About
This page provides resources and search advice on finding publishers and materials that have been translated into English.
In 2007, researchers at the University of Rochester discovered that just 3% of books published in the United States were works in translation (including non-fiction-- fiction represented .7%)-- and the University set up a site, called Three Percent, in order to address the issue. Three Percent is home to a database that shows the largest U.S. publishers of works in translation, the Best Translated Book Awards, a monthly podcast, and Open Letter Books, (University of Rochester's nonprofit, literary translation press).
On this page:
-How to Search the Library's Catalog
-More Books in our Catalog
-Poetry in Translation
-List of Publishers
-Still can't find it? Ask a librarian!
How to Search the Library Catalog
Starting your search:
If you have a publisher in mind, you can simply use that as a search term and search the catalog as normal (image links to catalog):
Limit your results:
You may find it easiest to limit the search results by using the left-hand column when you have a list of results-- Subject could be limited to Fiction and Translations (choose one, then the other when the results reload).
Search by Subject:
You can also choose a region, era, and so on. If you do not have a publisher in mind, you can always search for "Translations into English" as a Simple Search or "Translations into English" as a subject in Advanced Search with a country or genre, and narrow from there:
As you can see, there are nearly 15,000 volumes of works classified in this way. You can use the limiters on the right hand side to limit your results.
Publisher: AmazonCrossing
- AmazonCrossing
AmazonCrossing is the dedicated Amazon publisher for translations into English. One of the largest publishers of translated works, it uses the same Amazon web design and offers a great variety of books to choose from.
Searching is made easy by the ability to sort by a variety of genres (including countries, international award winners, and genres like Literary Fiction).
In our catalog:
Publisher: Dalkey Archive Press
- Dalkey Archive Press
One of the largest publishers dedicated to works in translation, Dalkey Archive Press is a publisher of fiction, poetry, and literary criticism.
Search categories include country, author, series, fiction, nonfiction/biographies/memoirs, literary criticism/philosophy and theory, poetry, and plays.
Publisher: Open Letter Books
- Open Letter Books
Open Letter Books-- University of Rochester's nonprofit, literary translation press.
Searching is not very intuitive-- start with a known author, title, or country of origin (use "filter" on "books" tab).
Publisher: Europa Editions
- Europa Editions
Europa Editions is an independent fiction publisher, and focuses on books of European origins.
The catalog search options include a map, showing that 130 titles originate from Europe, 27 from the North/Central Americas, 15 from Asia, and others from around the world. You can also search by author.
Publisher: Seagull Books
- Seagull Books
Seagull Books is a publisher founded in Kolkata, originally for theater other arts. Since its founding in 1982, it has expanded to world translations and non-fiction works.
The homepage offers several categories, including works from African, Arabic, French, German, Italian, Indian, and Swiss authors. The fiction category contains over 130 books.
