Abstract
This article examines the perception of ‘rare’ and ‘common’ languages through literary translations. The study is based on the materials from De Bezige Bij Publishing House in the Netherlands, comparing the periods of 2010—2013 and 2020—2023. A significant increase in the role of translators is reflected in the rise of translation share in the publishing house. There is an observed growth in the number of source languages for translation, with a decrease in the proportion of English. Translations from French, Italian, German, Scandinavian languages, Portuguese, and Japanese have emerged. A comparison with the Polyandria Russian Publishing House during the period of 2020—2023 reveals common and distinct source languages. Both publishers translate literature into Danish, Finnish, and French to a similar extent. The Russian publishing house represents Norwegian and Japanese to a greater extent, while the Dutch publishing house releases more translations from German, Swedish, Turkish, and Italian. The Russian publisher also includes Icelandic, Albanian, Korean, and Croatian, while the Dutch publisher includes Hebrew, Romanian, and Portuguese. Both publishers encompass a total of 20 source languages, which is a small number compared to the global linguistic diversity. Comparing the volumes of source languages also indicates differences in preferences. Central European languages are chosen in the Netherlands, while Norwegian and Icelandic are favored in Russia. These differences may be influenced by the cost of rights to works, editorial preferences, and translator availability. The analysis results indicate that neither typological similarity between the source language and the target language, nor association with a specific language group, influences the preference for translating books from a particular language. This highlights the importance of sociocultural factors.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
