How much will it cost?

Once you have chosen your book, preparing a budget at the earliest possible stage is crucial.

In terms of translation costs, there is no fixed rate, and every publisher and translator is free to negotiate terms. The Translators Association publishes an ‘observed minimum’ rate (in pounds per thousand words of prose, or per line of poetry) which is not enforced but can serve as a useful guideline.

You will want to be on the lookout for any potential ‘hidden’ costs and ensure these are addressed at an early stage.  For example, you may want to think about avoiding any additional commission fees involved in being introduced to a translator by a foreign publisher.  It can be more cost-effective – not to mention simpler – to avoid working through a middleman and to liaise with the translator directly if you can.  

In some cases, it might be necessary to involve more than one translator, however.  For example, some languages might involve needing to translate twice (once into a European language and then again into English) which would of course impacts the costs.

As one publisher pointed out to us, there is also something to be said for considering a ‘paired’ translation’ with one voice to capture the authentic culture of the setting and another to modify the text so that it is engaging and appealing to child readers in the UK.