Translation is Biggest Issue in Exporting Chinese Books

 

Guo Xiaoyong, vice-president of China International Publishing Group and vice president of the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration recently named translation as the biggest barrier to the exportation of Chinese books.

He said the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration brought over 700 books to the London Book Fair this year and 85% of these books were in foreign languages. Many of the books were about Chinese society, culture, medicine and dictionaries. 

The London Book Fair is the second largest in the world, ranking only behind the Frankfurt Book Fair, and was formed in 1971.

"With the rise of China, Chinese culture is attracting more attention worldwide and the demand for Chinese books is increasing. Our job is to promote Chinese culture so as to have people know Chinese society better,” said Guo.

The problem he said lies in the fact that they lack good translators to make Chinese books available to foreign mainstream.

Guo explained, "But generally speaking, we lack good translators, and the pith of many good books was lost in translation.”

The full article on the obstacles facing exportation of Chinese language books can be found online at Global Times.