How can I find novel translation work? Thread poster: Emese Tóth
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Emese Tóth
Hungary
Local time: 17:16
English to Hungarian
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SITE LOCALIZER
Hi, I'm Lois from Hungary. I speak English, Russian and Finnish. And my native language is Hungarian.
I have written to some publishers, but their reply was that they don't need more translators at the moment. I don't know what to do or where to write.
I' m already thinking about volunteering to translate novels. But even then I don't know where to write.
Please, if you have any suggestions, feel free to write.
Thank you so much ... See more Hi, I'm Lois from Hungary. I speak English, Russian and Finnish. And my native language is Hungarian.
I have written to some publishers, but their reply was that they don't need more translators at the moment. I don't know what to do or where to write.
I' m already thinking about volunteering to translate novels. But even then I don't know where to write.
Please, if you have any suggestions, feel free to write.
Thank you so much ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:16
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| Contact the Authors | Dec 8, 2021 |
Lois Downey wrote: Hi, I'm Lois from Hungary. I speak English, Russian and Finnish. And my native language is Hungarian. I have written to some publishers, but their reply was that they don't need more translators at the moment. I don't know what to do or where to write. I' m already thinking about volunteering to translate novels. But even then I don't know where to write. Please, if you have any suggestions, feel free to write. Thank you so much
Contact the Authors directly, and their agents.
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If you are interested in translating short stories and other short works, I have put together a list of paying literary markets on my website:
http://arabicandmore.com/books/25-literary-markets-for-creative-writers-translators/
Some of these markets also accept excerpts of novels.
Generally speaking, you would nee... See more If you are interested in translating short stories and other short works, I have put together a list of paying literary markets on my website:
http://arabicandmore.com/books/25-literary-markets-for-creative-writers-translators/
Some of these markets also accept excerpts of novels.
Generally speaking, you would need to get in touch with the authors or publishers of the relevant work for permission to publish a translation in these markets.
You may also wish to join the Proz FB group, as one of the members is currently doing a series on literary translation with a focus on novels that you may find beneficial. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Emese Tóth
Hungary
Local time: 17:16
English to Hungarian
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TOPIC STARTER SITE LOCALIZER | Novel translation | Dec 9, 2021 |
Arabic & More wrote: If you are interested in translating short stories and other short works, I have put together a list of paying literary markets on my website: http://arabicandmore.com/books/25-literary-markets-for-creative-writers-translators/ Some of these markets also accept excerpts of novels. Generally speaking, you would need to get in touch with the authors or publishers of the relevant work for permission to publish a translation in these markets. You may also wish to join the Proz FB group, as one of the members is currently doing a series on literary translation with a focus on novels that you may find beneficial.
Thank you very much for the link, I will check it out.
And yes, I would like to join the FB group.
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Adieu 
Ukrainian to English
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It's already an insignificantly minute share of the market to begin with and very newbie-unfriendly at that.
Outsiders are often of the mistaken opinion that printed fiction constitutes a large share of texts translated for money and infer that there must be a lucrative market hiding somewhere in plain sight to break into.
It's not and there isn't.
| | | | Mr. Satan (X)
English to Indonesian
| Just saw one | Dec 20, 2021 |
I dunno, I just saw a job ad here on this website asking to translate a novel from Chinese to Italian. Though I have no idea if the pay is good or not.
| | | | Adieu
Ukrainian to English
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| There IS one odd subset | Dec 20, 2021 |
...but it usually doesn't go anywhere. Wannabe authors, rabid fans, and a HUGE number of highly suspect mystics/prophets/coaches/etc. (at least for translations into English and other major languages).
These are distinguished by having no idea how much this could cost and no verification of intent to go through with it or ability to pay.
Meanwhile, the *real* market working for publishers in most major language pairs is cornered by a tiny group of maybe a few dozen high... See more ...but it usually doesn't go anywhere. Wannabe authors, rabid fans, and a HUGE number of highly suspect mystics/prophets/coaches/etc. (at least for translations into English and other major languages).
These are distinguished by having no idea how much this could cost and no verification of intent to go through with it or ability to pay.
Meanwhile, the *real* market working for publishers in most major language pairs is cornered by a tiny group of maybe a few dozen highly professional mostly elderly translators with established reputations and usually painfully low rates. They're trusted, reliable, cheap, and grind out a couple dozen books per year each when they need money and a dozen if they don't.
Especially in Eastern Europe, with its low rates and socialist intellectual old guard who scoff at working with menial stuff like marketing and bureaucratic paperwork, clicking on email notifications, haggling with agencies, etc.
Your rival will be a prim retired college professor who looks down on the rest of the profession, owns a home, collects a pension, and is more than willing to work for a pittance because it's the "literary arts" and a great boon to her ego.
Can't fight in market conditions against highly professional and very experienced people who work as a hobby.
Novian Cahyadi wrote:
I dunno, I just saw a job ad here on this website asking to translate a novel from Chinese to Italian. Though I have no idea if the pay is good or not. ▲ Collapse
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Adieu wrote:
It's not and there isn't.
Can you then please tell me what I`ve been waiting for here at proz for more than 14 years now?
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Tony Keily
Local time: 17:16
Italian to English
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| I worked for publishers in Barcelona for years and... | Dec 21, 2021 |
...they generally had a roster of tried and trusted translators.
