A Guide To Book Translation Services
You have written your book! That’s great! But what next? Have you considered the idea of translating your book to other languages? This can be a great idea if it is done well. Below, we look at book translation. Read on to see if book translation is right for you. We also have tips to help you get the best book translation services possible.
Why get your book translated?
When you translate a book into a new language, you are increasing the number of people who can read your book. This opens a new, broader international market for your book. You can also broaden your fanbase. Your biggest audience might be in a language you don’t speak. With a skilled translator who is experienced in book translation, you can reach that audience.
What languages?
The first thing to do is decide what language to translate your book into. There are lots of factors to consider here. Consider, where is your genre of book popular? For example, Swedish and Norwegian thrillers are incredibly popular in the United Kingdom; therefore, translating a Scandinavian thriller into English is a good idea. Fiction is popular in Germany. Meanwhile, in France non-fiction is popular.
Another thing to consider is the size of the market. In 2017, the USA made up 30% of the worldwide book market. The UK made up 4% of the market in the same year. The British book market alone is worth £6 billion each year; English language book translation services could help you to break into that market.
Across Europe, the largest book markets are Germany, France, Spain, and Italy. The Czech Republic also has a strong reading culture. Iceland read the most books per person each year. However, it has a small population.
Your own budget is also an important consideration. You can choose to translate your book into one or many foreign languages. If your budget is modest, start with one language, and translate into more languages over time.
How to translate your book?
Now that you have chosen your language(s) for your book, the next step is the translation itself. We always recommend hiring qualified and professional translators. Renaissance Translations maintain a network of over 5000 professional translators and offer high quality translations in any language. This makes us the one-stop-shop for translating your book. Whether you want to translate into one language or ten, we are here to help!
One of the many benefits of hiring our expert translators is our contextual book translation services. Each translation is done with the true meaning of the book in mind. This practice, which includes contextualisation and localisation, goes further than a word for word translation. A word for word translation can lose meaning and clarity, which could confuse or frustrate readers. Our book translation services lead to happy readers.
How much does it cost to translate a book?
The cost of book translation can vary quite a bit. It depends upon several factors. The length of the book is the main consideration. A short novella will cost less to translate than a 400-page novel.
The language pairing also affects the cost of book translation. The language pair is the language the book is written in, and the language you want to translate into. More unusual combinations of language pairs are often more expensive. The rarer a language, the more expensive it can be to translate into it. This is because translating rare languages is a very specialist skill.
Deadlines can also affect the cost of book translation services. Having a short deadline will push up the cost of your book translation. Having a longer timetable will help to keep the cost of translating your book down. Get in touch today to discuss your book translation. We can provide a custom translation quote.
Can you translate a book without permission?
If you are translating a book for personal use, you do not need permission. However, if you intend to sell or distribute a translation of a book, you will need written permission from the copyright holder.
If you are the author or the copyright holder, you do not need permission to translate a book. Also, if the copyright has expired you do not need permission. Copyright laws vary by country. If the book was published before copyright laws were created, it can also be freely translated. Books without copyright have entered the public domain.
You may need to do some research. You can find information about when a book was first published on the first few pages of the book. It will also name the publisher and author. The author is usually the copyright holder. However, sometimes the publisher can be the copyright holder.
There are websites of book catalogues. You can use these to find the copyright status of a book. If the book was first published in America, the Library of Congress and the U.S. Copyright office have information about its copyright status. Websites like Project Gutenberg hold collections of public domain books. Books found here can be translated freely.
Contact us today for Professional Book Translation Services!
We want to help you reach your full audience. We have hundreds of experienced and professional translators on staff, who can provide you with book translation services you’ll love. Just click here and tell us more about your book translation project.
