Parlez-vous français? Sprechen sie Deutch? Could translating your self-published books bring in more readers and cash? Simon Whaley explores the business of translation.
There are approximately 510 million English speakers around the world, which is a vast market for those of us writing in this language. As well as the UK, we may have readers in Ireland, North America, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. We may also benefit from having readers in India and some African and Caribbean countries, where they still use and understand English even though it isn’t the nation’s first language.
With a market this size, why would any writer go to the bother and expense of getting their self-published books translated into foreign languages? It’s because we’re looking for more readers who enjoy reading the genre in which we write. Not every one of those 510 million English-speaking people are book readers, let alone readers who enjoy our genre.
However, before we embark on translating our books into every language on the planet, investing some time in research will always prove beneficial.
While we’ve had eBooks and eBook readers in the UK for over 15 years, that’s not the case everywhere. Markets in other countries are less advanced. The five biggest markets for ebooks are the USA, Japan, China, the UK, and then Germany.
Like English, other languages are often used in several countries too, so it’s worth thinking where else you might sell a translated copy of your book. For example, Amazon has a German store (Amazon.de), but that store also serves German readers in Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Lichtenstein.
Similarly, Spanish is another popular foreign language authors translate their books into because it unlocks markets in Spain and Mexico. But it also means Hispanic communities in the USA might buy the Spanish version of your book, too.
Trending Types
The best way to find the biggest foreign markets for your genre is to search Google Trends. Visit trends.google.com and then do the following:
- Select Explore from the top menu.
- In the search bar, enter your genre (e.g. “romance books”, “fantasy books”, “mystery books”, etc.)
- Set the location to Worldwide.
- Adjust the time range as needed (the past 12 months is a good starting point).
Scroll down to see the Interest by Region section, which shows which countries have the highest interest.
Search for variations of a genre, too, as this may return slightly different results. For example, as the author of the Mortiforde Mysteries cosy crime series, I know cosy crime is popular in the UK, USA, and Australia. A Google Trends search also identified Finland, Germany, France, The Netherlands, and Poland as being good cosy crime markets, too.
When I changed my search term from cosy crime to cosy mystery, I discovered this genre does well in Norway, New Zealand, Belgium, and Canada.
Translating books into foreign languages isn’t cheap, so it’s worth investing some time to ensure the foreign edition you create is for a market big enough to recover your costs and, hopefully, make a profit.
Human Translators
You might think the cheapest way to translate a book would be to use artificial intelligence. While AI is certainly improving at an exponential rate, it is important to remember that your book is a reflection of you and your writing. If you don’t understand the language the AI is translating your book into, how can you be sure of its quality? Poor reviews complaining about the translation could seriously affect sales in that market.
I remember when Hodder and Stoughton sold the foreign rights to my One Hundred Ways For A Dog To Train Its Human to publishers in Italy, Portugal, and Iceland. When I received my free author copies and flicked through the pages, I couldn’t understand a word. Of course, professional translators translated them, but my Icelandic skills are not good enough to check!
There may be a difference between using AI to translate a non-fiction book and a novel. In episode 765 of Joanna Penn’s The Creative Penn podcast, she interviewed Thad McIlroy, author of The AI Revolution in Book Publishing. During that episode, McIlroy explained he’d translated his book into 31 languages using only ChatGPT. To assess the accuracy, he then used ChatGPT to convert the foreign translation back into English. Interestingly, the phrases he used were, “It was acceptable. It was good enough.”
Noting Nuances
Alfons Winkelmann (www.alfonswinkelmann.de) is a translator who works with both fiction and non-fiction authors, having translated books from English into German for over thirty years. He offers his services to self-published authors via the Reedsy website (https://reedsy.com/alfons-winkelmann).
As an author and an editor himself, he understands the importance of getting those nuances right during the translation process. This is where the skill of a human translator comes in. ‘I enjoy translating,’ he says, ‘and finding a good formulation in German that corresponds to the English one.’
