I translate books for a living. AMA + recommendations thread

[FuckRealityBringMeABook]

Hi everyone, it is the feast day of Saint Jerome, the patron saint of translation and International Translation Day. I translate books for a living. Anyone want to ask any questions or recommend a translated book they have read?

This is a real how long is a piece of string question! A rough rule of thumb is around 2,500 words a day, but it is fairly rare that I would be devoting all my time to a single project so you cannot really extrapolate a set number of days from that. Then there are all sorts of variables, like do you need to find quotes or get permission for song lyrics etc. I always build in what I call the chicken pox buffer as well. I would typically aim for six months for a novel, but it really depends how long it is and how busy I am.

UK publishers generally offer a small royalty % once you have earned out your advance. US ones tend to offer a flat fee. But TBH it is not a hill for me to die on, books rarely earn out their advances.

As a general rule, I wouldn[t recommend self-publishing a translation unless you are very sure of your market. It costs more than you would think - it is skilled labour, and it takes time. Plus you really need to know how your target market works in terms of sales and distribution networks etc.

Anthea Bell was the sister of Martin Bell (as in Neil and Christine Hamilton). That will only mean anything to you if you are of certain vintage!

This is so interesting, OP! My first novel was published (in English) this year and it has been translated into one European language, with another one on the way; I didn’t have any communication at all with the translator, and in fact didn’t even find out her name until it was published. I presume if she had wanted to clarify anything she would have been able to contact me… I don’t speak this language at all so was happy to just hand it over completely

Thanks, it's so interesting

congratulations!

I didn't know that. Two good eggs then (the Bells).

Thank you for the recommendations @JaninaDuszejko and @FuckRealityBringMeABook

Before I saw those I ordered Berlin Alexanderplatz trans Michael Hofmann because of this thread. I just opened the book to start reading (stupid time to start reading - 2.10 am!) and then checked back on this thread.

Need to settle down and start to read!

I have been trying to read books in French for years, but I seem to have hit a wall. Could you give me any tips? I am pretty much self-taught (didn’t even do A-level French). Right now I’m reading Nemirovsky’s Suite Francaise, but I never get to the end of a page without having to consult my dictionary. I should think there are at least a dozen words per page I either don’t know or sort of know but have to check up on. And there will be occasional sentences that make no sense and which I have to read in the translation.

I want to be able to pick up a French novel, or work of non-fiction, and just read it as I would read a book in English. Can you ever get to that stage by just plugging away? Or should I seek out a French tutor?

I would recommend looking for easy-read or plain language versions, bilingual readers, and French versions of books you are already familiar with in English to get your ear in. And take a French lover, it is the best way to learn ;-)

Come back and tell us how you get on with Berlin Alexanderplatz!

I read in French for pleasure having done a French literature degree, and teach privately from time to time. When I was first reading in French (as in, just after my GCSEs) I started with side-by-side translations of short stories, there are various compilations out there. Then instead of having to ruin the flow by looking up every other word, you can just glance across to the translation. I also read children's novels, the language isn't necessarily more familiar but the plot is easier to hold in your head while you're figuring it out.
I'd also recommend brushing up on your grammar knowledge, which you can do without a teacher. Make sure you know the regular and common irregular verb conjugations, in all the tenses including the past historic for reading French (you won't have learnt it at GCSE because it's only used in written texts). That will make it easier to follow the story while you improve on vocab. It's also worth actively memorising the vocab you look up, you won't absorb it without active learning. Try putting all the words from one chapter into a vocab book or quizlet (you have to pay for the Learn feature now though), and then memorise them before you move on. It makes it slower to start with but it'll soon pay off and get quicker.
Having said that, it did take me until well into my degree to be able to read French as comfortably as I read English, and I was spending most of my time reading and analysing works in French as well as language classes. So it's a long road!

@Dappy777 If you are only having trouble with a few phrases then I found Google lens (I think that is what it is called!) helpful. You can use your camera phone to quickly translate a passage. This has helped me when I did not want to stop reading and actually look something up!

Oooh and if you catch a howler do you have the right to change it?

have ordered berlin alexanderplatz

If I spot a howler like a car being red on one page and blue ten pages later, I would change it off my own bat. If it is something that might impact the plot in some way, I would flag it in a comment or email to the editor. I did spot a major plot hole in a crime novel once and we did rewrite a section so that it made sense.

I like ‘muster’ for ‘become musty’, @FuckRealityBringMeABookSometimes I disinter a book for a grandchild and find it has mustered beyond the point where it could be read for pleasure.

Have you translated plays?

A couple but not published or performed.

Well the book your namesake appears in is a magnificent translation, highly recommended!

I am another reader of translated works, with a few I liked mentioned.

My absolute favourite series is Knausgaard’s Min Kampf, but only in English.

I have also ordered Berlin Alexanderplatz, and Irmgard Keun which I have purchased in German.
Has anyone already read both Berlin A-Platz and Alone in Berlin/Jeder Stirbt für si ch Allein, any thoughts on them?

That must be a fascinating job! How do you find work? Do you work for a specific publishers or in a particular genre? Do the authors get to choose who translates their books?

@Merry80 sometimes publishers come to me with projects they want me to work on, sometimes I punt a book I like around a bunch of publishers. That often does not work, every translator has a drawer full of rejected pet projects. I work for lots of publishers in lots of genres - when you are freelancing it is never a good idea to become too financially reliant on one client, so I make sure to diversify.

Some authors will choose their translator, yes. Sometimes they choose their cousin who spent a year backpacking in whichever country 🙄. Some do not care much about the process, some want to be very involved (this is usually a pain in the arse, if I am honest).

Just remembered this thread and I'm curious as to what the Berlin Alexanderplatz readers thought.

@tobee @MyKindHiker @HashtagSadTimes

I hope you liked it or I'll feel bad!