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Established in 2018, the US National Book Awards’ newest category, Translated Literature, this year drew 141 submissions.
The Second of Five Categories’ 2024 Longlists
With its rate of submissions in this category running a bit lower than might have been expected, the United States’ National Book Foundation‘s second-released 2024 longlist is for Translated Literature.
This is the most important of the five categories for our international professional readership at Publishing Perspectives. In 2023, this category drew 141 entries from publishers, the lowest number since the 2020 competition and the second-lowest since the 2018 establishment of the Translated Literature award.
Last year’s competition drew 154 submissions, by comparison to this year’s 141. The 2022 competition drew 146. Indeed the largest year for submissions so far in Translated Literature was 2021, when publishers made 164 entries. Even in the opening year, 2018 was slightly higher than this year’s input, at 142. Only one year’s number of entries has been lower than this year’s, and that was the pandemic year of 2020, when there were just 130 submissions.
While the differences in these numbers are not large, the longtime struggle of translated literature among American consumers is a perennially painful and frequently embarrassing point for many in the States’ book community and industry. Perhaps there’s some work to do on the part of the foundation in encouraging more submissions in this still-young category.
Large Language Models (LLMs) have proven their usefulness for streamlining workflows, optimizing linguistic assets, and shortening quality assurance cycles, among many other applications.
Through LLMs, AI is not just automating tasks, but also reshaping how language service providers (LSPs) and localization divisions at the enterprise operate, deliver value, and grow their businesses.
These changes and the overall impact of AI in translation are being felt across the language industry, and the second edition of Slator Pro Guide: Translation AI captures new and updated use cases illustrating this rapid evolution.
The guide examines not only impact, but also value, implementation effort, technology involved, business opportunities, and user perspectives for 20 use cases.
Highlighting the wide-ranging applications of AI in translation, from core machine translation (MT) to sophisticated production and linguistic tasks, a few primary business areas appear to be influenced by AI, though its impact is certainly not limited to these.
In this age of instantaneous tech, a lack of language skills is still putting global business success on mute. How can marketers avoid getting lost in translation?
Going global is increasingly on a CEO’s and a CMO’s to-do list. In the UK alone, 87% of those businesses who trade internationally are planning on expanding their overseas operations this year, with a further 10% aiming to step outside the UK for the first time.
That’s a lot of cross-market communication campaigns. But, despite emerging technologies helping business bridge borders more easily than ever before, they’re still being held back by language barriers – to the tune of almost £50bn per year in the UK.
When words cost business
We’re living in a turbo-CX age. From hyper-personalization to customer-centric, data-driven campaigns – consumers increasingly expect their needs to be understood and met. And that means that language, more than ever, is not just about words. It’s about making a deep, personal connection with someone based around cultural nuances. But these cultural nuances are often missed in generative AI’s word churn, jeopardizing audience engagement in an era where building trust is everything.
Without this richer understanding of language, marketing messages are misinterpreted. That makes brands seem distant and out of touch. And that makes customers feel dissatisfied and disengaged.
When companies don’t localize the buying experience, they risk losing around 40% of their target market. But when trading partners use similar languages, trade can shoot up by 72%.
The game “Black Myth: Wukong” owes its popularity among gamers around the world to refined graphics, difficult gameplay, storytelling and, perhaps most of all, to the English translations of the texts.
Developed by China-based Game Science, the game doesn’t use the traditional translation of the ancient Chinese novel “Journey to the West,” on which the game is based. Rather, it uses pinyin – the most common Western alphabet transcription of the sound of Chinese words.
For example, the main character, the Monkey King, is translated as Wukong, his Chinese name. The Black Bear Monster is “Black Bear Guai,” with guai the abbreviation of yaoguai, which means “monster.”
The video game “Back Myth Wukong” has become a hit, piquing the interest of gamers around the world about ancient Chinese myths.
It is interesting that while most Western players are helping each other with the texts online, their Chinese counterparts are arguing whether the translation sets the bar too high for foreign players.
