A dear friend of mine with a biographical book that was published in Italy, is now planning to publish the English translation in the United States. With an intimate knowledge of her subject and fluency in English as well as Italian, translation was relatively easy. The spirit and flow of the book remains delightfully intact. Most authors do not have these advantages. They must rely on others to translate their books.
Unlike translations we might hear at the United Nations, in a corporate setting or in a textbook, translation of literature is a special craft. Beyond getting the words right, literary translators must climb into the mind and soul of the author, accurately conveying the imagination, the intentions and the artistry of the original work. Translations of poetic works must also maintain the cadence, and in many instances choose rhyming words.
Some translations work beautifully. Some don’t. Some books have been translated multiple times with mixed results. The most obvious is the Bible. The United Bible Society has tallied 1,257 languages into which the New Testament has been translated. Along with religious books, children’s books stand high in the ranks of most-frequently translated literature. They include such works as The Little Prince (originally written in French, translated into 216 languages), Andersen’s Fairy Tales (Swedish into 153 languages), Pinocchio (Italian into 100 languages) and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (English into 97 languages).
Mark Twain noted, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is really a large matter — it’s the difference between a lightning bug and the lightning.” So if you’re thinking of reading a book that was translated from another language, it is worth doing some research to be sure you get the best possible version. Huffington Post recently released A Literature In Translation Starter Kit, listing “14 absolutely indispensable in-translation books to get you started.”
Renown author and essayist Salman Rushdie said “It is normally supposed that something always gets lost in translation; I cling, obstinately to the notion that something can also be gained.” So why are only 3% or less of the books published in the United States translations? A majority of the 400 or so original translations of fiction and poetry books published annually in the States already achieved success in their own country. That leaves countless excellent translations of lesser known quality books out of the realm of public awareness.
Kudos to Chad W. Post, director of Open Letter Books, which specializes in great books in translation, as well as the web site Three Percent. In a recent post on the Publishers Weekly website, he wrote about this unfortunate oversight. Based on his experience and expertise, he shared his list of the 20 best books in translation that you probably never heard of before.