Should I Get My Italian Book Translated into English?

Yes for some of you, no for others. I'm sorry there's no clear-cut answer! Instead, I hope you'll find it helpful to personally weigh these pros and cons to make the best decision for you!

Pros

✅ Let's get the obvious pro out of the way! You already know that translating your book into English will open up a whole new audience for you and potentially increase your book sales. But did you know just how big that audience is?

While Italian has between 67 and 85 million speakers, it's estimated that 1.5 billion people speak English! Yes, it's officially spoken across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and many other countries, but don't forget that millions of people have also learned it as a second or third language.

This means that English has somewhere between 18 and 22 times as many speakers as Italian, thus increasing your potential readership by 2,000%.

✅ But enough about numbers. I doubt many of you got into writing to make millions of dollars. It would be nice if that happened, but you were most likely driven by a desire to share your voice, your imagination and creativity, your insights into the complexities of human nature, your unique perspective, and your talent for moving people with your words.

A good translation can introduce your story to millions of readers who might never have heard it otherwise. It’s not just about selling books; it’s about sharing a part of your soul with people all over the world.

✅ Positive reviews and recommendations from your new English-speaking readers and critics can help you build a reputation as an international author. This may open new doors to you, including adaptations of your work into other media, international literary festivals, and new collaboration opportunities.

Cons

❌ You've probably spent months or even years of your life writing your book. If you're going to do justice to your creation in English, it will not come cheap. (See How Much Will It Cost?)

Getting your book translated into English is not an "experiment," as I sometimes hear people call it; it's an investment. You're investing in yourself, trusting that the time and effort you put into creating your masterpiece will pay off, and feeling optimistic that the English-speaking world is ready for your book.

The idea of an "experiment" implies that you can try out something just a little at a time and see what happens. Unfortunately, translation doesn't work that way. If you're not willing to invest the necessary amount right now, it's better not to invest at all yet. The damage you will do with a bad or mediocre translation is not worth the money you might save. (See When You Hire the Wrong Translator: A Cautionary Tale.)

❌ If you've already published your book in Italian, you probably know that people will not automatically discover your book. In addition to investing in a good translation, you'll probably need to invest in some form of marketing. This may end up being another financial investment, or it may just amount to some effort and creativity. For example, if you already have a large social media following, it may not cost you anything to get the word out.

There are plenty of relatively inexpensive marketing methods, from Facebook to Amazon, but the bottom line is that you should be ready to invest either money or time, or both, to get your book discovered.

Some Advice: How Is Your Italian Book Doing?

I know some authors who have written their books in Italian and had them translated immediately into English, without even publishing them in Italian. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but it does increase the risk you're taking.

If you are a bit more risk-averse, I recommend that you publish your book in Italian first and see how it does. If a large number of your readers are critical of your writing style, your plot, your characters, and/or other aspects of your book, getting it translated into English will not fix those problems. Instead, use this feedback as valuable insight into what elements of your book you may want to revisit before getting it translated.

Similarly, if you haven't sold many copies of your book in Italian because you haven't done any marketing, you may not sell many English copies, either. You risk ending up on page 47 of an Amazon search, never to be seen. If you weren't ready to take any action to get your Italian book discovered, don't assume that things will be any different for you in English.

I hope this doesn't sound too harsh! I just always want my clients to go into this having weighed the pros and cons, ready to move forward with the confidence and optimism that comes from making an informed decision.

See the next article: How Do I Find the Right Translator or Agency?