Why Read Translated Fiction? (5 Reasons)

Why should English-language readers make an effort to read more diversely? Well, including the obvious, here are a few reasons.
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Don't Mince Your Words: anchor.fm/akan...

[@akankshyamishra1511]

Woohoo! Loved having you on the episode of Don't Mince Your Words and uff the pink tint! This is such a helpful video for the times I feel like giving up on reading.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Being on your podcast was a highlight of my year 💜

[@cb7560]

Thanks for an interesting video. I like to read good books, wherever they come from, and would welcome more translated literature (and films for that matter). I'm trying hard to break our of the anglo-centric bubble! There is a whole world out there, with lots to teach us.

[@PageTurnersWithKatja]

Love this discussion, key themes make so much sense. Yes to diversity and broadening our minds and horizons.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Thank you so much, Katja!

[@panikiczcock2891]

English isn't my first language and you're right at the beginning. The idea that native English speakers don't read translations is absolutely wild. The same goes for movies.

[@silja6838]

Yep, I was going to say the same thing. And most videos about translated literature make it sound like almost no one reads translated lit which is just not the case! Most of the books I read are translated to my language from multiple other languages.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

This is why I was so self-conscious about appearing arrogant during filming. I don't want to assume anything or ignorantly speak for anyone, just point out the benefits of diverse reading as I see them.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

This reminds me of Bong Joon-ho's Oscar acceptance speech, which I loved and think about every day.

[@panikiczcock2891]

​@@WillowTalksBooks I don't perceive what you say in the video as ignorant. You're presenting a perspective many readers in English-speaking countries have and it's actually pretty interesting to outsiders like me.

[@tinakover385]

Love this--AND your amazing fox top!

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Thanks, Tina!

[@samuelfurmanek9712]

Hi, beside the fact I would like to thank you for your channel, I’m trying to watch all your videos and I love what you’re doing 🌻🌻🌻 I would also like to share the fact that here in Slovakia (and I guess it’s pretty common) we have books with poetry where there is one poem shown in different translations… and it’s kind of funny to read translations from the communist era, because sometimes they don’t really get all the phrases or they are shaped (censored) by the system…

[@nails8647]

Sorry this doesn't have anything to do with the video but 1) I love your shirt and 2) you are so pretty holy shit. I just found your channel and I'm already obsessed with the way you talk about literature! Amazing job!

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Oh my god wow, you’re very sweet thank you so much 💜

[@wpor1]

YES! I truly feel that there are thousands and thousands of genuine gems out there that people haven’t had the chance to discover and read. It’s such a cruel fact for me to swallow knowing that there are tons of content out there geared for my interests that are yet to be translated or will never even be translated. Truly an untouched treasure for me.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

I feel the same way, which is why I hunt for and read everything I possibly can!

[@graciareyes7824]

English is not my native language but i have to admit that like 90% of what i read is originally english and i read them in english (because i prefer to read them in the original languange). But i have to say that a reason for that is that books in spanish aren't that famous. I watch many booktubers from latin america and practically all they read is books from the US, there are very few that read latin american literature. I have to say that i also follow booktubers from spain and they do read a lot of their own literature so i get some recomendations from them. And it's crazy but must books that are originally written in spanish that i have dicovered are because of booktubers in english like you, and since you talked about charco press i use them for recs. Ps. Translations of other languages i read them in whichever language i can get my hand on first, wether enlgish or spanish though i will most likely read them in english.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

That is so interesting! I don't even know what to say lol that's just so fascinating to me!

[@TripleRoux]

Very nice and nuanced, thank you for sharing.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Thank you for watching!

[@84moellera]

I love love love your discussion about this topic. My favorite part was when you said that reading diversely will make us kinder people (we hope!). There’s been something that I have been struggling with though, and that’s reading diversely along the political spectrum. I’m a Leftist, but I’m starting to think that using the same arguments you’ve made, it might be a good idea for me to read books by people who I disagree with politically. I’m wondering your thoughts on this as well!

[@WillowTalksBooks]

That is the very same question I myself have been grappling with! But I feel like reading works by conservatives who, by their definition, seek to restrict their reader's worldview (because that's what conservatism does) is kinda paradoxical and even laughable. I know what white male conservative writers are doing with their platforms already. What I don't know, for example, is the experience of a black trans woman from Nigeria. I wil gain perspective from her writing. What will I gain from reading more words by more conservative white men?

