Contemporary

Publishers and New Technologies

Literary translation exists in a rapidly changing publishing world dominated by ever larger conglomerates which commission translations, print them and own the bookshops that sell them. Established firms in the UK like Jonathan Cape and Chatto and Windus were bought by Random House which was then taken over by the German firm Bertelsman which also owns the US book chain Barnes and Noble. Smaller firms like Serpents Tail and Harvill - which extricated itself from Harper Collins - survive and publish translations.

The work of the individual professional translator has changed with the benefits of word-processors and on-line dictionaries and research tools but the unique form of creativity remains as central as ever. Changes in structure do however impact on contracts and deadlines so that new outside constraints influence individual translators.

A transnational company often decides to launch the English original and its translation into several languages simultaneously. This means translators in France, Germany, Holland, Italy and Spain, may be translating a novel that is still in manuscript form - which the writer and his in-house editor - may still be working on. The translators will be working to a tight deadline imposed by the fact that the books have to be printed according to a schedule of a printer in the Far East or Eastern Europe. As they are finishing their translations, along come a fresh set of changes from the editor.

Translation as a Profession

In most countries there are professional associations for translators which give advice on contracts and other matters. Sometimes they embrace different kinds of translators, sometimes they only admit literary translators,translators of books or commercial translators.

In the UK the two associations for translators are the Translators Association (TA), a section of the Society of Authors and the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI). Both organisations belong to the International Federation of Translators (FIT). Few literary translators in the UK are full-time: they combine freelance literary translation with other work - other kinds of translating, compiling dictionaries, university teaching, acting, all manner of consultancy work.

In other countries where the volume of translated books published is much greater, it is common for translators to work full-time but on a freelance basis. Pay is frequently low. It is worked out usually by reference to number of words or strikes per page and rarely bears any relation to the number of hours spent on a project.

Associations like the T.A. have model contracts which they encourage members to send to publishers when they are negotiating terms. Key issues are copyright, royalties, payment for subsidiary rights (film, theatre, radio adaptations, sale of translation to the USA) and recognition of the translator on the book-jacket and in publicity. A translation is the author of his or her translation and owns the copyright. The advent of cyberspace means that the rights of translators have to be defended there.