And because translating is not a simple process, Alfons regularly reviews his work to ensure that he’s got it correct.
‘I translate page after page. Afterwards, I revise two or three times, depending on the length of the novel, or on requirement of the publisher.’
Cultures differ, and translating that culture, particularly a cultural reference, can be extremely challenging, which is why using artificial intelligence doesn’t always work.
Recently, when liaising with an American client, I finished my email with a typical English phrase—“Should you have any further queries, please get in touch.” On our next Zoom call, my client explained how, in the USA, they use the word queries for when someone is seeking information. They might ask a librarian, “I have some queries I hope you can help me with, please.”
So in my phrase, they would replace the word queries with questions. It’s a subtle difference, but it illustrates how cultures interpret words differently, even when they use the same language!
Translation Tariffs
The best translators are people like Alfons, who not only translate but edit the work to ensure it reads and flows properly. This is why it can be expensive.
‘In Germany,’ Alfons explains, ‘translation fees are calculated by the “Normseite”, or standard page, which is a maximum of thirty lines per page, and a maximum of sixty characters per line, or 1,800 characters per page. You can also pay by word, too, which is mostly done for translations from English to German, when the author is the direct client.’
Most translators on Reedsy charge between $0.08 and $0.12 per word for text that will be ready to publish. Therefore, an 80,000-word novel could cost anything between $6,400 and $9600.
Alternative Adaptations
One way to avoid the self-publishing cost of professional translation is to seek a traditional publishing deal with a foreign publisher. If you’ve only published in English, then you’ve not used any foreign language rights. Taking this hybrid approach to publishing can be simpler, but as many of us are aware, going the traditional route can be time-consuming.
Seek a traditional publishing deal for the foreign language rights and the foreign publisher will bear all the translation costs. Of course, the downside to that deal is the poorer royalty rate traditional publishers offer compared with the self-published royalty rates.
Instead of going directly to a publisher, it might be better to approach literary agents who specialise in foreign translations. Remember to factor in their cut of any deal they negotiate on your behalf, though.
Websites like PubMatch.com help connect writers with foreign publishers and agents, but sometimes a face-to-face connection works better. Publishers and agents make many foreign rights deals each year at large book fairs like London and Frankfurt, and these fairs can provide better opportunities for introductions.
Commissioning Considerations
If opting for the self-published approach, the Reedsy platform is a good place to start, because Reedsy has a professional selection process to ensure all its providers offer high-quality work. Chat with authors you know who’ve had their books translated about who they would recommend.
When searching, use the term literary translator. These translators don’t carry out a straight translation but edit the text in the translated language to ensure the nuances come across as they should.
Before approaching a translator, think about what else you’ll need in the foreign language. As well as your manuscript, the title, blurb or book description, and your author bio will also need translating. List everything you want the translator to do so they can include it in their quote.
Consider other marketing material, too. We know from self-publishing in English that publishing is only part of the process. We need to market our books, and so we’ll need to do this in a foreign language too. Discuss with a potential translator whether they can provide you with translated copy for Meta or Amazon Ads, for example.
Don’t be afraid to ask for references. Most will be happy to provide you with the names of authors whose work they have translated. Check with the authors directly and ask them how they found the process and working with that particular translator.
Finally, ask them how quickly they can start and how long it will take to complete your project. Translators, just like editors and proofreaders, can get booked several months in advance, so you need to know how this will affect your production schedule.
Launching your book in a foreign language can be daunting, but you probably thought that when first self-publishing in English. It’s a learning process, so don’t rush it. Hopefully, it will bring a whole new legion of fans to your books.
Business Directory: Translation Tips
- Treat translation as a long-term investment.
- Translate books in a series. Start with the first three. If readers enjoyed the first, they’re more likely to buy the next two.
- Target one language at a time.
- If you publish widely, publish your translated edition on one platform first. Expand to others when you’re ready.
- Avoid translating non-fiction books that may need future updates. You may incur new expenditure on the update before covering your initial costs.
(c) Simon Whaley