The casual observer might be surprised at the increasing numbers of foreign authors publishing their books in German on the German book market. After all, the level of English in Germany is quite high; English is taught from elementary school on, and many Germans are voracious readers of books in English. But when it comes to reading for fun, many in Germany still prefer to read in their own language. The German public is actually quite accustomed to consuming media in translation: movies, TV series, and games in English are always dubbed, translated and localized for the German market.
That means if you want your book to reach a really large audience onthe German-speaking market, you need to consider a German translation.
Authors with a publishing deal are generally kept out of the loop on the translation because the publisher handles the translation rights. But what’s a self-published author to do? Typically, they face a tremendous hurdle on their first foray into the foreign-language market: because they don’t speak the language themselves, they have a hard time finding good translators, editors and proofreaders, evaluating translation samples, and learning the ins and outs of the foreign book market.
In this guide, we hope to walk you through some of the things you need to think about when getting your book translated into German, and give you some tips to help you find the right partners.
From: “Selling your book in Germany, or how to end up with a real Krautpleaser”
No Comments