“It’s too confusing, and I believe they should at least unify pinyin or English words,” said one user on Weibo.
That raises some interesting questions. What is good translation? How should we pursue translations – by adhering to original meaning as much as possible or compromising a bit to make them more understandable to foreigners?
The answers are complicated.
Hugo Tseng, professor of English and college dean at Sanda University, told Shanghai Daily that there is no “standard, correct translation.”
He explained, “You can translate ‘Black Bear Monster’ as such or by its pronunciation ‘Hei Xiong Guai.’ The latter will definitely be more confusing to foreigners, but it is the more accurate one. ‘Black Bear Guai’ combines the two, and it has both pros and cons.”
At this year’s Anime NYC, we had the opportunity to, alongside other members of the press, speak with manga translator and historian Fred Schodt about his storied career, influential works, thoughts on the evolving industry, and perspective on translation as a career. Mr. Schodt is known for his translations of works including Osamu Tezuka’s Phoenix and Astro Boy (the latter of which being featured on his shirt), The Rose of Versailles, The Four Immigrants, and many more. His most well-known work (among a long list of them) is Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics, published in 1983. The industry has changed a lot since he first entered it, but at all times he’s been a pivotal figure within.
Popularizing Manga in the West
The landscape of manga consumption in the West was nowhere near what it was now just 40 years ago. At that time, most non-Japanese people had never heard of manga, so the demand for Japanese manga translated into English simply wasn’t there. Fred Schodt wrote Manga! Manga! mainly because he loved manga and Japanese comics and wanted to share them with the rest of the world. The work became a seminal text in the study of manga and was a crucial reason that Japanese manga was brought to the Western world at large. Mr. Schodt described his experiences in releasing Manga! Manga! during a time when manga itself was barely a concept in the greater North American consciousness.
In 2023, the Hollywood actor strike that paralyzed a number of localization activities in film, TV, and gaming productions, among others, allowed for dubbing work to continue. The July 2024 SAG–AFTRA union’s strike would require members to stop working altogether in video games, specifically, as covered by the union’s “Interactive Media Agreement.”
“Localization for foreign video games covered under the Interactive Localization Agreement (ILA) is struck work,” says a statement published by the union.
The list of services becoming off limits to members includes acting; singing; “voice acting, including performing sound-alike voice services;” and “authorizing the use of your voice or likeness (which includes integration or reuse of work already performed)” in video games.
The latest strike highlights a key point of contention: the use of AI in voice acting. SAG-AFTRA aims to protect its members from being replaced by AI technology, just as game studios are ever more tempted by the potential of AI dubbing to lower costs and shorten production timelines.
We asked readers if they think the video game actor strike will be a net positive for voice actors, and over a third (36.8%) believe that will be the case. A group of about the same size (34.2%) thinks it is probable, while less than a quarter (23.7%) find it unlikely and the rest (5.3%) think it will not be so.
Dr. B.J. Woodstein, Professor, Translator, and Writer, joins SlatorPod to talk about translation theory and its implications for literary translators, while also shedding light on the professional challenges, nuances, and ethical considerations.
B.J. discusses her upcoming book, “Translation Theory for Literary Translators”, where she aims to demystify translation theory and make it accessible to translators. She highlights the need for translators to understand and engage with translation theory to enhance their work and make informed decisions in their practice.
The author shares insights on the market dynamics of literary translation, including how translators are selected, rates are set, and the challenges faced in the industry.
She highlights the importance of human intervention in translation, especially in handling linguistic nuances, cultural concepts, and editorial decisions that go beyond what AI or machine translation can achieve.
B.J. reflects on the linguistic and cultural challenges in translating from Swedish to English, such as dealing with different language structures and cultural nuances that may not easily be translated. She also explores the complexities of translating sensitive or explicit content, where decisions need to be made to maintain cultural authenticity while adapting for the target market.
Lawyers are often disliked for their excessive attention to detail, but every word truly needs to be justified and carefully considered in international documents.
