Translating a book into a new language isn’t as easy as plugging it into Google Translate. Christian and Rasmus found that out the hard way years ago (more on that later). So, what does it take?

The ethical route requires staying true to each chapter's bigger meaning, for one, and then getting an expert’s opinion on it, which usually requires multiple rounds of revisions. At least, that’s how to make your book accessible to an international audience without sacrificing quality or losing the original essence. Then, of course, there’s always the question of budget.

In this article, we'll guide you through the necessary steps to translate your self-published book into a new language without making the same mistakes we made.

Pssst…Wanna see how even the busiest parents and students all over the world are publishing books quicker than ever? Dive into our free publishing training to find out the secret! Some of our students have seen results like an extra $2,000 to even $10,000 a month with our proven system.

Why Shouldn’t an Author Translate Their Book?

Now, this section isn’t meant to scare you; it’s meant to get you thinking about the end product and the type of books you’re trying to publish.

Here’s why it might not be in your best interest to translate your book yourself:

• Lack of Language Proficiency: Authors and publishers may not have the same level of fluency in the target language, leading to errors and awkward phrasing.
• Cultural Nuances: Translating requires an understanding of cultural contexts and references, which is easy to miss sometimes.
• Quality and Accuracy: Professional translators will make sure the translation is accurate and maintains the quality of the original text.
• Time-Consuming: Translating a book is a significant time investment that could be better spent on creating new content or marketing existing works.
• Complexity of Grammar and Syntax: Different languages have unique grammatical rules and sentence structures that require expertise to navigate properly.
• Reader Expectations: Readers expect high-quality translations that read smoothly and naturally, which a skilled translator literally trained to do.

Researching the Demand for Translation

If you decide you do want to embark on the translation journey, either with or without help, you’ll want to look for solid proof that the translation process is even going to be worth your time. This requires conducting market analysis, diving into reader demographics, and also taking genre into consideration.

This might sound complicated, but it’s really not. Let’s break it down!

Market Analysis

Market analysis is all about what’s on the bookshelves right now. What’s already demonstrating demand? What’s selling? What’s NOT selling?

Start by researching sales and popular genres in target-language markets. Identify trends and bestselling books to start figuring out whether your books can fill a gap.

Reader Demographics

Now, moving onto reader demographics, AKA all your readership data, like age, gender, language, and location. Once you have a clear picture of your target readership, you can decide whether your book's content resonates with readers in other languages and cultures.

You can even use ChatGPT to help you create a demographic profile using bullet points like this:

• Age: 18-35
• Primary Language: English
• Secondary Language: Spanish
• Location: United States and Mexico

Popularity of Language

Some of the most widely spoken languages include Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, and English. However, keep in mind that competition may be higher in popular languages, making it more difficult to stand out. You can use resources like Ethnologue to research languages' speaker populations and rankings.

Genre-Specific Considerations

The last part of the research deals with genre. Different genres fare differently across languages and cultures. That’s just how it is.

Regional crime novels and certain travel guides might be more niche, for example.

Consider the following factors:

• Popularity: Is your genre widely read in the target language market?
• Cultural Relevance: Will your book's themes, setting, and characters resonate with readers from different cultural backgrounds?
• Market Saturation: Is the market already saturated with similar books, making it difficult for yours to stand out? Or are you right in the sweet spot with some established demand but enough room to rise as the best quality content?

Another way to refer to this research is “Proof of Concept.” You’ll find that idea sprinkled throughout all our blogs and trainings because it’s the #1 most important step of every publishing project. We don’t want any of our students wasting their time on projects that won’t bring them the greatest ROI (return on investment) with their time or money.