How do you translate a book? All you need to know

Do you want to translate a book in the best possible way, while preserving the tone, literary style, and emotion of the original work? So what are the steps involved in having a book translated, and what are the specific elements of such a translation? And who should you use to guarantee the quality of the translated work? Here's everything you need to know about literary translation, its challenges, and its special features.

The specifics of book translation

Translating a book is a complex process that requires a thorough understanding of the original culture and language. It also requires expertise in the literary sector, to preserve the style and tone of the original work. Each type of work requires a specific approach, depending on its genre, content, and writing style. For example, translating a novel into English requires a mastery of the author's narrative universe, which may include a large number of cultural, historical, or fictional references linked to the English-speaking country concerned. Translating a book from English into French, Spanish into English or any other language combination therefore requires the expertise of a translator experienced in both languages.

The translation of technical and specialist works (scientific books, school textbooks, legal reference books, etc.) requires a high degree of technical precision and a very good command of specialist terminology. Some of these works present a particular challenge because the slightest error in translation can have real consequences for readers who rely on the accuracy of the content in their professional or academic lives. 

Translating books also has legal implications for the publishing industry. Publishing houses, whether local or foreign, work with the writer and the translator and specific legal contracts may therefore have an impact on this collaboration.

How do you choose a translator for your book?

Professional translation is the only way to guarantee the best results for the source text as a whole. A specialist professional translator has in-depth expertise in the type of translation concerned (translation of a novel, a textbook, a scientific work, a cookery book, etc.).

Their linguistic skills and in-depth knowledge of the cultural norms in force in the target country enable them to deliver a translation that respects the original text and the culture of the target country. This guarantees a smooth, high-quality read that gives the reader the impression that the work was written directly in their native language. Every language has its own idioms, expressions, and cultural references and a good translation must take all of these into account and transpose them accurately. 

So if you want to translate a book and sell it, we strongly advise you to use a professional, specialist translator who is a native speaker of the target country. This is the only way you can be guaranteed to receive a high-quality result. You should also choose a dependable translator with proven expertise, to guarantee the reliability of the result and to enable you to enjoy a professional and trusting relationship with them.

The role of the publishing house in the choice of translator

Although the author can make recommendations about which translator or agency to use, the decision to select a translator ultimately rests with the foreign publishing house. Finding a good publishing house is a defining factor to guarantee a quality translation and the process requires in-depth research, examination of previous publications and consideration of a number of criteria, including:

• The number of years' experience of the publisher 

• The quality of the editorial work 

• The publisher's reputation 

• The publishing house's area of expertise and specialisation

• The extent of its distribution network 

• Partnerships with foreign publishing houses 

• The degree of control the author has over the work before publication 

• The clarity of the contracts and the quality of the legal support.

Translating a book with translation software: what are the limits?

The use of machine translation tools is not particularly suitable for the literary sector because, while content can be translated free of charge or at very low cost, machine translation has significant limitations in terms of quality and reliability. Furthermore, machine translation software is generally unable to handle the large volume of words contained in a book.

However, some agencies offer machine translation services with post-editing. With this type of book translation services, a professional translator revises the text that has previously been automatically generated by machine translation tools. This approach to translation with post-editing offers better quality than a simple machine translation and costs less than a professional translation. However, this type of service is not recommended for translating a book, and the safest option is to use a professional translator who specialises in literary translation.

How much does it cost to translate a book?

The price of a book translation depends on a number of factors, including: 

• The translation method chosen 

• Rates per word or per page 

• Source and target languages 

• The volume of text to be translated

• The complexity of the content 

• Delivery times

• The translator's experience 

For example, a literary work of 40,000 words costs on average £8,000 to translate professionally. However, the cost of having a book translated depends on the service provider you choose.