[@84moellera]

@@WillowTalksBooks That’s a really great point! I find myself wanting to read (or skim lol) some conservative political writing so I can understand their talking points in order to more exactly and fully be able to provide counter arguments.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

@@84moellera I do that, too! Reading over their opinion pieces and being like, well this is easy to argue/debunk lol

[@user-yg6ft1iu1i]

Very well said. I also would like to add channels like this give a easy access to a diverse group of translations and is a good starting point for a TBR. I was excited to see my local library has “ The Woman in the Purple Skirt” on order.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

I'm actually going to try and format some future videos with more of an "introduction to" kind of bent, for people who want to know where to start reading X or Y kinds of fiction.

[@morganeua]

I was recently reading The Neverending Story (original is German and I don't think I learned about German culture reading it, hahaha, but anyways), and I was REALLY wondering how one scene was translated because it was all in rhyming poems. and then I realized that the translator MUST have rewritten that entire section because there's no way a direct translation could have been entirely rhyming in English. Wild.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

I love investigating the translation choices of translators and how they approach overcoming difficult tasks! It's so satisfying and impressive.

[@rumasingh7983]

You have got me into reading translated fictions. I am so grateful to you, cannot thank you enough for bringing this new world into my life and being such a passionate advocate to the greatest books that would have otherwise remained sidelined❤️❤️🌸

[@WillowTalksBooks]

This is the most wonderful comment I think I've ever received. I'm so happy to hear that translated fiction has impacted you so much. Long may your love affair continue! 💜

[@Yangja0913]

Thanks for the wonderful video! I just realized that in a lot of non-English speaking countries, I guess kids often read a lot of translated novels in childhood. In my case, my very first novel was Anne of Green Gables in Japanese. Then I continued on with other classics such as Little House on the Prairie, Little Women, Daddy Longlegs, League under the Sea… the list goes on and on… Of course I read Japanese novels for kids too, but if you think about it, it’s incredible. It’d be great if it’s also the case in English speaking world, meaning kids read books from other countries, particularly the ones that are very different from theirs.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

I absolutely agree! In many ways, getting children to read diverse stories from other cultures is more important than adults doing it.

[@ameliareads589]

As a reader of a lot of translated fiction (well, I'm used to, I'm German) this video has warmed my heart! 💓

[@WillowTalksBooks]

I'm so glad to hear that! Thank you so much, Amelia!

[@jenntendo64system]

Excellent video! An eloquent and impassioned answer ❤️

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Aw thanks, Jenn 💜

[@natashanorris6546]

I love your videos and how honest you are with your audience!

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Thank you! I'm not an authority on anything and I do change my mind, so I'm very conscious about coming off as arrogant.

[@silja6838]

While I agree that reading translated books can increase diversity, you still have to choose to read diverse translated books. Like for example I’m Finnish and so I read a lot of translated books from many different languages but the most popular translated books are by popular authors such as Stephen King or classics written in English and other books written by white people. So for me translated literature is not fundamentally diverse but it can be a great way to read diversely if that’s what you want to do. For me that’s one of the things I love the most about literature! And if anyone wants to read a book by a Finnish author I recommend Pajtim Statovci, his books have been recently translated to English! 😊

[@WillowTalksBooks]

This is a very good point. It's why, in the UK, I also promote and support indie publishers. They're the ones that take bigger risks on subversive, political, boundary-pushing books, especially by minority writers.

[@jenn198]

I'm not Finnish, but I read a lot from Arto Paasilinna (translated into Dutch but I wouldnt be surprised if there's some in English as well). I absolutely love the writing, so if you have more recommendations I would l love to hear them!!

[@artiesolomon3292]

Great honesty concerning Anglocentric bias and what may not be intended as a cultural window but perhaps a family saga or piece of genre fiction. Brave admissions.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Thanks. I think I'll always be picking apart my own biases and prejudices but I also think we all should if we want to be as aware and as kind as possible.

[@SR-nx4er]

I agree that we need to read diverse books from around the world. However I feel that we also need to not just say that, but also suggest titles that we have read and feel others would enjoy as well but keep in mind whom we are referring those books to. For example if you read a great translated book about someone experiencing trauma you would not want to suggest that to someone who is or has gone through similar trauma unless you discuss it with them first. We also need to give people suggestions a place to start that is enjoyable and offer to do a buddy read with them so that they will get hooked verses recommending a heavy book example I would not give War and Peace to someone who is just starting out with translated writings into English. I find that manga that has been translated is a good place to start especially with teenagers. I hope that made sense. I enjoy your videos and topics and viewpoints that you provide.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

This is all absolutely wise and true and good. I agree with every sentiment. In fact, you've inspired me to format some future videos a little differently, to encourage reading from different angles. Back when I taught high school English, this was a big task and I enjoyed it a lot!

