Literary translation journals? Or not?

June 2, 2012 8:11 AM

Where should I try and publish a literary translation?

I translated a short story into English a little while ago, and now I'm trying (with the author's enthusiastic consent) to find appropriate places to submit it for publication in English. I have some idea of what the options are for trying to publish straight-up English creative writing (duotrope.com! a splendid resource, but sadly doesn't seem to deal with translations at all), but I don't know whether it's best to submit a translated story to a regular (perhaps genre-appropriate?) journal, since some of them accept translations, or to look for publications specializing in literary translations.

Any reason to focus on one over the other? Recommendations for specific journals? All input very much appreciated!

posted by little cow make small moo to writing & language (3 answers total)

What language are you translating from? Journals in English about the region might publish it.
posted by pickypicky at 9:26 AM on June 2, 2012

From Spanish. And the original story has already been published in a Spanish literary journal -- I think I'll have to check with wherever I end up submitting it to see whether that's acceptable or not. It's not a particularly Spanish story, though -- I mean, it doesn't rely heavily on regional descriptions, it's not drawing on any particular historical/cultural background that's specific to Spain.
posted by little cow make small moo at 9:49 AM on June 2, 2012

When the author published the story in Spanish, he or she entered an agreement which says what rights the publisher has to the story. Before you can publish it in English, you need to know what the initial agreement was. The agreement probably was for first print. Then, I would recommend getting the most current Literary Market book you can get your hands on and look for publishers that are interested in reprinting stories (also known as acquiring secondary rights) or publishers who specialize in translation.
posted by emilynoa at 6:02 PM on June 4, 2012