Translations

Thewitt

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I've just finished my first book and one of my reviewers has asked if I plan to translate it to other languages.

I've thought about this only briefly, but as an American living in Malaysia I am sensitive to the fact that many people don't speak English as their first language and may in fact appreciate my work in their language.

Do you think this is worth the investment? The genre is Fantasy, which seems to be as popular in Asia as in the US from my experience here.

Should I go so far as to translate to Chinese? That's a huge potential eBook market for sure.
 

Osulagh

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One reviewer suggested it. Doesn't mean there's a group of people waiting in line for it to be in a certain language--even enough to allow you to break even.

Here's my thoughts: If you're already making more than enough money to pay for a good translation, and have the means to market that book in that language, and maybe even have a number of people awaiting it in a certain language, then go ahead. Good chance the same success you're having will transfer.

But if you're not making money in your current language to pay for the translation, or you can't market it in the target language, you're putting yourself in the red for readers who don't know of your book. No matter how large the market is, if they don't know of your book, they can't buy it to help you pay back the investment. If you yourself can translate and market in the target language, a lot of this can be alleviated--but you said "investment" leaving me with the idea you don't.
 
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Thewitt

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You are correct in your assumption that my lingual skills are not adequate to the task of translation to another language.

I just returned from a trip to China where a colleague asked if I would be considering a Chinese version of my book. She has not read the English version, explaining that her English skills are not good enough for her to appreciate a book in English.

The reviewer asked for a version in French, and would actually be available to do a translation for me, but we have not discussed the price.

The Chinese market intrigues me, but I know nothing about it...

-t