Literary agent for translations

November 13, 2007 9:06 PM

Where can I find a literary agent that focuses on translations of foreign titles, if such a thing exists?

Clarification: I am interested in submitting translations, not having my work translated.

posted by Behemoth to Writing & Language (6 answers total)

I have a friend who corresponded with a well-known writer who wrote in his native language (in which my friend was fluent, with a doctorate in the study of that language.) My friend translated much of this writer's otherwise-untranslated work, received exemplary praise from the author (who speaks good, but not translation-worthy, English), even in major media press . . . and when time came for the author's work to be translated by the American publisher, they went with someone else, who did an inferior job, and whom they paid a lot for the privilege. (My friend had already translated about 80% of what was published; the publisher never asked to see it.)

So it's anecdotal evidence, but this would seem to be a tough thing to do, at least from that one story.

Additionally, "submitting translations" . . . I'm not sure what you mean. I may be wrong, but I don't think it works that way. Publishers would generally, I assume, gain rights to the English version of a work first. After this, translators would be sought. I suppose a publisher could receive a translation and, purely on that basis, seek a deal both for the book rights and for the translation . . . but it would be easy for them to cut your cash down to a minimal amount, or just have someone else "retranslate" it cheaply. Again, I could be wrong. But this approach seems counterintuitive.

One thing about your question jumped out at me: You wrote "Where can I find a literary agent that . . ." when the "that" would read better as a "who." There's a gray area there in English, at least in popular usage. But surely a literary agent is a person, so it should be "who," not "that." If I were a persnickety literary agent or editor or publisher, I'd see that as an alarming error for a potential translator, so watch out!
posted by Dee Xtrovert at 10:09 PM on November 13, 2007

Response by poster: To clarify further, I am interested in translations of classic works, which would already be in public domain. I realize it's a little strange to offer unsolicited translations, which is why I'm asking about it here.
posted by Behemoth at 10:48 PM on November 13, 2007

When you go into a big bookstore or a big library, there isn't a Translations Section; there are topical sections that include transations. There are no literary agents who specialize in translations. (There are agents who specialize on literature from Asia for the English market, but that's different from specializing in representing translations across the board.)

Seek an agent who will represent you across the topical areas in which you would like to translate. There are good books at a big bookstore to either side of the 2008 Writers Digest that will help you with that.
posted by gum at 12:04 AM on November 14, 2007

Translation isn't writing, it's work-for-hire. Publishers will decide to launch a book in a new market and will use a translator to, well, translate the book. How they find this translator varies, from the rolodex on their desk, to approaching scholars, etc. directly.

Translating on spec. is almost certain to end in tears, even if the publisher was considering launching the book you've just worked on for weeks and weeks in the territory suited to the language you used.

Oh, and it's terribly poorly paid, and, as work-for-hire, it's not royalty based. You are contracted at a rate and even some of the top translators here in Europe are paid less than €10 pp.
posted by benzo8 at 2:13 AM on November 14, 2007

The Wylie Agency (NY&London) does this, famously.
posted by thinkpiece at 6:57 AM on November 14, 2007

I have a friend who corresponded with a well-known writer who wrote in his native language (in which my friend was fluent, with a doctorate in the study of that language.) My friend translated much of this writer's otherwise-untranslated work, received exemplary praise from the author (who speaks good, but not translation-worthy, English), even in major media press . . . and when time came for the author's work to be translated by the American publisher, they went with someone else, who did an inferior job, and whom they paid a lot for the privilege.

Christ, what a depressing story. No wonder so many translations are so lousy.
posted by languagehat at 7:39 AM on November 14, 2007