English Translations

aykoola · Post by **aykoola** » 26 Jan 2009, 08:53

OK, as i can see reading this forum, you all are more or less hooked only on english language authors. So my question is, do you read foreign authors? Is the translating activity strong enough so you can get ahold of foreign (european, asian, african, south american) authors, or is your market filled with domestic authors, and consequently you read only your native authors? What is the translation activity like in the USA? strong or weak?

Kingfan09 · Post by **Kingfan09** » 27 Jan 2009, 01:58

I find it to be very weak in my local book stores. If I was interested I would probaly look online. Im always afraid that the translation will be off in some way taking away from the intention of the author . Like in Asian films, the dialog isn't as stupid as it appears to be. It just dosent translate well.

jtothero · Post by **jtothero** » 27 Jan 2009, 13:35

I hardly read any American Lit. I love British Lit, and French Lit mostly from the 1700s and 1800s.

Right now I'm trying to read some Russian Lit, because I never got a chance to read any when I was in school.

SoggyPeanutPatrol · Post by **SoggyPeanutPatrol** » 29 Jan 2009, 21:28

Obviously, the European classics have been translated many times. But as for contemporary literature, you really have to know what to look for. There are plenty of international authors that have been translated into English, but most of them don't really become popular. Most recently, I've read a few translations of novels by Turkish author Orhan Pamuk. But I too always feel like there could be something missing or not quite right in a translation, and I would have no way of knowing it. I have a hard time reading the poetry of Rilke because I know the translation is a completely different entity than the original poem. Good translation is an art form in itself-- one often has to translate not only the words, but the cultural traditions behind them-- but I don't see a translation as an equal to an original. Sometimes it's just the closest I can get.

aykoola · Post by **aykoola** » 10 Feb 2009, 06:50

yes,yes, i understand that translations can be somewhere off, and i am quite impressed you think that way, but that's why i hope you are learning foreign languages also. I am fluent in serbian, slovene, know my way 'round english and macedonian, and currently learning french and german. when i finish that courses, i'll start reading german and french authors in their native languages + i will take up courses of russian, italian, spanish and portuguese soon.

janicejan · Post by **janicejan** » 10 Feb 2009, 23:18

another fact is that sometimes when translating a book or movie, there are some edited parts, and this edited parts are sometimes the most important information or part of the book, for me it seems like translated books became a pass on story that change every translations..

Michelle · Post by **Michelle** » 11 Feb 2009, 12:26

I believe Isabel Allende's books are translated and her books are fantastic. I don't think anything was lost in the translations (but then again I haven't read her books in Spanish).

Post by **Tomy Chandrafrost** » 24 Mar 2024, 03:52

I am an Indonesian writer, so I will provide my perspective on the Indonesian market. Lately, many publishers have been translating from Japanese and Korean, as well as from Russian. The market is becoming quite significant in this era of digital marketing.

Lorna Kimondo · Post by **Lorna Kimondo** » 21 Aug 2024, 06:24

In the U.S., translation activity is quite robust, though it might not be as widely visible as domestic literature. Many publishers and bookstores do offer translated works, especially if they have gained international acclaim or are from popular authors. However, the visibility and availability of translated books can sometimes be limited compared to domestic works.