On Contracts and Other Business-Related Stuff
The American PEN website has some invaluable resources regarding the business end of literary translation, including FAQs about copyright/publishing agreements, a Model Contract, and also a list of Selected Books on Translation.
For those based in the UK, the Translators Association, part of the Society of Authors, offers a similar range of services and information for both members and non-members. Translators just starting out might like to join the Emerging Translators Network.
How-to Manuals
We never thought anyone could write a 'how-to' for literary translation, but then someone did: the Dalkey Archives' Translation in Practice book is ostensibly the notes on a 2008 symposium on literary translation best practices, but the result is wonderfully written, audaciously broad-ranging, and incredibly helpful. Notes on the nitty gritty of dealing with editors and authors, negotiating contracts, dealing with regional dialect, editing… Nearly everything you could want to ask.
Thinking Chinese Translation
Another how-to book, with lots of good insights, by two very reputable UK-based teachers, Valerie Pellatt, and Eric Liu. This is Routledge course-book, available direct or from Amazon.
Comments
Hi, just to let you know, a few of the PEN links and the Dalkey Archives one are broken URLs. Otherwise great resources.
Seth Griffin, October 30, 2014, 9:58a.m.
Thanks for the heads up! So much for permanent ids, eh PEN? Glad to see they're off PHP, though.
I've fixed the Dalkey Archive link to point to the general page for the book. Note that it says at the top: "Scroll down to download the PDF file", but there's no such link below. I'll drop a line and bug them – it would definitely be nice to have that available.
Eric Abrahamsen, October 30, 2014, 5:40p.m.
Working link to the pdf file: https://www.llvs.lt/img/File/Translation_in_Practice_book.pdf
Justus, January 14, 2024, 2:32p.m.