Interview with an Argentinian translator (English – Spanish translator) of fiction and non-fiction

Lucila Cordone is an English-Spanish translator from Argentina. I have known her for many years and have been talking to her about the possibility of seeking free-lance translation of my work. She is currently working on a translation of The Runes of Odin and agreed to answer a few questions about the possibility of working directly with writers.

She also translated the questions and answers into Spanish as a kind of illustrative exercise.

She is open to commissions. Contact her via: lucilacordonegmailcom

1. Is there a standard cost for translation of a work of fiction, or does it depend entirely upon the translator? Are there variables other than word count that affect the cost?

In Argentina, when working for Publishing Houses cost is usually regulated by them. When working for independent authors commissioning translations, we usually use the rates established by Translators Associations, which usually penalise translators if they charge a significantly higher or lower rate. Another variable affecting cost other than word count is time – the less time we are given to translate the higher the rate.

Translation of fiction is charged per thousand words, so, for example, assuming a three-month deadline for a 80,000 word novel the cost would be about US$2000.

1. ¿Existe un arancel estandarizado para traducir una obra de ficción o esto depende exclusivamente del traductor? Además de la cantidad de palabras, ¿existen otras variables que afecten el costo?

Por lo general, en la Argentina cuando se hace un trabajo para una editorial, el arancel lo impone la editorial. Cuando se hace un trabajo para un autor que lo pide en forma independiente, generalmente tomamos los aranceles sugeridos por las asociaciones de traductores, que penalizan al traductor si la tarifa que cobra es significativamente más alta o más baja de lo establecido. Otra variable que manejamos para establecer la tarifa es el tiempo: a menor tiempo, mayor tarifa. En ficción, el cálculo de la tarifa se hace cada mil palabras, con lo cual, suponiendo una novela de 80.000 palabras para hacer en tres meses, la tarifa daría unos US$2,000.

2. What do you think of a suggested model for "sharing" the cost of the translation by author paying a royalty (e.g. 20%) of the income generated by the translated work?

I think this might be a great opportunity for young translators who are starting a career in literary translation. Getting published is hard for novel translators too, so I guess this might work well for both self-published authors and young translators.

2. ¿Qué opinás sobre "compartir" el costo de la traducción pagándole al traductor en parte con las regalías (por ejemplo, el 20%) del ingreso generado por la traducción de la obra?

Creo que esto puede ser una gran oportunidad para los traductores noveles que se quieren dedicar a la traducción literaria. Al igual que para los escritores, a los traductores noveles también les resulta difícil que los publiquen, así que este sistema me parece que puede funcionar bien tanto para los autores que financian su propia publicación como para los traductores que inician su carrera en este campo.

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Print cover

Something of a learning curve, but I now have a print version of Exiles of the Bhel Sea in the works, with the full spread 6"x9" paperback cover shown here. I also have ePub versions of the ebook available through Smashwords linked over on the right and through the Order Books page. It'll appear in the individual ereader book stores soon.

Exiles of the Bhel Sea

Well this one took me a while. With a huge sigh of relief, I can now say that my fourth book is available. This is the first novel I have published electronically (Kindle version available now, other formats later this week), and while I will do a print version, it isn't the main focus.

And so, Exiles of the Bhel Sea is ready!

$5.99 for the full book, while of course one fantastic advantage of ebooks is that you can sample the novel for free and test-drive it.

Special thanks to my artist, Kentaro Kanamoto, my editor Amanda Le Bas du Plumetot, my cartographer-extraordinaire Matthew French, and my beta readers Amanda Le Bas du Plumetot, Steven Turner, Aidan Doyle and Alex Hong. Much appreciated.

Thanks of course to my long-suffering wife, Kristy, and my kids, Sophie and Phoebe. The main reason for the time this book has taken is the arrival of my daughters and that goes with raising children, and I hope that one day they read and enjoy this book.

It's a long one - about the same length as my Runes trilogy combined - but then epic fantasy novels are called "epic" for a reason!

Photography

     

Drive-by interview

A belated link back to an interview of me over at Angela Slatter's very informative blog: http://www.angelaslatter.com/the-runes-of-odin-drive-by-ben-julien/ .

Angela is a fellow Brisbaneite, a fellow inmate at Clarion South 2009, and the author of several anthologies and more published short stories than I care to count.

More artwork for The Bhel Sea

More work from Kentaro, this one is of the drought-stricken, poisoned flood plains of the Sentinels, a view from up high on Altlith, one of the surviving Sentinel cities built onto a gargantuan spire of rock jutting up from the plain below.

I had planned to have the book ready to go by now, but I'm in the midst of moving interstate, back to my home town of Brisbane, so a little delay is in order. Looking next month (February) to have it available on e-readings, in print soon after.

Update on Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 9:27PM by Ben Julien

Second internal illustration is finished, depicting the scene of Jhared, Koja and Ragas staring down from the Gyntal Ridge near Altlith at the approaching Arakal horde.

Update on Wednesday, March 7, 2012 at 3:51PM by Ben Julien

Third insert for The Bhel SeaThird and final insert for the Bhel Sea, this one is of New Werit, a port town on the southern end of the Sea.

School interview, Erskine Park High, NSW - Part II

And here's the second half of the great questions from the students of Erskine Park High:

12. Why did you give Lena red hair? Was it because it was bright or uncommon? Thisuri

I wanted to use the idea of how unusual red hair is, particularly among blond Scandinavians, and use it as a symbolism of the power of the rune magic. Red hair is definitely uncommon, but even more so in Lena and Calum’s world where it indicated the latent power of a vala or duelva. Red hair is much more common in Britain, or the Isles of the novel’s world, so it also added an element of confusion and a reason why Bjorn might want to take Lena when he was raiding in the beginning of the book. Lastly, I had browny-orange hair and freckles as a kid. I don’t have much of my hair now (and it has become brown) but maybe I was putting myself in the story again.

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School interview, Erskine Park High, NSW - Part I

A class of grade 9 students over at Erskine Park High have been reading The Runes of Odin and sent me a whole slew of great questions about the book, my writing process and tips for being a writer. Below are the first ten questions and my answers, with the first name(s) of the student(s) who asked each question. It is a great pleasure to hear from them and I'd like to thank their teacher, Natali, for setting this all up.

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Branding

Branding is something every writer deals with in some form. From the style of writing, to the typical settings or types of stories a particular writer might use more often than others, and then on to the look of a series of novels, the illustrations, cover design and even the publisher’s imprint. These are all important ways for readers to identify a writer, to find more of his/her works, and to feel comfortable with a genre choice.

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Project updates

This isn't a quick process as I've made the decision to complete the first draft of the newest novel, The Decay Chain, before finalising the edits and uploading The Bhel Sea. I think this is important for a few reasons, not the least that I keep the momentum I have with the new manuscript, then tuck it away to ferment for a month before shining some redrafting light onto it. I also want to complete the Bhel Sea and then spend some time outlining the sequels, which given the scale of the story and settings, will take a while. It also allows time for Kentaro Kanamoto, the illustrator, to complete the internal illustrations (B&W inserts). Ideally, it'll all be finished before Xmas, but I am not going to rush just for that deadline.

So, soon enough, but not soon enough. Here is an example of what the final e-book cover may look like.