getting a book translation , how to ....?. Thread poster: edward o loughlin
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I want to get translation offers from book publishers ( non fiction only ) , but have received zero replies from 12 sources to date, altho i have adhered to their submission guidelines. Have sent precis, chapter versions, toc etc , to no avail. I know publishers have a preference for using their own panel of translators and doing the book selections themselves. Is there any way out of this impasse ?
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:51
Member (2008)
Italian to English
edward o loughlin wrote:
I want to get translation offers from book publishers ( non fiction only ) , but have received zero replies from 12 sources to date, altho i have adhered to their submission guidelines. Have sent precis, chapter versions, toc etc , to no avail. I know publishers have a preference for using their own panel of translators and doing the book selections themselves. Is there any way out of this impasse ?
Contact the Author/s directly and send them samples of your work.
| | | | | Grammar checker? | Dec 3, 2022 |
There are many errors in your post, which is maybe less important, but also in your ProZ profile, which matters a lot. For example, you use lowercase letters for the names of languages, eg "german", and incorrect spacing, eg "( non fiction only )".
Could your style of writing be putting off potential customers? Perfect English is particularly important when you're dealing with publishers.
[Edited at 2022-12-03 16:37 GMT]
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:51
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| And there's more | Dec 4, 2022 |
philgoddard wrote:
There are many errors in your post, which is maybe less important, but also in your ProZ profile, which matters a lot. For example, you use lowercase letters for the names of languages, eg "german", and incorrect spacing, eg "( non fiction only )".
Could your style of writing be putting off potential customers? Perfect English is particularly important when you're dealing with publishers.
[Edited at 2022-12-03 16:37 GMT]
In some of the examples in your portfolio there are numerous instances of "it's" instead of "its", and commas where you should have used full stops (periods).
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Samuel Murray 
Netherlands
Local time: 19:51
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
edward o loughlin wrote:
I want to get translation offers from book publishers, but have received zero replies from 12 sources to date, even though I have adhered to their submission guidelines.
When a potential client gets a cold call from a translator, and they have any interest, they'll likely do what many of us do when we are contacted by a new person: they'll google you. A search for edward+o+loughlin+translator yields a number of your profile pages on e.g. LinkedIn, Translators' Cafe, and ProZ.com. These clients will then take a look at those profile pages to see if you have typical translator qualities, e.g. precision of language. However, the quality of your writing on those profiles is more likely to sink you.
You are, of course, free to write however you want in public forum posts and on public profile pages, but if your writing in those places deviates from what clients would believe a good translator would always use, it will harm your chances.
Here is your address line on Translators' Cafe:
- you write "st" with a lowercase "s"
- you don't say where that street is (it certainly isn't in Vienna)
- you add a space before the comma
- you omit "Strasse" in "Mariahilfer Strasse"
- you write "mariahilfer" with a lowercase "m" (the same applies to "wien" and "vienna")
- you use "wien" in one place but "vienna" just a few words further on
- you write no comma or semi-colon before the "also", which would be appropriate in this case
- it is unclear why you added "vienna, 2" after the e-mail address
- you added "Wien" after your phone number for no apparent reason
- you write "MOBIL" which is not an English word before the fax number
- you use "+43" in one place and "0043" in the very next field, which is inconsistent
- you add a space after "+43" in one place but omit the space in the subsequent field
The address is going to be one of the first things a client will see on your Translators' Cafe profile page. It is an advertisement for your craft. The types of mistakes mentioned above tells potential clients only one thing: "don't hire me, or you'll be sorry".
Look, I have no idea if you are a good or a bad translator, and I don't judge you. I'm just pointing out the effect that the writing on your profile pages will have on a potential client's willingness to hire you.
Added: Another thing a potential client might do, is download your résumé/CV. It is vital that your résumé creates the very best impression, and that a client can understand the résumé without having to google for what is written in it, or without having to download a special program to view it.
[Edited at 2022-12-04 10:26 GMT]
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Tom in London wrote:
In some of the examples in your portfolio there are numerous instances of "it's" instead of "its", and commas where you should have used full stops (periods).
Don’t you mean “should of”?
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You should consider sending pitches to publishers. It's an unpaid job but could be the key to unlocking the doors you have found closed.
This is a pitch guide for translators that might be useful:
https://antonhur.com/pitch-guide-for-translators/
| | | | finnword1
United States
Local time: 13:51
English to Finnish
+ ...
[quote]Ice Scream wrote:
Don’t you mean “should of”?
"should of is not correct and should never be used"
(grammarist.com)
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P.L.F. Persio
Netherlands
Local time: 19:51
Member (2010)
English to Italian
+ ...
[quote]finnword1 wrote:
Ice Scream wrote:
Don’t you mean “should of”?
"should of is not correct and should never be used"
(grammarist.com)
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