Book translation – words of advice

As globalisation presses on, the demand for translated literature continues to grow. Readerships far and wide are discovering entirely new authors. Online communities and subcultures like BookTok bring rapid, immense popularity to titles from across the globe. Take for example Moi qui n’ai pas connu les hommes (English: I Who Have Never Known Men): Originally written in French by Belgian author Jacqueline Harpman, this dystopian fiction novel flooded UK bookstore shelves in 2025 three decades after its original publication after word quickly spread on TikTok. And let’s not forget the global buzz surrounding modern Korean culture, which has led to a large uptick in webtoon translations to satisfy the recent fascination with all things Korean.

High‑quality literary translation is a boon to authors, publishers, rights holders and readers alike. It opens up entirely new sales channels and allows readers to venture into stories they would otherwise have missed out on. In fact, some authors reach such critical acclaim thanks to the translation process itself: British author Simon Beckett, whose books have been translated into an impressive 29 languages, is a case in point. This crime writer is arguably better known in Germany – a huge market for crime fiction – than on his home turf. And Beckett is certainly not alone in this trend.

Editorial translation is a beast of its own. Attention must be paid to capturing the tone, voice, and style of the author whilst handling genre‑specific demands, e.g. as regards the level of formality or specialist terminology. Quite often, there is also a need to adapt cultural references and idioms for the new target readership in a way that retains the originally intended meaning. Works of non-fiction in particular contain cultural references, idioms and context-specific references that may not have direct equivalents in the target language. One example would be a crime novel set in England that refers to the ‘crown court’. Since every country has its own unique legal system, foreign readers would not necessarily understand the underlying implications. Here, the significance is that a crown court deals with the most serious crimes and features a 12-person jury who have the final say on guilt – a concept that is entirely foreign in non-English-speaking countries. The translator’s task is to navigate such cultural discrepancies, either by highlighting – and potentially explaining its foreignness – or by finding the closest equivalent in the new target culture (‘localisation’).

Going from manuscript to market-ready translation takes time and careful consideration. Once you’ve chosen your professional translation provider, make sure expectations are clear. Do you have a certain deadline in mind, say because you want to release the translation ahead of an industry event? Or perhaps you’ve dedicated a lot of effort to using gender-inclusive language in your book and you’re keen to have this reflected in the translation? Elements like this are key to making your book translation a true reflection of your work and securing international success.

Expectations now clarified, your translation provider will take over. At First Edition, we always place the work with the best-suited linguists. Each and every one of our team members is vetted in terms of their experience, credentials and interests. We match up translators on this very basis. So whether we’re asked to translate a Norwegian knitting manual or an 18th-century French text on tarot, we know exactly who’s the right person for the job. Our project managers liaise very closely with our translators, discussing linguistic queries and – where desired by the client – arranging for staggered deliveries so we can pass on the translation in parts to the author for their consideration.

Once the translation step is wrapped up, it’s time to move onto editing. When it comes to literary translation, revision is a highly recommended step. The role of the editor here is to refine the text in terms of flow, consistency and accuracy and give it a final polish. They may even pick up on loopholes in narrative, too. You can compare this stage to a kind of a safety net. If you’ve ever written a report, essay or book yourself, you’ll know the immense value that a second pair of eyes can bring. It’s not for nothing that modern-day novels start with words of thanks to the editors.

After revisions, we offer an optional desktop publishing (DTP) service. As a result of translation, during which sentence length tends to change, it is highly likely that formatting tweaks are required. For example, you may need to extend text boxes or move images around so that everything still fits neatly onto the page. This is particularly relevant when switching between left-to-right languages (e.g. English or French) to right-to-left languages (e.g. Arabic or Urdu): In such cases, we strongly advise you allow a DTP specialist to take care of the formatting, as things can get fiddly when converting scripts. Sometimes, publishers are keen to swap out the imagery altogether for the purpose of cultural adaptation. This might be because of cultural associations with certain colours or because something considered trite in one country (e.g. a bottle of beer) may be taboo in other circles. Once the design is perfected, your book is ready for publishing, printing or digital distribution.

First and foremost, don’t rush into it: It’s best to think about what markets you’d like to target – some upfront research into what genres sell best in which countries is helpful here. When you’re ready to scope out a professional literary translation provider, it’s vital that you choose expertise over speed – book translation takes time and craft. It’s unlikely that you wrote your full-length novel in a few days, so it would be unfair to expect such speed from a translator. Any professional translator worth their salt should spend time mulling over which words trigger which emotions and how to best explain any foreign cultural elements without disturbing the flow for the reader.

What’s more, translation is not a one-way street – effective collaboration goes a long way to ensuring your book will be a hit on new markets. Be open to questions and provide any reference materials you have. Perhaps you’re a publishing house and have a communications guide in place, or you’re an author and you have character notes or research materials that helped you structure your original text. The more information your translator has, the better they can follow your intentions and faithfully replicate them in a new language. This is particularly relevant if you have written about a very niche topic or archaic time period.

First Edition Translations is a long-standing language service provider headquartered in Cambridge with a core focus on editorial content. Since the early 1980s, we’ve helped authors, publishing houses and cultural organisations reach wide readerships. We offer a wide range of languages, closely collaborating with vetted professional translators, editors and typesetters. We’re a trusted partner of big names such as Arcturus, Bolinda, Cambridge University Press, DK, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Orion Publishing Group. Whether you’re a private author or a large publishing house, we’re always happy to chat under enquiries@firstedit.co.uk.

Last but not least: If, like us, you are attending this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair in October, we’d love to hear from you. We’re always happy to meet up with contacts old and new at publishing events.