Bringing the magic of mentalisation to new audiences

Whilst showcasing at last year’s Frankfurter Buchmesse, a major event on any publisher’s calendar, we struck up meaningful conversations with stakeholders from across the globe. One of those conversations was with Dr Philip Laubach from German publishing house IMAGINE BOOKS, which is dedicated to passionate authors with leading expertise, particularly in the fields of mental health, psychology and personal development. What ensued was the translation of a poignant developmental storybook into four European languages. In this case study, we outline how we handled this project to bring German children’s literature to little ones and their caregivers across multiple new locations.

After meeting up at the literary hotspot of Frankfurt, Dr Laubach and our Head of Production Kasia discussed the prospect of translating the parenting guidebook Das Kleine Boot und sein Leuchtturm (The Little Boat and Its Lighthouse) into multiple languages. Aimed at caregivers and children aged three to eight, this publication was written in German by Professor Svenja Taubner with support from consultant child and adolescent psychoanalytic psychotherapist Gerry Byrne. Dr Taubner is a psychological psychotherapist and psychoanalyst, not to mention the author of numerous scientific publications on the emotional experiences of children and their families. Across eight read-aloud stories and accompanying exercises, the book offers up opportunities to name, reflect on and validate emotions and behaviours shown by youngsters. These stories centre around the Lighthouse, who represents a caregiver figure, and the childlike Little Boat. With her keen interest in psychology, our team member Kasia was genuinely enthusiastic about this request, making sure costings fell within the funding awarded by the CHANSE initiative to elevate this title to the international stage.

At First Edition, we always work with the best individuals for the task at hand. Upon receiving the brief, we therefore scanned our database of professional translators and proofreaders to track down professionals specialising in children’s literature with a flair for storytelling. Before proceeding with the work, we tasked the chosen linguists with translating a short sample of the text to ensure client satisfaction. This confirmed we were on the right track early on and that everyone was onboard with the style of translation before we delved into the bulk of the translation work.

The original German manuscript encompassed around 24,000 words. The timeline set was 17 days. The process was to first translate the German into English, then from English into Spanish, French and Lithuanian. In light of this large scope and short timeframe, we divided the translation work into chapters. That way, once one chapter had been translated into English, we were then able to directly shift to translating into the three remaining languages all in parallel. This gradual approach, facilitated thanks to the chapters being individual stories, allowed us to keep to the timeline requested across all four languages. Indeed, we delivered all translations one day earlier, after which they were passed onto the publisher’s editing teams for review. Following their review, we incorporated feedback and handled queries. Such feedback loops are incredibly useful for making sure the final text reflects exactly what the client is looking for and prime us for future projects. As we’ve said in previous articles: Translation is a two-way street.

The next step was the typesetting, that’s to say implementing our translations into the book alongside the selected imagery, which was created by illustrator Billie Kaur Richardson. This process was handled by the IMAGINE BOOKS team: With First Edition, the choice to task us with the typesetting or to handle in-house is entirely up to you. Once the typesetting was complete, we conducted a final proofreading of the text to ensure no mistakes had crept in during the design process and to give the text one final polish. After this step, the books are ready to be printed and hit the shelves.

We are extremely proud to have contributed towards this series of stories, and we cannot wait to see the fruits of our labour printed on paper later this year. It’s always a pleasure to collaborate on literary translation projects like this and help meaningful content reach wider readerships. Readers can purchase the German original Das Kleine Boot und sein Leuchtturm from June 2026.

First Edition Translations is a certified translation agency based in Cambridge, UK. Boasting decades of expertise in the cultural and creative industries, we are a founding member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) and part of the Association for Cultural Enterprises (ACE) – a reflection of our dedication to both our own craft and that of our clients. We specialise in translation, editing, proofreading and typesetting for books of all kinds, covering everything from children’s tales to cookbooks. If you’d like to explore how we can help elevate your standing on the international literary stage, our project managers are always happy to advise at enquiries@firstedit.co.uk.