Grace Snoke

When Word for Word Doesn’t Work

Navigating the Intricacies of Translating Your Books into a Foreign Language

Grace Snoke

As writers, we choose our words and phrases carefully. Sometimes we agonize over them. Whether it’s coming up with a title for a book, a character using slang and idioms you’re familiar with, or a turn of phrase used in describing a scene, you picked those words for a reason.

However, when translating your book into other languages, you quickly learn that some phrases don’t make sense. An English idiom may not carry over to another language and would leave the readers confused, or perhaps a direct translation of your book’s single-word title has a different, perhaps even negative, connotation in that language.

 So what do you do when your choice of words does not work? Although there is no one right answer, we can provide some options to consider. 

Pro Tip: Even though this article talks about going from English to another language, these same issues can occur when going from your native language to English or another language. Even marketing copy can get lost in translation, so it never hurts to take extra care with your words when you’re working across languages.

Book Titles or Series Names

As authors, we spend hours coming up with the perfect series name and book title for our books. Even if that name has been used a half dozen times or more, it can be used over and over in English-speaking countries. But in other countries, like Germany, book titles that are translated into German cannot have been used before. Nobody else can use a title identical to another, and prior to publishing, you or your translator must research to make sure the title you’ve chosen doesn’t exist.

In other cases, some phrases used in English for a book title might not translate correctly into another language, or they may have negative connotations.

Before fretting over this too much, it is a good idea to discuss any potential issues with your translator. You might already have alternate book titles and series names in mind that you can suggest as options, but in some languages and genres, it may be common enough to continue using an English title and then add a line on the cover specifying that it’s been translated to a specific language. You may also ask your translator to suggest a title based on their knowledge of your book and the language. If you used an idiom for a book title or series name, there may be an equivalent saying in the new language that will work. There doesn’t seem to be an issue with marketability when changing a book title or series name into a foreign language, so stay flexible, and don’t fret.

Idioms

Different languages, and even different dialects of the same language, have unique phrases that carry specific meaning beyond the literal. What makes perfect sense in Australia may not make sense to someone from the United States. This is even more true when translating to another language.

Since we speak the language every day and use idioms without much thought, we don’t realize that others who speak other languages natively may not understand specific phrases or uses of a word. Before translating your book, you might ask your street team, or readers, to let you know of idioms you use regularly so you can provide a list and definitions for your translator.

 Alternatively, you can ask your translator to check with you about any confusing phrases in the book so you can provide an explanation. They may have a similar expression in their language and be able to tell you what it directly translates to in English, as well as what it means.

Unique Words or Phrases

Fantasy, High Fantasy, LitRPG, GameLit, and Science Fiction often have unique names, words, or phrases used for spells, spell names, money, races, or far-future scientific terms. If you’re translating these books, you may wish to create a list of these terms and phrases and identify whether they are a unique language you created or based on an existing language, like Latin. You may decide you want the original language for those to remain the same. However, if there are some that you wouldn’t mind having changed for a better reader experience, you may provide the phrases used and an explanation for what they mean, and let your translator know you’re okay with those being changed.

If you have a world bible for your series, it may be helpful to share it with your translator, so they can refer to it as needed.  

A Final Note

Remember that a translator wants your book to be successful because if it is, they will end up getting more business. If they ask about rewriting something to make it work better in their language, they aren’t doing it for the sake of rewriting your story but to make it sound good to their readers. 

As important as your words may be, don’t sacrifice their impact in a translation. Your stories will sell better when they make sense to your readers—and you can have fun learning phrases unique to other languages in the process.

Want More Information?

Check out the articles and resources below for more information on the translation process and tips for making it run smoothly.

Grace Snoke