My Life as a Literary Translator: Pros and Cons of Translating for Self-published Authors (and not for Publishing Houses)
My Life as a Literary Translator:
Pros and Cons of Translating for Self-published Authors (and not for Publishing Houses)
In previous posts, we’ve mainly focused on the theoretical aspects of literary translation. We’ve also analysed different scenarios in order to provide accurate information for authors to make smart decisions regarding the exploitation of their foreign rights.
Today I want to talk about my personal experience. My life as a literary translator. And why I chose to work with self-published authors instead of trying to submit my CV and cover letter to publishing houses. So I’m going to share my list of pros and cons of translating for self-published authors.
A Little Background
It may surprise you to find out that this wasn’t really a conscious decision. I started working with indie authors in order to stay in touch with my profession as I travelled. So, I offered my translation services through Babelcube (something I strongly advise translators and authors against, but we will discuss this in another post). I wasn’t looking to make money; and of course, I didn’t.
Fast-forward a few years, and my situation has completely changed. Nowadays, I work directly with self-published authors who pay me a fair fee for my work. And there are hardly words to describe the satisfaction I get from creating a professional product that reaches thousands of readers: readers who would not be able to read those stories “without me.”
First of all, I’d like to say that translating is a profession, not a hobby. Only trained professionals with perfect command of their language pairs (the source language and the language they translate into) should be considered for this kind of job. As such, they should be paid a fair fee for their skills, education, experience, and creativity. All of which are unique to each literary translator.
Luckily, I’m one of those professionals. So, today I want to share my list of pros and cons of translating for self-published authors (and not for publishing houses).
Full Disclosure:
Since I have never even applied to a publishing house, I base some of my ideas on the testimonies of fellow translators that are crowding the media these days. Bear in mind, this article revolves around the situation literary translators face when dealing with publishing houses based in Spain and Latin America. That is to say, those in charge of creating books for the Hispanic market.
The Pros and Cons of Translating for Self-published Authors:
The Pros
Direct contact with the author
This one is by far my favourite pros. Is there anything more inspiring for a Literary Translator than to be in direct contact with the author? (If there is, somebody please tell me!)
What is better than being able to ask them as many pertinent questions as necessary, brainstorm marketing techniques, and discuss possible titles? Or get further information if some elements in the plot are not yet clear? (Especially when the author writes in a series.) All of this will ultimately result in a better book for the foreign audience.
More often than not, this is not the case for translators who work for publishing houses. Think of A Song of Ice and Fire, for instance: something as small as a character’s name, Hodor, gained so much importance much later in the series. And yet none of the translators who worked on the series in multiple languages were in the loop…
Successful self-published authors in their home markets know the importance of being in touch with their readers. Among other things, their careers depend on knowing what their fans want and writing it. On releasing several titles a year. On creating content on social media. On promoting their books…
When an author is interested in translating their titles into Spanish, they will do whatever it takes to be successful in this new market.
And they will continue to put out new translations to keep their new readers happy.
Working with authors committed to their audience
Total trust on both parts
Undoubtedly, trust is something you gain as you work together on several projects (and this is true of any human relationship). But there’s no feeling like knowing an author trusts you with their creations. This trust is usually reinforced when good reviews start to roll in, and the author finally starts engaging with a whole new audience. Only then do they realise the real extent of their translator’s skills.
Almost all self-published authors start small. Successful ones manage to make a living out of their passion.
And helping writers achieve new goals and making new dreams come true is definitely one of the most stimulating aspects of my job.
The satisfaction of being part of somebody else’s success
No undignified working conditions
This is something I came to realise recently as I read multiple testimonies of fellow professionals working for publishing houses. These companies state all the terms of the translation contracts (in many cases, even illegal clauses.) They also refuse to negotiate fees, royalty shares, deadlines, or respect copyright laws.
