Literature in translation is meat and if you are not reading them, you are missing out on a whole new world. Around 60% of all translations are from books originally published in English, but only 3% of books in a foreign language are translated into English. A glaring disparity without a doubt and one that smacks of arrogance? Or is it that translated works do not sell? Murakami, Paulo Coelho, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, T Steig Larsson are writers whose books sell in their millions. When I buy a book, the thought that never crosses my mind is whether it is a work of translation. I am happy as long as it is in English. All my favorite books were originally written in a different language. And yet there are readers who avoid reading translated works as they have no faith in the fidelity of the translations. They are more worried about what they might lose in translation, but what about what they might find. French philosopher and writer Gilles Ménage coined the phrase ‘les belles infidèles’ to suggest that translations, like women, can be either faithful or beautiful, but not both. I have friends who complain about poor translations, but seriously, how can one tell if you do not know the original language well or not at all. Yes, the subtle nuances of the original language may be missing and translations will always come out second best, but they still deserve to be read over an average writer whose books are bought only because that writer’s work is in English. Imagine being able to read the best works of the world’s six thousand odd languages! More.

See: FicFaq