There are already several examples in Ukrainian legislature where the translation of international treaties have errors that distort their meaning.
Moreover, Ukraine has ratified a flawed translation of the Rome Statute.
The issue of translating international legal acts into Ukrainian has become increasingly relevant in Ukraine since 2014.
But significant steps to address this problem have yet to be taken.
It’s strange when Ukraine is convincing the world that Russia is violating the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, while not having an official Ukrainian translation of this convention.
Moreover, many documents ratified by our state (especially those ratified by Soviet Ukraine) still do not have official Ukrainian translations.
Continuing the celebration of Women in Translation Month and taking advantage of the few days left in August, I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with Chantal Wright, Professor of Creativity and the Language Industry at ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences and, none other than the founder of The Warwick Prize for Women in Translation, now coordinated by Holly Langstaff. And when I say “I had the pleasure…” I really mean that it was an honor and a privilege to chat with someone I personally admire greatly for her work, who is also incredibly kind.
For those who don’t know her, Chantal was born in Manchester, England, and she is a translator of literary and academic material from German and French into English. She is also the author of Literary Translation (Routledge, 2016), recipient of the inaugural Cliff Becker Book Prize in Translation (2012), and of a PEN/Heim Translation Fund grant (2009), among many other accolades.
I’m excited to share the delightful conversation we had a few days ago as part of the ProZ.com Women in Translation initiative and Women in Translation Month, where she talks about how the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation addresses a significant gender imbalance in the field, discusses how translation studies have evolved over the years, particularly with the increasing focus on gender and diversity, and shares some advice for women aspiring to enter the field of literary translation.
The translation industry, like many other fields, thrives on the collective support and collaboration of its members. For women in this sector, building a nurturing community can greatly benefit both their personal and professional development.
In honor of Women in Translation Month (#WITMonth), which focuses on celebrating and advancing the contributions of female translators and the works of women in translation, this article explores how women can create a supportive network to uplift and promote each other’s achievements.
Here are some strategies for women to strengthen their connections and enhance each other’s success in this dynamic field:
The power of honest praise
Women in translation are the majority in the line of work, but (maybe not so?) surprisingly, the most visible and heard voices still relatively stay the domain of male colleagues. Women in the workplace need more positive encouragement to step into the spotlight than male colleagues. By being supportive and encouraging colleagues to each other, women can hope to see more women step up and shine.
To do this, female linguists can openly and honestly praise each other for their achievements. Some women rarely receive positive feedback as a “cog in the machine” of the language services providers’ world. Women can do it for each other, though!
Yamakawa Shuppansha president Takeshi Nozawa holds the publisher’s textbook on Japanese history — used in high schools across Japan — alongside the new English version in Tokyo on May 23. | Francis Tang
As a family-run business with around 50 employees, Yamakawa Shuppansha is like many small and medium-sized enterprises in Japan — a tight-knit team of experts dedicated to executing the craft of their specialty.
What distinguishes the publishing company is history; not only do they have a long history that dates back to the end of World War II, they quite literally publish the nation’s most iconic history textbooks.
Anyone who has gone through the Japanese high school system will immediately recognize the orange and blue textbooks — which cover Japanese and world history, respectively — that Yamakawa Shuppansha has continued to deliver to students across the nation for the past seven decades.
But just because the company cherishes what it has built up over the years does not mean it shies away from challenges that emerge with the times, says its current president, Takeshi Nozawa, a grandson of the founder.
And the publishing company’s newest and possibly toughest challenge yet? Publishing an English language version of its iconic Japanese history textbook.
“To be honest, we initially thought we could produce it pretty easily — maybe within just a year or two,” Nozawa, 45, says in his Chiyoda Ward office.
His team and he ended up eating their own words as production took 10 years of hard labor jumping through the hoops of the language barrier and navigating the untrodden path before them.
Like many fans, I couldn’t wait for the My Hero Academiamanga finale to finally be released. It’s been a long journey, following the series for years, but despite my impatient urges to peek at leaks, I managed to wait for the official translation on August 4. And, after seeing how many fans have reacted to the fan translation of the finale, I’m extremely glad that I did.
