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The road to publishing...
Thread poster: Callum Walker
Callum Walker
Callum Walker  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:41
Russian to English
+ ...
Mar 22, 2010

Hello everyone,

I'm a freelance translator who currently works in more 'standard' translation fields, specialising primarily in legal translation from French and Russian into English (UK).

I have recently started work on a literary translation project from French to English of one of my favourite works which I studied in University (which, to my knowledge, has not yet been translated since it is not a very well-known work ... if it has, I will be very upset because I've... See more
Hello everyone,

I'm a freelance translator who currently works in more 'standard' translation fields, specialising primarily in legal translation from French and Russian into English (UK).

I have recently started work on a literary translation project from French to English of one of my favourite works which I studied in University (which, to my knowledge, has not yet been translated since it is not a very well-known work ... if it has, I will be very upset because I've already spent a lot of time on this!!). However, I really believe that this book will be of great interest to those who enjoy reading crime books or legally-oriented works. This started initially as a project for my own enjoyment and pleasure (the pleasure of sharing this fantastic book with my friends and family), but on reading my work, I am starting to take this project a lot more seriously.

Anyway, I digress! Basically what I would like is some suggestions on the next step. I've already translated a fair portion of the work, but what do I do now, or when the book is finished? How do I take the next step on the road to getting it (hopefully) published?

Any input or suggestions would be very very welcome, and I thank you in advance for your help.

Callum

[Edited at 2010-03-22 18:48 GMT] ▲ Collapse
 
Tina Vonhof (X)
Tina Vonhof (X)
Canada
Local time: 13:41
Dutch to English
+ ...
Check forums Mar 23, 2010

If you check the forums under "publishing", you'll find that this topic has come up several times before and there is lots of good advice available on this website. The very first thing you need to do is to make sure that the book has not been translated before. Google it under one or more possible titles.
 
Sarah Puchner
Sarah Puchner  Identity Verified
Local time: 14:41
French to English
get permission from author / publisher Mar 23, 2010

Hi Callum,

Even if the book hasn't already been translated into English, you need to make sure that the current copyright holder (usually the author or publisher) will grant you the copyright to the translation. Until you have the rights, you won't be able to get your work published. It sounds like this is a labor of love anyway, but I wouldn't want you to feel like you had been wasting your time on the translation .... so do this as soon as you can.

Good luck!
 
Susan Nicholls
Susan Nicholls  Identity Verified
Local time: 05:41
French to English
+ ...
It is easy to contact the publisher Mar 29, 2010

of the book, the correct e-mail will be listed on their website and you will usually find they are delighted to hear from you and reply promptly as to whether the rights are available or not. Good luck!
 


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