How to make the best possible translation of a book?

You know that frustration of reading a book that should have been an article? Me too. So I try to do the opposite — to write so succinctly that you wish I would have said a little more. You complete it with your own thoughts.

That’s why I edit the hell out of my writing. I delete every unnecessary sentence and word, then craft the few that remain. It takes more time for me, but saves time for everyone else. Hopefully this approach, where you fill my gaps with your own examples, is more powerful and effective. Maybe, as a side-effect, even more beautiful.

But then how should I approach its translation? I’m willing to spend time and money to help make the best possible translations into Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. Maybe other languages, too, based on the potential audience. My books have been the primary creations of my life, and will be what’s left of me after I’m dead, so I’d like to help make great translations of them while I’m here.

They’re not poetry, but I put the same care into rhythm, structure, and even sound of the words. I can’t just crap out a computer-generated translation, or under-pay an over-worked translator. I could hire one expensive translator, and that person could do one interpretation, but then what if it’s too uniquely biased?

You’ve heard of The Wisdom of Crowds? The collected ideas of many people can be better than any one person’s ideas. It doesn’t apply to everything, but might apply to translations.

I built a tool for translators, reviewers, and editors, called Inchword. It lets anyone suggest translation improvements, even if they have just a few minutes or hours to improve a few words or chapters. Editors review and approve those suggestions. Reviewers read the finished chapters. All of these people can ask me questions for clarification. And at some point, multiple people agree that it’s as good as can be, and I mark the translation as finished. It’s the “official author-approved translation.” (What to do with it after that is a different issue.)

I’m not sure this is the best plan, so I’m open to suggestions. Please leave a reply, below, with any ideas. Or if you can help as a translator, reviewer, or editor, please email me.

P.S. For the past few years I’ve licensed to foreign publishers who do their own translations, and nothing wrong with that, but I’d rather collaborate more closely with the translators to make sure each translation is the best it can be.