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December 2011
2011 is the Year of the Literary Translator
In 2011, a growing U.S. audience for "foreign fiction," such as Stieg Larsson's
Millennium trilogy and Haruki Murakami's "1Q84," has contributed to an
expanding translation market. The fast-tracking trend is responsible for
introducing English-speaking readers to best-selling international authors,
including Umberto Eco, Roberto Bolaño, and Péter Nádas, and publishers who
have been hesitant to publish translation in the past are now rushing to meet
the demand. Some who are trying to keep pace with the drive to bring fiction in
translation to the market have released new editions of international classics.
Most industry experts say that information technology has played a role in the
growth of the English-speaking audience with an interest in international
literature. For example, social media has been used to campaign for the Man
Booker award and the Orange Prize for Fiction, and Google Translate’s success
at machine translation has made a vast stockpile of foreign language literature
immediately accessible to anyone with a computer. However, the most
significant factor contributing to the commercial success of literary translation
may be the spread of the English language. According to the British Council, a
non-profit organization promoting cultural relationships, roughly half of the world’
s population—3.5 billion people—either know or are acquainted with "some
kind of English." At this point in history, one language can literally be heard
around the world.
From "From the Bible to the Latest Swedish Thriller: 2011 Is the Year of the
Translator", London Observer (United Kingdom) (11/26/11) McCrum, Robert
2011 is the Year of the Literary Translator
In 2011, a growing U.S. audience for "foreign fiction," such as Stieg Larsson's
Millennium trilogy and Haruki Murakami's "1Q84," has contributed to an
expanding translation market. The fast-tracking trend is responsible for
introducing English-speaking readers to best-selling international authors,
including Umberto Eco, Roberto Bolaño, and Péter Nádas, and publishers who
have been hesitant to publish translation in the past are now rushing to meet
the demand. Some who are trying to keep pace with the drive to bring fiction in
translation to the market have released new editions of international classics.
Most industry experts say that information technology has played a role in the
growth of the English-speaking audience with an interest in international
literature. For example, social media has been used to campaign for the Man
Booker award and the Orange Prize for Fiction, and Google Translate’s success
at machine translation has made a vast stockpile of foreign language literature
immediately accessible to anyone with a computer. However, the most
significant factor contributing to the commercial success of literary translation
may be the spread of the English language. According to the British Council, a
non-profit organization promoting cultural relationships, roughly half of the world’
s population—3.5 billion people—either know or are acquainted with "some
kind of English." At this point in history, one language can literally be heard
around the world.
From "From the Bible to the Latest Swedish Thriller: 2011 Is the Year of the
Translator", London Observer (United Kingdom) (11/26/11) McCrum, Robert
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Industry Trends 2011