I recently popped over to London to attend an industry day for translators at the offices of the Society of Authors. It was a packed schedule and featured many aspects of publishing books in translation, with sessions on the current marketplace, discovering and translating new talent, publishing contracts, negotiation, the publishing process from acquisition to publication, and the economics of publishing books in translation, which was something of an eye-opener.
The event was followed by the launch of Carlos Gamerro’s The Islands, translated by Ian Barnett and published by And Other Stories, at the beautiful Daunt Books on Fulham Road. The author and translator both came along to the launch and gave an excellent bilingual reading. I can heartily recommend both the book and the bookshop.
Many thanks to the Translators’ Association for organising such a useful and interesting event. They do a fantastic job of helping to bring translators and publishers together. The organisation, which is part of the Society of Authors, provides a great deal of support for literary translators. It’s also handy to remember that they vet contracts. Thanks, TA!