Lastly, but not less shocking, they offer a “take it or leave it” sort of deal, putting translators in an impossible situation, and making millions of dollars with the translation but refusing to share with the translators. Think of bestselling series with multiple film or tv adaptations and massive merchandising deals, I doubt that the people who actually translated these titles, page by page, saw a fraction of the royalties accrued by the publishing house or the copyright holder.
Fortunately, when I deal directly with a customer, we negotiate all the contract terms so both parties can benefit and be satisfied. And if an author refuses to negotiate or accept my terms, then chances are we’re not a good match.
The author and the translator work together towards the same goal: creating a great product for the foreign market. The translator’s success is the author’s success and vice-versa. Naturally, a lot of communication is involved. And not just regarding the terms of the contract or the content of the book itself, but also regarding marketing strategies, research of keywords, and social media presence.
The author-translator-editor team
Constant workflow
Any freelancer knows one of the most challenging parts of being a freelancer is getting projects or customers. So, it’s a great relief to work with someone committed to bringing new titles to their foreign audience. If I’m working with an author that has already published several books or series in their home market, odds are they’ll be interested in having them all translated into Spanish (provided their first books released in the foreign market are successful, of course). And if they liked my translations so far, chances are they’ll hire me for future projects. Yay!
I left this one for the end, though it is equally important to the rest items listed here. In the past, I’ve worked for subtitling and translation companies offering impossible deadlines. This meant staying up late translating, missing social events, or working non-stop for several weeks to meet those deadlines. And the reality is, more often than not, this affects quality (something most professionals are unwilling to negotiate.)
Fortunately, since I started working for self-published authors, I am the one establishing the deadlines. After explaining my process of translation and edition before the manuscript is ready for another professional to edit it, authors are usually happy to accept them. They know the product they’ll get in return for waiting a bit longer than they sometimes expected is completely worth it.
Choosing the deadline
The Cons
Even though I don’t have a long list of cons, not everything that shines is gold. So, I thought it’d be worth mentioning a few not-so-positive things.
Hard to get customers
To be honest, this is true for any translator (and probably for any freelancer.) In fact, most literary translators struggle a lot before they land an opportunity with a publishing house. And it is especially hard when you’re just starting out, don’t have a lot of contacts, and don’t have much experience. But none of this should make you give up!
There are lots of things a freelance translator could (and should) be doing in order to get customers.
And we’ll dig into them in our next post, so stay tuned!
Due to all the misleading information out there, sadly, many authors are led to believe things that are not true regarding foreign rights. This mostly affects delivery times, fees, royalties, and copyright laws (all of which will be discussed in depth in our upcoming ebook.)
When authors are unfamiliar with a translator’s work, they might find fair rates too expensive or deadlines too long.
Especially if they know a friend of the neighbour’s daughter who took Spanish in secondary school and can do the job faster and cheaper. In all honesty, these kinds of authors are not my potential customers, as they are not interested in creating a professional product for the Spanish audience, and readers will notice.
I found that blogging about literary translation, self-publishing, book marketing, the translation process, and the freelancer’s life helps my ideal customers find me. Through this blog, authors can learn about the translator’s profession and respect my job.
Authors might have misleading expectations
Uncertainty about payments
Truth be told, I have never had a customer miss a payment deadline. However, we are all humans, and uncertainty is a universal feeling when we establish a new professional relationship. Whereas the author might feel uncertain about the quality of my job or about me meeting my deadlines, I can’t help but wonder what would happen if I put up three months’ work on a project that won’t get paid…
Building professional relationships
takes time.
That is why, as a rule of thumb, I never chase potential customers. Instead, I let them find me. I might on occasion reach out to an author whose books I particularly enjoy and tell them about my services in the hopes of working together. But I would never overwhelm authors by sending them a thousand emails or PMs on different social media, or cold calling them. If they’re not replying after I send them my fees, chances are they’re not ready financially or time-wise. And if that should change in the future, they’ll contact me when they are.
Well, that’s about it for today.
But before I go, I’d like to know if you have any pros or cons I have not included in this post.
Let me know in the comments!
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