The Translation Gap: Why More Foreign Writers Aren’t Published in America
http://publishingperspectives.com/?p=10143
There are a number of explanations for this phenomenon, very few of which have to do with stereotypes of American readers as being culturally insulated or lacking curiosity about the outside world.
Comments
One remedy is for a publisher to prepare a good sample translation — with an emphasis here on the word good. (Emily Williams, author of the linked article)
Hellooo? When was the last time a publisher paid for a sample translation?
The enterprising author or the agent, maybe. Maybe. But the publisher?
Bruce, January 11, 2010, 12:22p.m.
Bruce makes a good point. It's generally the agent, author or translator who pays for or advances the work on the sample translation. Depends on how motivated the individual parties are, and how much time/funding they have at their disposal. Creative Work (now Peony Agency) in Hong Kong and Toby Eady Associates in London have been commissioning sample translations and synopses for years, and paying fair market rates. Certain authors - Guo Xiaolu and Wei Hui, for example - have solicited and/or commissioned sample translations of their novels in order to have something to show publishers. Smart move for authors who want a greater say in translator selection and more control over the quality of their book pitches. And, of course, literary translators routinely prepare sample translation excerpts, synopses, author bios and bibliographies to pitch to agents and publishers. One of the biggest challenges for the freelance literary translator is banking enough income to be able to spend the time it takes - a few weeks, maybe a month or more - to craft a strong pitch and a 15-20 page sample translation. I imagine that translators in academia face a similar dilemma: although their financial situation is less precarious, they still have to balance their teaching, research and departmental responsibilities with their translation labours of love. I don't know of a single translator - freelance or academic - who would not pitch more books if he or she had the means. There are many factors fueling the translation gap, but it does seem that western publishers aren't getting enough information about the translation potential of books from other languages because of the bottleneck in submissions.
Cindy Carter, January 11, 2010, 2:07p.m.