It’s not uncommon for new chapters of Shonen Jump manga to leak online early, translated rapidly by dedicated fans, and then spread around the internet several days before the chapter is set to officially release. That was the case for My Hero Academia chapter #430 as well, but this time, something went wrong.
We all chuckle a little bit now and then at poorly translated road signs or the infelicities of Google Translate. But when it comes to communicating about health, accuracy in translation is a serious matter. In autism’s case, choosing the wrong words could mean a child goes undiagnosed and doesn’t get the help he or she needs.
In the past several years, researchers have begun to translate and adapt autism educational materials and diagnostic tools for use around the world. But the details of this process are rarely published, so no one can tell whether a translation was done in a way that is likely to capture key cultural differences.
A study published 11 March in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders outlines how ethnographic methods can help translations of autism-related materials truly reach their intended audience. The researchers enlisted the help of Korean mothers, doctors and teachers to create a culturally appropriate translation of the 100 Day Kit — a set of educational materials for families of recently diagnosed children, developed by the research and advocacy organization Autism Speaks.
The researchers began by interviewing 19 Korean psychologists, pediatricians, teachers and social workers in Queens, New York, to understand how concerns about autism arise in Korean families and what these families need to know about the disorder.
To learn how to accurately communicate about autism in Korean, the researchers turned to Korean mothers living in the U.S. They asked 23 of these mothers — 5 of whom have children with autism — to think of terms related to three concepts: autism, causes of autism and developmental problems in general. The women then ranked the terms in the resulting lists by importance and clustered those with similar meanings into groups.
This exercise revealed that Koreans frequently use terms that mean “in own world” and “isolated” to describe the social deficits associated with autism. But a Korean term that translates to “out of touch” refers specifically to someone who disrespects his elders or otherwise violates social norms. If the researchers had used the term for “out of touch,” which could describe autism in English, they would have inaccurately portrayed autism for Korean families.
Women in Translation Month (WIT Month) is an annual celebration held in August, dedicated to promoting and honoring women authors who write in languages other than English and the translators who bring their voices to a broader audience. This movement was initiated in 2014 by Meytal Radzinski, a blogger and translator passionate about addressing the gender imbalance in translated literature. Her efforts have spotlighted the critical yet often underrepresented contributions of female authors and translators worldwide, raising awareness and appreciation for their work.
Through August, we are all invited to celebrate women in translation in some way. Here are some fun and meaningful ideas:
Reading challenges: organize or participate in a reading challenge focused on books by women writers in translation. Share your progress and reviews on social media using the hashtag #WITMonth.
Book club discussions: host a book club meeting featuring a female author in translation. Engage in discussions about the themes, cultural contexts, and the translation process itself.
Author and translator interviews: arrange interviews with female authors and translators to share insights into their work, challenges, and the impact of translation on their stories.
Online events and webinars: attend or organize online events, webinars, and panel discussions featuring women writers and translators. These can provide valuable perspectives and foster a sense of community.
The British Museum has had to apologise after a translator’s words were used without permission. Writer and translator Yilin Wang shared on Twitter that their translations of work by the Chinese feminist poet Qiu Jin appeared in the museum’s exhibition, China’s Hidden Century, without consent.
The museum’s subsequent press release cited “unintentional human error”. It explained that it had corresponded privately with Wang and had now offered a fee for the use of the translations. Along with the Chinese poems, these were then removed from the exhibition. But the removal of the texts has also fuelled criticism of the museum, and sparked a debate about the role of translators.
Translation and copyright
Literary translation is legally recognised as an act of original artistic production. This means that translated literary texts enjoy their own copyright status, independent of the source texts. While Qiu’s work is now out of copyright because she died in 1907, Wang’s translations are not.
The role of original creativity in translation practices is frequently ignored or underestimated. It’s common to talk about reading “author X” rather than “translator Y’s translation of author X”. Even the Nobel Prize conveniently sidesteps the role of translators and their creative work when it confers its annual literary honour.
