Amazon expands language support in Kindle Store

Nate the great · 01-15-2010, 07:23 AM

From the press release:

Quote:

SEATTLE, Jan 15, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) today announced that authors and publishers around the world can now use the self-service Kindle Digital Text Platform (DTP) to upload and sell books in English, German and French to customers worldwide in the Kindle Store (www.amazon.com/kindlestore). Until today, DTP was only available to authors and publishers based in the United States. Now, authors and publishers outside the United States can take advantage of this same opportunity and start offering their books to Kindle customers at http://dtp.amazon.com.

********

It's great that Amazon is expanding the number of supported languages, but only until you realize that Amazon will never be able to support most of the languages in use; the Mobipocket format cannot display text in any direction other than left-to-right. Would you like to use Arabic? Sorry, that reads right to left. Japanese? Sorry, that's written vertically.

And the Kindle has less than complete support for Unicode (which is rather odd, because no other device based on the Mobipocket format has that problem). So if you want to display a language in anything other than Latin based characters (Western European languages, basically), you're out of luck.

EowynCarter · 01-15-2010, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Until today, DTP was only available to authors and publishers based in the United States. Now, authors and publishers outside the United States can take advantage of this same opportunity and start offering their books to Kindle customers at http://dtp.amazon.com.

That part is intersting.
One step in the right direction. Keep going amazon, maybe you'll get it right. ePub ePub ePub !

BlueMonkey · 01-15-2010, 07:58 AM

This is exiting...it will be interesting to see how this influences the non-english content on the kindle store in the next weeks and months...

netseeker · 01-15-2010, 08:26 AM

I think it's a good move for us customers. Currently there is too less competition in the ebook market in europe, especially in germany, france and austria. Now, when Amazon will offer it's plattform to publishers as well as directly to authors it will get interesting. I hope that we will see more books being published as ebooks too in europe within the next months.

rcuadro · 01-15-2010, 08:43 AM

That is good since I think that we, in the US, think that the entire planet speaks english

desertgrandma · 01-15-2010, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rcuadro

That is good since I think that we, in the US, think that the entire planet speaks english

Not hardly. You haven't been to the southwest lately, have you?

Sweetpea · 01-15-2010, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rcuadro

That is good since I think that we, in the US, think that the entire planet speaks english

Yes and the rest speaks french or german... What about all other languages? Even if the format can't handle text from right, there are plenty of other "western" languages out there. I don't understand why they won't just open it to any language.

wallcraft · 01-15-2010, 09:51 AM

This isn't only about non-english content, previously an Australian publisher (say) could not use DTP because all the accounting was US based.

kjk · 01-15-2010, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate the great

It's great that Amazon is expanding the number of supported languages, but only until you realize that Amazon will never be able to support most of the languages in use; the Mobipocket format cannot display text in any direction other than left-to-right. Would you like to use Arabic? Sorry, that reads right to left. Japanese? Sorry, that's written vertically.

And the Kindle has less than complete support for Unicode (which is rather odd, because no other device based on the Mobipocket format has that problem). So if you want to display a language in anything other than Latin based characters (Western European languages, basically), you're out of luck.

Wow, I didn't realize Mobi had those limitations...my wife was kinda waiting for a Japanese Kindle...thanks for the news, Nate!

HarryT · 01-15-2010, 10:02 AM

Japanese can be written left-to-right, top to bottom, and, indeed, frequently is written so.

Dr. Drib · 01-15-2010, 10:25 AM

The direction of Japanese language depends upon which format one is using:

Tategaki is written in columns going from top to bottom.

Yokogaki is the modern format and is written horizontally.

When I read Yukio Mishima, Yasunari Kawabata, or Haruki Murakami (or any Japanese writer, for that matter), I read them in English, since my knowledge of Japanese is now over 40 years ago.

Don

Moejoe · 01-15-2010, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

The direction of Japanese language depends upon which format one is using:

Tategaki is written in columns going from top to bottom.

