Book Translation Services
Espresso Translations brings your book to life in over 150 languages, spanning genres from steamy romance to spine-chilling horror.
Whether you’re a self published author or a traditional publisher, we’re here to make your words resonate across the globe. We don’t just translate. We preserve your voice and intent to connect with readers far and wide.
Digital to fancy-pants, limited edition hardbacks, fiction or factual, we’ll help you amplify your reach and shine in new and emerging markets.
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Our professional book translation services
We have you covered through academic texts, medical manuals, gripping memoirs, bestseller fiction, and more. You name it, we translate it.
Every translation is handled by a seasoned specialist who understands your genre and target audience. Our aim? To deliver a final text that feels as though it was originally penned in its new language, while sounding unmistakably like you.
Translation is just the base layer. We add localization to ensure cultural authenticity. That means adapting idioms, tone, and context so your story feels completely at home, wherever it’s read.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Type of Service | Book translation services for publishing houses |
| Supported Languages | Italian, English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese |
| Specialization | Literary translation and editorial content |
| Translation Method | Professional human translation with experience in the publishing sector |
| Delivery Times | Varies depending on length and complexity of the text (typically 2–6 weeks) |
| Accepted Formats | Books, articles, manuscripts, magazines, eBooks |
| Review and Quality Check | Included in the service, with review by experts in the publishing sector |
| Additional Services | Cultural localization, editing and proofreading, adaptation for specific markets |
How do you translate your books?
Our process at Espresso Translations is straightforward, reliable, and rooted in precision. It simply begets a high-quality level of human touch you can’t get from a robot.
When you want to have a book translated, simply follow these steps:
- Submit your project details through our online form (contact info, language pair, deadlines, brief, and whether you’re an individual or company).
- Within an hour, we’ll assign a dedicated account manager to guide you.
- We match your project to an expert linguist who fits your genre and target audience.
- After you approve the quote, the primary translator translates and proofreads your text.
- A second translator (one whom often doubles as a professional translator) performs an additional proofreading round to eliminate any errors.
- Your account manager completes a final quality assurance check.
- You receive the precise, polished, triple-checked translation for your final review.
Can I get my self-published book translated?
Yes, you absolutely can! We love working with independent authors. Self-publishing puts you in control and we’re here to help you expand that control to distribute worldwide to tap into that global audience.
If you have a self-published book that you need translated, just tell us your goals and we’ll customize our translation service to help your work reach new readers and make an impact.
How do I choose a book translator?
Our professional book translation service can help you get your book out to many countries, print-ready or formatted for website publishing. Whatever you need, our team can offer a bespoke and accurate book translation for you.
Consider the following when you select a translator:
- We are ISO 17100 certified, so we regularly meet the gold standard in translation quality.
- We only have native-language translators. For that natural voice and native fluency it is imperative to assign a translator of this status to your project.
- Every translation carried out by Espresso Translations has multi-level proofreading. Accuracy behind the editor before publication is extremely important and thus every text is double checked for precision.
- Our global team means we can work in more than 200 languages. While we are headquartered in the UK with offices in New York and Milan, our translators are located all around the world. As a result, we can work with UK and foreign organisations and individuals.
- To safeguard the data of all our clients, we are GDPR and Privacy Shield compliant so you know your information is secure with us.
- We offer competitive rates for all translation projects and language services and provide a free quote to all our clients. This means you know exactly how much money you’ll be spending and there are no hidden fees or charges.
Choosing a book translator is an important decision. Writing can be a difficult profession and entrusting your work to a translator is often a hard thing to do. So, it’s essential that your project is completed by a professional agency such as Espresso Translations.
Who translates books?
Whether freelance or based in an agency that supports editorial book translation services, experience matters. Your translator should be able to grasp the subject be it, fiction, non-fiction, or academic, and bring nuance, style, and clarity to each and every page.
No matter what you choose, you should opt out of automated tools. They are fast, yes, but lack the soul behind expert translators that know what drives translating literary works. Our translators combine human insight with skin-tight quality controls, a rigorous translation process and reach cultural understanding globally. Sure, there are individual gig platforms out there like Fiverr and Upwork with great translators, but an established agency like Espresso Translations delivers consistency, localisation expertise, and accountability through professional translation you simply can’t find anywhere else.
How much does it cost to translate a book?
Typical rates range from £0.10 and £0.15 per word for English-language work. But the total cost depends on:
- Word count. Obviously, more words costs more. The majority of quotes for translation work are based on word count, meaning the number of words contained in the book, file or document.