This was quite some time ago and maybe things have changed, but it was a closed world where often a door only opened in case of urgency (or a weird language combination) and often the person ushered through that door was recommended by someone already working for the publishing house. I'd advise you to try and contact some translators working with publishers and talk to them. However, the majority of translators I kne... See more ...they generally had a roster of tried and trusted translators.
This was quite some time ago and maybe things have changed, but it was a closed world where often a door only opened in case of urgency (or a weird language combination) and often the person ushered through that door was recommended by someone already working for the publishing house. I'd advise you to try and contact some translators working with publishers and talk to them. However, the majority of translators I knew were also novelists with a track record rather than freelancers also working in the commercial area. ( I now live in Italy and, again, the only literary translator I know is also a novelist).
I'm still in touch with some of these Barcelona translators and they tell me: a) that prices have been frozen for some time and they don't make the living from literary translation they that used to; and b) that cases of non-payment or delayed payment are on the increase, a very serious problem if you've invested a few months in a job. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 17:16
French to English
Adieu wrote:
...but it usually doesn't go anywhere. Wannabe authors, rabid fans, and a HUGE number of highly suspect mystics/prophets/coaches/etc. (at least for translations into English and other major languages).
These are distinguished by having no idea how much this could cost and no verification of intent to go through with it or ability to pay.
Meanwhile, the *real* market working for publishers in most major language pairs is cornered by a tiny group of maybe a few dozen highly professional mostly elderly translators with established reputations and usually painfully low rates. They're trusted, reliable, cheap, and grind out a couple dozen books per year each when they need money and a dozen if they don't.
Especially in Eastern Europe, with its low rates and socialist intellectual old guard who scoff at working with menial stuff like marketing and bureaucratic paperwork, clicking on email notifications, haggling with agencies, etc.
Your rival will be a prim retired college professor who looks down on the rest of the profession, owns a home, collects a pension, and is more than willing to work for a pittance because it's the "literary arts" and a great boon to her ego.
Can't fight in market conditions against highly professional and very experienced people who work as a hobby.
While there's truth in a lot of what you say, bitter insults like "old guard" and "prim retired college professor" are somewhat lacking in professional attitude and basically don't do you a service either.
Last time I attended a translator function (here in France, in 2019 I suppose), awards were handed out for literary translations and none of the translators short-listed could have been over 40, so that rather disproves your point that literary translators are all ancient.
| | | | Adieu
Ukrainian to English
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| How's this an insult? | Dec 21, 2021 |
I'm just highlighting that the incumbents are often working for a calling rather than an income and how exceedingly unlikely it is that publishers would hire someone who would look like "a kid without references" in comparison.
And, yeah, literature is one of the few areas of translation where references are a thing.
Also, France isn't in Eastern Europe. You guys don't have a large ex-socialist intellectual old guard from the world of academia that wants nothing to do w... See more I'm just highlighting that the incumbents are often working for a calling rather than an income and how exceedingly unlikely it is that publishers would hire someone who would look like "a kid without references" in comparison.
And, yeah, literature is one of the few areas of translation where references are a thing.
Also, France isn't in Eastern Europe. You guys don't have a large ex-socialist intellectual old guard from the world of academia that wants nothing to do with the world of business and places great prestige on the arts.
AND France has much much higher pensions and had no regime change 30 years ago that left a lot of people who planned to be comfortably retired by now still needing the work.
PS
Kay Denney wrote: Adieu wrote:
...but it usually doesn't go anywhere. Wannabe authors, rabid fans, and a HUGE number of highly suspect mystics/prophets/coaches/etc. (at least for translations into English and other major languages).
These are distinguished by having no idea how much this could cost and no verification of intent to go through with it or ability to pay.
Meanwhile, the *real* market working for publishers in most major language pairs is cornered by a tiny group of maybe a few dozen highly professional mostly elderly translators with established reputations and usually painfully low rates. They're trusted, reliable, cheap, and grind out a couple dozen books per year each when they need money and a dozen if they don't.
Especially in Eastern Europe, with its low rates and socialist intellectual old guard who scoff at working with menial stuff like marketing and bureaucratic paperwork, clicking on email notifications, haggling with agencies, etc.
Your rival will be a prim retired college professor who looks down on the rest of the profession, owns a home, collects a pension, and is more than willing to work for a pittance because it's the "literary arts" and a great boon to her ego.
Can't fight in market conditions against highly professional and very experienced people who work as a hobby.
While there's truth in a lot of what you say, bitter insults like "old guard" and "prim retired college professor" are somewhat lacking in professional attitude and basically don't do you a service either. Last time I attended a translator function (here in France, in 2019 I suppose), awards were handed out for literary translations and none of the translators short-listed could have been over 40, so that rather disproves your point that literary translators are all ancient.
[Edited at 2021-12-21 17:21 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Just an aside to quench my language curiosity | Dec 21, 2021 |
I wonder if anyone who's a native English speaker, upon reading 'novel translation work,' readily understands 'novel' to mean novels as a literary genre rather than the adjective 'novel,' which means something totally different, just in terms of meanings that pop up in their mind as they read things (because to me, the correct meaning was not exactly obvious)
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| Novel translation work | Dec 21, 2021 |
Denis Fesik wrote:
I wonder if anyone who's a native English speaker, upon reading 'novel translation work,' readily understands 'novel' to mean novels as a literary genre rather than the adjective 'novel,' which means something totally different, just in terms of meanings that pop up in their mind as they read things (because to me, the correct meaning was not exactly obvious)
I am a native speaker of English and originally thought that the poster wanted to discuss "unique" translation work.
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