[@isabelab6851]

As a fully bilingual person, with Spanish as my native language, I have read books in Spanish and English to test my theory about nuances specific to the author’s language. Although in my test, it was clear that the story, character development, themes were the same. But something about the feelings the books evoked were different. Why read translated books? For me is to expand the universe of experience that I am exposed to…as a fiction reader, there is so much richness I have experienced by reading translations. I started young by reading English works into Spanish. But I also read Russian, French, German, Portuguese, Brazilian writers translated to Spanish (my grandmother had a fabulous library). Early after university, I started reading Japanese Lit (a wild sheep chase was my entry!)…but then I also expanded to Chinese and even Turkish and Égyptian writers. It has been a wonderful journey. I still like to read Spanish books in the original language (mostly to ensure that I am able to keep up my skills in the language) but I love having diversity. I cannot tell you have happy I am to have found your channel…been catching up on the latest.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

That's fantastic. What a wonderful library your grandmother must have had, and what a fantastically diverse range of lit you read! Love to see it.

[@isabelab6851]

@@WillowTalksBooks although the books are gone (actually I have a few that were salvaged by my mom) I still have some of the bookshelves. They are Puerto Rican mahogany, now extinct. and yes it is full of my favorite books. I am trying to downsize my collection but I cannot get rid of everything. I am waiting to see if I can donate some of my hardbacks to the library but they are not accepting books right now because of Covid.

[@trapdoor3461]

Mr. Fox! or could be it Ash? nice brain I've been dealing with this subject on translations for quite a long time now. You'll see, some Russian works that are sold to the Spanish speakers? market are translations from the English translations. And so, we have the original work, the english translation, and let's say: the final Spanish translation. Theres not only two people's perceptions of the world, involved, that being the writer, translators, and more translators. And it's so interesting and frightening, I would dare to say.

[@rubyjreads7503]

👏👏👏

[@mattjmjmjm4731]

Unless the translation ruins the text, if it's a book that appeals to you and it's well written, just read the damn book! I don't see why so many English speakers have a problem with works outside their culture, it makes no sense. One of my fav authors is Thomas Mann(german author) and another fav would be Jorge Luis Borges(Argentine).

[@67Parsifal]

From January to May of this year, I read nothing but translated literature - as a brexit protest. I even attempted to read Siddharta in German, but didn’t get very far.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Love the attitude!

[@sophie201201]

I don't think you sound arrogant at all. I think people who think that only their own culture makes literature that's worth reading are incredibly arrogant.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Thank you 💜

[@DanielaGarridou]

Thanks for this very needed video! Everything you say is so true. I'm a latin american (Colombian/Venezuelan) English teacher (as ESL) and I'm thinking about doing an specialisation to become an official translator! So, I appreciate your words about how important they are. Tbh if I had a damn dollar for every person that has told me that "it's a waste of time and money " or that "it is not profitable in this country" I would be rich lol. Also, the fact that most people don't read translated books is just so weird to us non-native English speakers... like... how??? P.s I never miss your videos since I subscribed, you're fantastic and have such an incredible way to express your thoughts about any topic/book. My tbr just grows every single time I watch one of your vids lol. Much lov from the other side of the world! < 3

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Every translator I talk to says that it's a tough industry but, speaking for a lot of very grateful readers, it's one I can't live without! If you can become a translator, please do! And thank you so, SO much for watching and enjoying my videos 💜

[@glendaw5221]

You’ve done a great job and I’m loving translated books. ❤️

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Thank you so much;, I'm glad I'm doing my part 💜

[@LarryHasOpinions]

i think most people are comfortable with things that are familiar, it takes persuasion to convince them to push themselves out of their comfort zone

[@WillowTalksBooks]

I completely agree; we all have to start somewhere. The only thing that frustrates me is the occasional aggressive push-back I see from people.

[@mortazam.qassem5194]

In my mother language, fantasy is looked down on and very rarely published, just as LGBTQA+ literature is NEVER allowed. Having the option to read books in other languages or read their translation if available is ALWAYS a great thing, no one should be limited to their own language, culture and government/religon controlled publicion agenda, when the world has so much to offer. In fact I don't own a single book in my original language, I can't imagine myself being a reader without having the option to read non-arab literature. Side note: your hair is very beautiful.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

A very well-put argument and I wholly agree! When we read too much from one group's perspectives and experiences, we might develop biases, become bored or lazy etc. Variety is so necessary. And thank you for the hair comment. I treasure my hair 💜