- Language pair. The source language is the original language that the book was written in. A target language is what the book is translated into. Common languages cost less as there are more available translators while a rare language or dialect will cost more due to the lack of translators fluent in that language. Some languages have fewer expert translators.
- Turnaround time. Urgent deadlines can raise the price. Sometimes, significantly, so we urge you to plan accordingly.
- Content complexity. Technical or academic content requires specialist translators. Therefore, the difficulty of the book’s content can impact the overall cost.
- Certification requirements. Official documents may come with extra fees depending on the certification that needs to be produced.
What are the legal and contractual aspects in book translation?
In the United States, translation rights provide a foreign third party, the legality to translate a book or manuscript into another language and publish that specific version. These rights are usually granted through a licensing agreement that provides the terms. But, this also includes how the original meaning and tone should be preserved in the newly translated work, for example. Copyright law recognizes the translator as the copyright holder of the translated work, unless the contract contradicts this. A clear agreement from the beginning is very important.
What book translation services does our translation company offer?
We, at Espresso Translations provide a wide range of formats for our book translation services including, but not limited to:
- Novels
- Children’s books
- eBooks
- Technical Manuals
- Academic texts
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Essays
- Literary journals
- Manuscripts
If your project isn’t listed, don’t hesitate to ask! We will more than likely say yes, so get in touch with us today to see how we can help.
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Click the button below and send over your project details. We’ll be sure to get back to you within an hour with a precise, competitive quote.
What do our clients say?
Our accredited translation agency is proud of its excellent customer service, which includes rapid support and comprehensive guidance from its project managers. Take a look at our customers’ reviews:
Espresso Translations handled the editorial translation of my novel with great professionalism. The cultural sensitivity and stylistic care preserved the original voice of the text. I was impressed by the efficiency of the service and the impeccable result, which exceeded my expectations.
– Marta Rinaldi
University Researcher in Law
I entrusted Espresso Translations with the editorial translation of a complex technical manual for the medical sector. The terminological competence and linguistic coherence demonstrate a high level of specialization. Their collaborative approach allowed me to obtain a product perfectly in line with the needs of my target audience.
– Paolo Bernardi
Professor of Political Science
How do I submit my manuscript for translation?
Espresso Translations provide a no-obligation quote for our services via our online contact form. Fill out our online form, attach your manuscript, and we’ll be in touch within an hour. Your dedicated account manager will walk you through every step so you’re regularly updated and always in the loop.
How long does it take to translate a book?
Turnaround time depends on the length of the project and its overall complexity. This is especially the case for projects with a lot of technical content, charts, and whether or not they have rigorous formatting requirements. Standard, run-of-the-mill, projects take between two and six weeks to complete. However, if you need your project faster, kindly let us know. We offer premium express options, and sometimes, even same-day delivery for content ready to go.
Not to mention, thanks to our global team and wide range of native translators, we can tackle multiple languages at once without slowing our process down. We are a leading translation agency for a reason and it only makes sense that if you need a book translation in a hurry, we are fully equipped and capable in handling it at the drop of a hat.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Are book translations done by native speakers?
Yes, we only use native speaking translators employed at Espresso Translations. Each and every professional translator of ours has at least five years in the translation field and accredited with subject matter expertise.
Do you also offer proofreading?
Every translation project at Espresso Translations is initially proofread by the primary translator and then reviewed by a second linguist who also takes a look at the text for proofreading.
Are copyrights respected?
Absolutely. At Espresso Translations, we respect both author and translator copyrights.
Do you offer book translations into English?
Yes, plus more than 200 language combinations. At Espresso Translations, you would be hard pressed to find a combination we cannot do.
Do you offer book translations from English to Italian?
Yes, English to Italian book translations and many other pairs should you need them.
What is the difference between automatic and human translation?
Automatic translation is also more generally known as ‘machine translation’ which offers speed but lacks subtlety. It is very literal and will translate each word in a vacuum and withhold contextual layering. The quality has only increased due to the inclusion of large language models that have been thoroughly trained to support this endeavour.
Human translation, as the name implies, is done by people as they understand the context and cultural nuance necessary to provide a more natural and polished result. Yes, it might not be as ‘fast’ as a machine, but you would receive more accurate translations with each upload to your email box as opposed to the many rounds of edits necessary to fix a machine’s handy-work. Humans do use computer assisted translation tools, but they are the drivers and not the programs themselves.
Can I translate a book and sell it?
Only if you hold the translation rights. Rules vary between countries, so be sure to secure the rights before intending to publish internationally and certainly before you submit it to us for our book translation services.