Lost in Translation

[Uncle Robin]

Literally, it seems. I enjoyed reading the article, can't understand why naming the translators up front isn't standard practice in Anglophone publishing

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/20...r-translators/

If you pick up any translated novel off a bookshelf in Japan, you will find the original author and the translator’s names on the front cover. In an English-speaking country, however, you’ll probably have to flick through a few pages to find out who translated the book you just picked up. It’s a strange phenomenon that Japanese publishers always credit the translator on the front cover, whereas many Western publishers of translated novels don’t.

[teamug]

Translators aren't named on the cover here in Norway either. And being a small country, a fair share of the books sold are translated from English or other languages, and mostly all the bestsellers originally in English make it over here. With a larger percentage of books sold being translated than in the Anglophone world, there should be more appreciation for the art. But I remember reading the blog of a local author/translator, and he wrote that he worked almost as hard on translations as he did on his own novels, while not being paid sufficiently for it to feel worth it at all.

I know English quite well, but if I were to start translating into Norwegian, I think I'd have to learn it as a new and different skill than simply knowing English. The two languages reside in different "rooms" of my brain and don't really have a "door" between them. I have a ton of respect for good translators!

[thangcuoi]

Librarian here.

The translator's name should appear on the Title page which is usually the first or a few pages in but not before the content of the book begin. We use the information on Title page for cataloguing the records. It should have the full title (eg: The Hobbit, or There and Back Again), author, translator, illustrator and publisher. In my professional eyes, this sufficiently highlights their contribution to the work.

Before a book get published, it went through the hands of agent, editor, spell checker, fact checker, layout.. None of those people get any credits except for the occasional mention in the Thank You section.

The author was the person who created the world within the book so they get the full credit. The translator might have worked really hard to bring the work to a new audience but their contribution is only one part of many.

My theory with translator's name appearing on the cover of books published in Japan has to do with the popularity of foreign language books in Japan. It's a potential selling point for this market, similar to how audiobook readers might pick up another book by the same narrator.

The average English speaking person who is not a manga reader probably read a translated book once every few years. So they are unlikely to go seek out other works by the same translator.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by thangcuoi

Before a book get published, it went through the hands of agent, editor, spell checker, fact checker, layout.. None of those people get any credits except for the occasional mention in the Thank You section.

The author was the person who created the world within the book so they get the full credit. The translator might have worked really hard to bring the work to a new audience but their contribution is only one part of many.

This is a false analogy. To equate the contribution of a translator as being of the same significance as that of a fact checker or layout designer is absurd. Naming the translator on the cover does not rob the original author of any credit. It's also particularly helpful when multiple translation exist, allowing readers to choose their preferred translator's version.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

This is a false analogy. To equate the contribution of a translator as being of the same significance as that of a fact checker or layout designer is absurd. Naming the translator on the cover does not rob the original author of any credit. It's also particularly helpful when multiple translation exist, allowing readers to choose their preferred translator's version.

Also, a translator establishes an additional copyright point where copyright depends on life.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by issybird

Also, a translator establishes an additional copyright point where copyright depends on life.

Good point.
For the translation.
Essentially a translated work is a new copyright as it's a new derived work. You also need permission from the rights holder if not PD. But even if it's PD the new work has the same copyright as any new original work.

So IMO the name of the translator should be on the cover. If the illustrations are significant part of the work that should be on the cover and often is.

Sometimes the cover artist is credited on the rear cover on outside
Front cover illustration by John Howe (LOTR single volume paperback).

The translator is almost as important as the author. Any good translation needs an expert in the source language, normally target should be native language and needs to be as good as writer with words as pure literal translation is poor. It needs to partly be a paraphrase, but not to the extent of totally conversion to the target language culture. Idioms , words and grammar in the new language might also need to be older than contemporary the older the source text is.

I was amazed actually by Conrad. For years I assumed someone had translated his books because he learned English as an adult. So likely some people are good enough to translate in to a language they aren't native in.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Quoth

So IMO the name of the translator should be on the cover. If the illustrations are significant part of the work that should be on the cover and often is.

Sometimes the cover artist is credited on the rear cover on outside
Front cover illustration by John Howe (LOTR single volume paperback).

In the end, the publishers put whatever info they think will sell a book on the cover.

John Howe is an artist known and respected for his work on Middle Earth, so his name goes on the cover. People don't care so much that Francis Cugat did the Great Gatsby cover, so his name isn't on the cover when his cover illustration is used.

Same goes for translators. Mostly, people don't care. So their names don't appear on the cover.

But Pevear and Volokhonsky have become superstar translators and their names do appear on the covers.

Brat Pack star Molly Ringwald translated a French novel that I have. Her name is on the cover.