As businesses increasingly rely on artificial intelligence to bridge language gaps and reach global audiences, it’s crucial to navigate this landscape with awareness and precision.
3 Ways to Make AI Translations Clearer and Better
Diversify training data to include more languages.
Have human translators review and refine AI translations.
Hire cultural consultants to check cultural nuances in translations.
AI translations from one language to another are certainly convenient because they reduce the need for a human translator fluent in both languages. Yet AI translation has its pitfalls, too, and failures can cause significant legal, reputational and trust issues. A catchy English slogan might become nonsensical or offensive in another language. A mistranslated phrase in a legal context has led to a false arrest. Mistranslations can even introduce gender bias.
This article will explore what can go wrong with AI translations and discuss ways to enhance accuracy and cultural relevance.
In honor of Women in Translation Month, we are pleased to share this exciting list of recent books from the University of Chicago Press and our marketing distribution client publishers that evidence the evocative power of women’s writing from around the globe.
The first collection of Italian poet Jolanda Insana’s work to be published in English, featuring transgressive poems that evidence the power of language.
Although event software company Canapii officially launched in 2020, its roots in the events sector stretch back two decades. Initially part of Canalys, a market research company in the IT industry, Canapii’s journey began with the need to automate event processes to minimise human error.
“We started developing an app 18 years ago to streamline our events, initially for internal use,” recalls CEO Rita Chaher. “However, as our sponsors, including tech giants like Lenovo and Microsoft, saw its potential, they requested to use it for their events.”
The pivotal moment came for the Reading, UK-based company in 2019 when Canapii secured a contract to manage several major events. The onset of the pandemic in 2020 necessitated a rapid pivot to virtual events.
“We redeployed our resources, recoding everything to support virtual formats. This shift revealed the tool’s potential beyond the IT industry,” Chaher explains. This adaptation was crucial in establishing Canapii as a standalone entity, focused on both on-site and virtual events.
Toda Natsuko is a name widely recognized among Japanese movie enthusiasts. Her work has been integral to their enjoyment of some of the biggest cinematic hits of the past half century. In that time, the 88-year-old subtitler has written Japanese translations for more than 1,500 English-language films, including classics such as “E.T.” and “Titanic,” and more recently the latest installment of the “Mission: Impossible” series.
NEWSLINE anchor Kawasaki Rika asked Toda how she stays motivated.
Lifelong love affair with film
Kawasaki: Two recent hits that you subtitled are “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Mission: Impossible ― Dead Reckoning Part One.” You’re also working on a new project. What keeps you going?
Toda: It’s simply a love for movies. I started as a professional translator when I was 40, but even before that I was a huge movie fan. I was born during World War Two, when there was little food and no entertainment. We had air raids all the time. After the defeat, Japan was occupied by the United States, and that’s when Western culture started coming in. I’d watch movies depicting affluent American families and think, “That is heaven.” As an elementary school girl looking up at the big screen, I became obsessed with the fascinating world of English-language movies. And that’s how I ended up here. Age hasn’t stopped me from enjoying my dream job.
A 3500-year-old clay tablet covered in ancient writing has been translated in Turkey – and what it says is surprising.
The tablet, which measures just 4.2cm by 3.5cm, and is 1.6cm thick, its thickness of 1.6 cm and its weight of 27.85 grams, was found during restoration work after an earthquake hit the historical city of Alalakh.
It is covered in a form of Akkadian cuneiform writing, one of the earliest known written human languages.
As for what it says – well, Turkish researchers have determined it’s a shopping list.
Specifically, translated lines detail the purchase of a “large” amount of wooden tables, chairs and stools, presumably from a trip to a Bronze Age Ikea.
“We believe that this tablet, weighing 28 grams, will provide a new perspective in terms of understanding the economic structure and state system of the Late Bronze Age,” Turkish culture and tourism minister Mehmet Ersoy said in a translated statement.
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