying colors. But I’ve also been uninterested in a few. Here are my own examples:
- The authors didn’t believe in crediting the translator (deal-breaker)
- The project was pro bono, lengthy, and boring. (I’ve done lengthy pro bono projects, but ones that were of interest to me.)
- The clients wanted to teach me English and how I should be translating (good-bye!).
Caveat: if the author/client is respectful and does defer to you as the expert, it’s totally fine to take their viewpoint into account. In fact, you should – because often they know the expert jargon better than you. But if they’re going to interfere with translation choices other than expert terminology – “No, no, no, no no…”
- Conflict of Interest: you never have to subscribe 100% to what the author says – that’s not really our job. But it’s important to believe in the book you’re taking on conceptually – believe in its worth, that is, and make sure you don’t have an ethical conflict. I can tell you that if you take on a book while your integrity is screaming “bloody murder,” you’ll be doing a major disservice to yourself and the author. I’ve turned down one such book.
- I’ve done enough book translations and I’m super selective.
Take my current project: ideal payment, relatively pleasant and respectful author, 9 books total. Yet it just doesn’t strike a chord with me, so I’m passing it on after Chapter 1 and selecting the new team.
Don’t worry! – I still do book translations, but more as a consultant and editor-in-chief.
These are just some examples of how the translator’s interest is important. Authors, please watch for this fact and make sure that the linguist demonstrates interest in the book long before the dollar signs appear in the negotiations. The question “How much does it pay?” as one of the first questions is always, always, always a red flag, and maybe even scarlet or burgundy.
Caveat: payment is quite important and the person should be interested in good payment (otherwise, they don’t value their work) – I just mean that payment as one of the first questions means they’re more interested in raking in money than in helping you. I certainly negotiate good terms for myself, but I never ask about money first.
Selecting the Author of a Book Translation
This might sound a little (or a lot) contradictory, but yes – just like the author selects the translator, the translator selects the author.
I’ve already talked about interest in the book, but there are other factors.
Clearly, price is one, but we’ll leave the specifics out of this article. I will say one thing on price, though: it should “feel right.” In other words, if you feel like you’re cheating yourself or the author, something is off. The price should reflect your experience and competence and should motivate you to work on the book, without bankrupting the client.
But there are factors as important as price, if not more. I always make sure that my authors are cooperative – meaning, they’re willing to talk, answer questions, clarify concepts, etc. I know – not everyone works this way, but I do. I simply don’t see how I could ever render a professional product without such collaboration.
One could ask the not-so-rhetorical question of how to work with authors who’re no longer with us. Well, I’ve never had one as a paid client, clearly. I’ve translated poetry and songs of such authors, but that’s a slightly different matter – in poetry, you have more carte blanche anyway.
If you don’t have the author (or their descendant or representative) to consult with, you’d have to be even more diligent in your research.
Reviewing, Editing, and Proofreading a Book Translation
All these stages are an integral part of translation and fall under quality control, which you can read about in my article on the topic.
Personally, I always work with a reviewer, editor, and proofreader. Usually, they’re three different people. Sometimes, the reviewer and editor, or the editor and proofreader, can co-exist in one individual.
Even when one is a lone warrior and doing a book translation solo (I NEVER recommend this), all these stages still have to be done. There are no two ways about it. Would you want a steak that was charred or had hairs or flies? Disgusting, right? Well, so are mistranslations and spelling errors that can easily be avoided if the proper steps are taken.
Delivering the Book Translation
This section is for the translator rather than the client. But one should deliver the translation with the pride of a job well done. I usually write a message to the client, describing any necessary points they should know, thanking them for the trust and the project, and letting them know that I’m here for any coordination or edits.
Now it’s time to get your shotgun and chase the client down for payment (advice not to be taken literally).
In Conclusion
I’d say that book translation is the ultimate test, the paragon of any translator.
For us, it’s a challenge that shows us we can survive hell and high water.
For the author, it’s the ultimate trust they’re bestowing on someone – they’re trusting us with their “creative baby” and also trusting us to be their “linguistic mind,” to some degree.
It is a truly high level of trust, comparable to that bestowed on doctors, priests, confidants, etc.
But, hey, responsibility doesn’t mean seriousness. Let me end with a quote from an old Russian film, “That Very Munchausen”:
“I’ve realized what your downfall is. You’re too serious. A clever face is far from a sign of cleverness, Ladies and Gentlemen. All the stupidities on Earth are perpetrated with that very expression. Smile, my friends, smile…”
That’s right, smile! After all, book translations are so fun!