When I first read Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, I knew it was different than anything I’d read before. The story was unique and the world richly imagined, but it was really the writing that captivated me. Every scene was vivid, every sentence lyrical, every word carefully chosen. Despite the attention I gave this book, it wasn’t until a couple years later that I finally processed seven very important words on the title page: “Translated from the German by Anthea Bell.”
I’d found Inkheart and its first sequel while perusing the children’s section. Had Funke’s books been housed with Translated Literature, would I have ever found them? Probably not. I was just a kid in a small, predominately white town in rural New Jersey. Translations were not even on my radar.
As an adult, I now seek out translated fiction, but the way I find it hasn’t really altered. I look for a Translated Literature aisle, shelf, or endcap at every bookstore I enter, but shelving books this way is not standard procedure. Of the fourteen works of translated fiction currently on my bookshelves, only three were found in a Translated Literature section; the rest had been shelved in their respective genres with their native-English counterparts. For half of these, I didn’t know they were translated until after I’d already purchased them.
So, does integrating translated works help or harm book buyers’ chances of encountering international literature? I’ve made a short list of pros and cons for this shelving method to help you decide.
Pro: Bookstore browsers who don’t seek out international literature have a higher chance of finding translated books, therefore becoming more exposed to different cultures and perspectives.
Con: Bookstore browsers looking for translated literature will have a harder time finding it. As a result, they may be exposed to fewer international perspectives/voices. Since translated works only make up approximately 3 percent of books in the American book industry, there’s already a smaller selection of them. By shelving all books of a genre—regardless of what language they originated in—together, the overall visibility of works in translation decreases and the likelihood of them being overlooked increases.
Pro: As translator Angela Rodel pointed out in an interview with the International Booker Prize, by separating translations from English works, the industry may subconsciously be impressing the idea that translations are “somehow less-than or less desirable” onto readers. Shelving all related works together, regardless of their original language, can help affirm that works in translation are just as valuable as original works in English.
Con: Translators’ names are frequently left off the cover. (For example, of all the translations I own, only one features the translator’s name.) Crediting a translator is not only an acknowledgement of their hard work and artistry, it’s a signal to the reader that the book is written from a non-Anglophonic perspective. By integrating these books, the already-hidden work of the translator becomes more invisible and the reader is more likely to miss the context of the work. This could potentially:
- Diminish the reader’s appreciation for translation as an art form.
- Cause readers to misunderstand the author or the text.
- Lessen the reader’s opportunity to gain a more global perspective.
Pro: Writers from around the world publish books in every genre. By integrating translations with works originating in English, a more diverse range of voices are being represented in each genre. This also means that fans of a particular genre are exposed to a broad range of cultural contexts without having to seek them out in another section.
Con: If “global literature” is considered its own category, then readers who are interested in translations may be encouraged to diversify what genres they read. For example, someone who only ever reads fantasy may be led to read sci-fi, mystery, or even nonfiction. Shelving all literature of a genre together removes this avenue of discovery.
Personally, I like it when a bookstore has a Translated Literature section, but I can see both sides of the argument. These sections are often small and difficult to find—at least in comparison to the more standard sections, like “Fiction,” “Fantasy/Sci-Fi,” and “Memoir/Biography.”
The most obvious answer is to have a “Translations” section and cross-shelve, but the financial and spatial commitment—not to mention the logistical challenges—may make this difficult to implement. There is no perfect solution. Every bookstore has to weigh the pros and cons and decide what works best for their customers and how much they are willing to do to make translations more accessible.
**This blog post was titled and outlined with the help of ChatGPT**
Source:
https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/angela-rodel-interview-time-shelter
Fact: The idea that shelving translations separately can lead to people thinking translations are “somehow less-than or less desirable.”
Snyder, D.P., “Stuck at 3%:Why Can’t We Have More Literature in English Translation?” Lit Mag News, April 20,2023, https://litmagnews.substack.com/p/stuck-at-3-why-cant-we-have-more
Fact:
Translations only make up 3 percent of works published in the American book industry.