Translating and Publishing a Novel: Value?

[Zeugma]

Hi all, 

I am considering translating a French novel into English with a standard house press like Penguin Publishers. Is producing a translation manuscript (under contract and ultimately published) valued more than a published academic book? How do translations fair in tenure considerations?

I don't know whether it would be more advantageous to work on an academic book manuscript at the expense of producing a translation, or vice-versa.

Sorry for the long message. Thank you very much for any thoughts!   

Zeugma  

[bluecheese]

I think you need to have an academic book also. Having the translation will likely help you (as something "additional"), but the job market for people who just do translation is extremely small (if non existant). I would suggest doing both, if you have the time/energy.

[Quant_Liz_Lemon]

Are you translating another author's work or your own work?

[Zeugma]

Hi there! Thank you very much for your replies!   

The novel I am considering translating would be another author's work. It is a novel that has not yet been translated into English, and I think having it in English would garner a large amount of readership in English-speaking countries. It is a pretty important book in my field that surprisingly has never been translated. I would most certainly be doing the translation work alongside my other academic research; but this novel ties in beautifully with my field of critical inquiry.

I was wondering if translating a non-academic, autofictional novel has the same weight as a "standard" publication (such as articles or an academic book). Arguably, in many cases, translating someone else's work (capturing every nuance and each mot juste) seems harder than publishing a book manuscript. Any other thoughts? 

Wishing you all a pleasant evening,
Z

[Quant_Liz_Lemon]

I'm not in literature, so take my advice with that in mind.

 

I would NOT give it ANY weight. Translating a book is not the same thing as independent research. They aren't your ideas; they're someone else's. I might give you a little credit if you were to annotate it as well.

 

I would suggest asking your advisor, who will have a much better sense of what hiring committees and/or tenure committees are looking for.

[SumEsseFuiFuturus]

Just to respond to Quant_Liz_Lemon on this:

 

Translation is every bit as challenging as new composition, if not more so. Bringing something into English from another language presents a number of problems, and a balance between creating something that is good, idiomatic English, while still retaining the sense of the original work is an incredibly daunting prospect. Translating a novel is much more problematic than translating, say, an academic article, because preserving the artistry and the "feel" of a work is paramount. It's relatively easy to just go word-for-word and translate, but translating ideas and not just words is in a completely different ballpark.

 

I think that in Romance Languages, it would certainly be impressive to publish a translated novel, especially if your emphasis is translation studies, and especially if it is through a big name publisher like Penguin. I doubt that it would be the only thing that got you tenure, but I don't think it would hurt your chances to do it, along with some more traditionally-academic writing.

 

Translate the novel, and then write a critical book about the author's work. A meaty introduction would probably help, too.

[Zeugma]

This is all great advice, especially getting the standpoints from those in the Sciences and those in the Humanities. (I do have to agree with SumEsseFuiFuturus on the difficulty of translating -- capturing the essence and the nuances of another's languages is much more difficult than it appears at first glance!) I've asked several individuals about this personally, including professors and librarians, and the general consensus seems to be that if it "adds" something to the field of critical inquiry, then it's fair game. As for tenure, it will depend on the department (some departments emphasize translation studies, while others indeed do not.) I'll go ahead and pursue this project. Many thanks for your input!   

Z 

[coffeekid]

To echo SumEsseFuiFuturus:

My hand is mostly in philosophy, but I can say that translation is not simply a matter "changing the words into English." No random bilinguist on the street can translate a difficult piece of literature across their languages, even if they are fluent. There is a reason that translators of difficult texts are almost always active scholars of what they are translating: because meaning and translatability is elusive with texts, and requires a certain mastery of the material to do it well.

Logistically, translating is a mixed bag. I've known people who have regretted the effort they put into a translation, but I also know of some major thinkers in philosophy who made their name through important translations. Gayatri Spivak made her name translating Derrida; Alphonso Lingis made his name translating Levinas.

Probably the best outcome of a translation like the one you're talking about would be to not merely translate it and let it be consumed, but rather to translate it with a meaningful introduction (to sell its significance) and to also devote the next few years of your career publishing articles or books of your own to foster an interest in this author you've translated. If people begin to take notice of this figure (because you subsequently write on him/her), then they will suddenly look to your translation, your introduction, and begin to think you're a genius for having translated the work so soon. Or, to read cynically into this, you effectively switch the cause and effect of this author's significance to the English speaking world.

All that to say: If you're going to do it, do it with the right context for your trajectory as a scholar. Otherwise, you'll waste your time and just end up frustrated that no one else sees the brilliance you see.

[Stingermania]

I can say that for comparative and interdisciplinary studies translation is of utmost importance, whether a novel or research or even freelance translation for money, because it is a further proof of your proficiency in the languages, and also the fact that you have worked across the cultures.