Copyrights on translations
 

Another question about copyrights in the US. I'm interested in doing an epub on a work first published in 1837 in French. There is an English translation published in the late 1960s, and I wondered if that translation has the same copyrights as a newly written book?

My feeling is that perhaps it does have copyrights but on the other hand, the translation is not really an original work - it required knowledge of French and of the subject matter, but given those requirements a large number of people could create a similar translation with only a relatively small differences between translations by different translators. Thus, little originality and no claim to copyright(?)

I'd apreciate your help on this.
Bob

You underestimate the skill and originality needed to make a good translation.

But anyway, translations do have their own copyright. There's also the copyright of the original work to be considered.*

Any translation made in the 1960s is almost certainly still in copyright everywhere.

* It's even possible for a translation to be out of copyright, but for the original to still be in copyright, and so any publication of the translation would require permission (& payment) to the holder of the copyright of the original. Of course, it's more common the other way around.

Yes. You can probably take the original from 1837, though, and translate it yourself.

Or just run it through google translate... :)

This is an argument likely to be used by companies hiring translators: "Everybody knows how to speak English, so why should we pay you that much for a translation?". Yeah, sure ...

Especially in literature a good translator doesn't only translate the literality, but captures the spirit of the text, the atmosphere, the wit, whatever you may call it. And that definitely is a creative work in itself.

So, yup, a translation has its own copyright. Yours as well, if you're going to translate that book. :)

Thanks for the rapid replies! They clear up all my uncertainty about translations.
Bob