Translating a book is often a long and complicated process depending on the subject matter. Literary works are harder to translate as they are more artistic as opposed to books that are more general, informational or overall less artistic in nature. However, generally speaking, the workflow involved with translating a book requires reading the book thoroughly, working with a native translator for the source and destined language. In our case, we make sure that both translators working on the book have a working understanding of each other’s languages even if they are not native speakers. Having an understanding helps makes cooperation and accurate translations much easier.
We like to break the translation process into steps. We assign a team of translators and editors for each step. Below is how we generally translate books and eBooks.
The initial draft
The first step to translating a book of any sort is to write a first draft. The first draft is mainly written by a native speaker of the source language, but who also has a working understanding of the resulting language. So, if the book is in English, and the destination language is French, the translator will be a native English speaker but who can write French fluently. The first draft is intended to get the ideas, points, and overall picture across. Often the first draft is a good enough translation, but we like to go the extra mile to ensure that natives of the resulting language don’t feel as though the book was translated. It is for this reason that we then have a native of the resulting language work on it further.
The second draft
The second draft of the book as mentioned above is written by a native of the destination language (French). The professional understands the source language (English) as well, so they are able to polish the draft further. Usually, the translator will compare the original book with the draft and make further changes. The changes include changing sentences to improve overall readability, ensuring that the author’s original voice is reflected in the translation and also making sure that the book is free of often overlooked errors.
Final edit
The final edit is conducted by a professional editor of the destination language (French). The editors working for us have decades of experience editing books and general publications. The editors go through the book to improve grammar, spelling and sentence structure. The goal of the editor is also to ensure that the book reads as though it was not translated but rather written by a native author.
Time required to translate a book
It goes without saying that the time taken depends on the nature of the book. Literary works are more difficult and hence take more time for instance. That said it usually takes a few weeks to translate a book on average. However, we will let you know exactly how long it will take to translate a book based on our initial review. Our goal is not to rush through the translation process but to make sure that it’s error free down the line!