Yokogaki is the modern format and is written horizontally.

When I read Yukio Mishima, Yasunari Kawabata, or Haruki Murakami (or any Japanese writer, for that matter), I read them in the yokogaki format.

Don

That's impressive

I'd love to read Murakami in Japanese, although I heard the translations are pretty damn good anyway.

Dr. Drib · 01-15-2010, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moejoe

That's impressive

I'd love to read Murakami in Japanese, although I heard the translations are pretty damn good anyway.

You caught me during my edit. I used to read some Japanese, but not anymore. It's all English now. (Sorry.)

(I got caught up in my humor and was trying to state that when I read Japanese writers now, I read them horizontally - because I'm reading them in English.)

Don

omk3 · 01-15-2010, 10:34 AM

You can read fiction in japanese? I'm jealous and impressed!
I have a looooooooong way to go to get there.
Many japanese books suffer horribly in the translation, the language structure and way of thinking generally being so different. Murakami and a few others fortunately seem to have outstanding translators.

Dr. Drib · 01-15-2010, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by omk3

You can read fiction in japanese? I'm jealous and impressed!
I have a looooooooong way to go to get there.
Many japanese books suffer horribly in the translation, the language structure and way of thinking generally being so different. Murakami and a few others fortunately seem to have outstanding translators.

Nooo. Again, I apologize.

I agree that many Japanese books can have horrible translations, according to professional translators.

Murakami has had two really excellent translators; and Murakami himself is a translator of Raymond Carver, one of my favorite Literary writers.

Don

01-15-2010, 10:25 AM	#11
Dr. Drib Grand Sorcerer Posts: 45,309 Karma: 59447733 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Peru Device: KINDLE: Oasis 3, Scribe (1st), Matcha; KOBO: Libra 2, Libra Colour	The direction of Japanese language depends upon which format one is using: Tategaki is written in columns going from top to bottom. Yokogaki is the modern format and is written horizontally. When I read Yukio Mishima, Yasunari Kawabata, or Haruki Murakami (or any Japanese writer, for that matter), I read them in English, since my knowledge of Japanese is now over 40 years ago. Don Last edited by Dr. Drib; 01-15-2010 at 10:30 AM.

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01-15-2010, 07:58 AM	#3
BlueMonkey Evangelist Posts: 437 Karma: 2338 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Augsburg Device: Astak EZ Reader Pocket Pro, Nexus S	This is exiting...it will be interesting to see how this influences the non-english content on the kindle store in the next weeks and months...

01-15-2010, 08:26 AM	#4
netseeker sleepless reader Posts: 4,763 Karma: 615547 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Germany, near Stuttgart Device: Sony PRS-505, PB 360° & 302, nook wi-fi, Kindle 3	I think it's a good move for us customers. Currently there is too less competition in the ebook market in europe, especially in germany, france and austria. Now, when Amazon will offer it's plattform to publishers as well as directly to authors it will get interesting. I hope that we will see more books being published as ebooks too in europe within the next months.

01-15-2010, 08:43 AM	#5
rcuadro Wizard Posts: 1,686 Karma: 874275 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Device: Kindle DX	That is good since I think that we, in the US, think that the entire planet speaks english

01-15-2010, 09:51 AM	#8
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,977 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	This isn't only about non-english content, previously an Australian publisher (say) could not use DTP because all the accounting was US based.

01-15-2010, 10:02 AM	#10
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Japanese can be written left-to-right, top to bottom, and, indeed, frequently is written so.

01-15-2010, 10:34 AM	#14
omk3 Wizard Posts: 1,454 Karma: 37243 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Europe Device: pocketbook 360, kindle 4	You can read fiction in japanese? I'm jealous and impressed! I have a looooooooong way to go to get there. Many japanese books suffer horribly in the translation, the language structure and way of thinking generally being so different. Murakami and a few others fortunately seem to have outstanding translators.