Who do translators work for?  

Literary translators are freelance, and for the most part, will work on an occasional basis for a number of different publishers. The publisher (whether a book publisher, a magazine or journal publisher or an online publisher) will commission work from the translator and draw up a contract for that specific piece of work – the terms of payment, publication, rights, etc. Because literary translators are hired job-by-job, and very few have agents, a fair bit of time can be spent obtaining the work, rather than actually doing it.