Professional Literary Translation Services in Northern Europe | Book Translation

Literary Translation Services specialize in translating creative works such as novels, poetry, plays, essays, and other forms of fiction and nonfiction. These services go beyond word-for-word translation to capture the original text’s tone, style, and cultural nuances, making the work resonate with readers in a new language.

We specialise in translating literary works from and into Northern European languages such as Swedish, Danish, English, Finnish, German, Russian, Polish, Latvian, Estonian, Lithuanian and others.

We offer professional literary translation services that ensure accurate and nuanced translations of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Our team of skilled translators is experienced in capturing the unique style, tone, and cultural nuances of each literary work, delivering high-quality translations that preserve the integrity and artistic essence of the original text. Trust us to bring your literary works to a global audience with our exceptional translation services.

Professional Literary Translation

What’s Included

• Human translators with 5+ years’ experience
• Translation, editing and proof-reading
• ISO certified quality process
• Transparent per-word pricing
• Experts in language and culture

Here’s an overview of what our literary translation services offer:

Translation of Fiction and Nonfiction Books

Translators focus on preserving the narrative style, character voices, and emotional depth of novels, short stories, and memoirs.

For nonfiction, such as biographies, historical works, and essays, translators maintain factual accuracy while adapting the text for readability and cultural relevance in the target language.

Poetry Translation

Translating poetry involves a high level of creativity, as the translator must retain the rhythm, rhyme (if applicable), and meaning of the original poem while respecting its structure and emotional impact.

Services may include consultation with the poet (if possible) or collaboration with editors experienced in poetry.

Play and Script Translation

Scripts for theatre, film, and television require language that works well in performance, considering spoken word flow, cultural context, and audience impact.

Translators often work closely with directors or actors to adapt language for both the performance and any specific cultural nuances.

Academic and Essay Translation

Translating literary criticism, academic papers, and essays involves careful attention to complex language and theoretical terminology.

Literary translation services ensure that academic integrity and the author's voice are retained, meeting the standards for publication in the target language.

Specialized Editing and Proofreading

Literary translation services include editing to enhance the translated work’s fluency and readability. Proofreading ensures grammatical accuracy, consistent terminology, and appropriate style.

Some services offer multiple rounds of editing or collaborative editing with other literary professionals.

Cultural Localization

Literary translators often adapt cultural references, idioms, and humour to align with the target audience’s understanding while keeping the text’s authenticity.

Localization is essential for making the text relatable without losing the essence of the original work.

Author and Publisher Collaboration

Literary translators typically work with authors (if available) and publishers to understand the work’s intent and purpose fully.

They may also provide feedback to publishers on translation strategies, particularly when dealing with difficult linguistic or cultural elements.

Project Types Handled by Literary Translation Services

• Novels, short stories, and poetry collections
• Screenplays, theatre plays, and other performance scripts
• Essays, literary criticism, and academic works in the humanities
• Anthologies and literary journals
• Children’s and young adult literature, ensuring age-appropriate language and themes

Quality Control and Sensitivity to Style

Translators ensure the final work feels as if it was written in the target language, capturing all the nuances that make the original engaging.

Many literary translation services have a multi-step quality control process, including feedback from editors and beta readers.

By working with literary translation services, authors and publishers can bring literature across linguistic borders, fostering cultural exchange and making global literature accessible to a broader audience

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The process and specifics of translating literary works

Translating works of fiction is a meticulous and creative process, balancing the need to stay true to the original text with making it resonate for a new audience. Here’s an outline of the process and specifics involved in fiction translation:

Preparation and Analysis

• Text Analysis: The translator reads and analyses the text to understand its plot, themes, and characters. This phase also involves noting cultural references, idioms, and stylistic features that will need careful handling.
• Research: Translators gather background information on the author’s style, cultural context, and any specific jargon or historical details. This ensures that translation choices align with the original work’s setting and tone.

First Draft Translation

• Initial Translation: The first draft involves translating the text literally yet fluidly, prioritizing accuracy in meaning. The translator captures the storyline, character voices, and overall mood, keeping extensive notes on passages that need further refinement.
• Balancing Fidelity and Adaptation: Translators often find balance between staying true to the original language and adapting expressions for the target audience, making choices around cultural elements, idiomatic expressions, or references that may not directly translate.

Stylistic Refinement

• Tone and Style Matching: Fiction requires maintaining the author’s voice, be it humorous, formal, poetic, or colloquial. In this phase, the translator refines sentence structure, dialogue style, and narrative flow to suit the target language without losing the original voice.
• Creative Word Choices: Translators may need to find equivalent metaphors, similes, or even create new expressions that evoke the same effect as in the source language, particularly for passages rich in wordplay or emotional nuance.

Challenges with Literary Devices

• Handling Wordplay and Puns: Translating puns, jokes, or wordplay is challenging because such language often doesn’t have direct equivalents. Translators may opt for similar expressions in the target language or rephrase to achieve a similar emotional impact.
• Translating Dialects and Accents: When characters speak in dialects, the translator must decide whether to keep them or adapt them. This can involve approximating a similar dialectal effect in the target language or conveying it through vocabulary choices.

Cultural Adaptation and Localization

• Cultural References: Translators may adapt references, such as food, music, or historical events, if the original context would be lost on readers in the target culture. Sometimes, footnotes or glossaries are added to clarify essential details without altering the text.
• Ethical and Contextual Sensitivity: Translators work sensitively around cultural or historical nuances, particularly in works that discuss social, political, or controversial themes, ensuring they convey the original’s intent responsibly.

Revisions and Proofreading

• Self-Editing: After completing the draft, the translator revisits the text with fresh eyes, focusing on language fluidity, narrative clarity, and catching inconsistencies.
• Collaboration with Editors: Professional editing is vital for ensuring accuracy, style consistency, and quality. Editors familiar with the genre or language pair may provide additional insights or refinements, enhancing the text’s polish.

Author and Publisher Feedback

• Consultation with the Author (if possible): Translators often collaborate with the author, especially on complex passages or unique expressions, to ensure that the translation remains true to the author’s vision.
• Feedback from the Publisher: Publishers may provide feedback based on the target audience’s expectations, adjusting for regional preferences in tone or style.

Final Proofreading and Quality Control

• Final Review: The final phase involves a last check to ensure grammatical accuracy, readability, and that all necessary adaptations have been made.
• Quality Assurance: The text is read to confirm it flows naturally in the target language, providing an engaging and immersive experience for readers.

Key Specifics in Fiction Translation:

• Respecting Authorial Style: Translators aim to capture not only what is said but how it is said, preserving the author’s literary style and rhythm.
• Achieving Emotional Impact: Fiction often carries a strong emotional or aesthetic effect that translators strive to evoke through careful language choices.
• Reader-Centric Approach: The translation should feel native to readers in the target language, allowing them to enjoy the story as if it were originally written for them.

Through this process, fiction translators play a pivotal role in bridging cultures and bringing global literature to new audiences, enriching both literary traditions and reader experiences worldwide.