Vietnamese Book Translation: The Publishing Industry is Changing

Market Diversity

Recently, Nha Nam Culture and Communication Company (Nha Nam) has just launched the publication Designing Machine Learning Systems by author Huyen Chip, the girl who caused a stir in the community more than 10 years ago with the book that created the trend Pick up your backpack and go. This is probably a surprise to those who follow Huyen Chip, because the book was written entirely in English by her about the current trendy topic: artificial intelligence - AI.

Before being published in Vietnam (translated by Do Huu Thieu and Nguyen Sy Khanh), Design of Machine Learning Systems has been published in more than 10 languages, of which the Vietnamese version was reprinted just 10 days after it was released. From Huyen Chip's case, it can be seen that this is a useful suggestion for domestic publishing units in response to a new demand from today's readers.

Not long before, along with the release of the Vietnamese version, Kim Dong Publishing House also released the English version of the novel Things You Use to Fill a Hole by author Dy Duyen.

According to Ms. Vu Thi Quynh Lien, Deputy Director - Editor-in-Chief of Kim Dong Publishing House, translating works by Vietnamese authors has always been an effort of the unit over the past time. “Previously, we started with picture books (Vietnamese folk tales and fairy tales), translated into English and French and were ordered by foreign publishing units. Gradually, we began to translate larger works, or encourage domestic authors to write in both English and Vietnamese such as the books That's Tet!, My Dad is a Runner, or Put Your Phone Down by author Bui Phuong Tam; Mother's Heart by author Hoai Anh, the book series Making Friends with Nature by author Thao Nguyen”, Ms. Quynh Lien said.

According to Ms. Vu Thi Quynh Lien, in the near future, Kim Dong Publishing House will translate a number of works that won the Kim Dong Literature Award to continue introducing them to foreign readers, as well as Vietnamese readers living abroad.

Expanding reader needs

Tre Publishing House is also one of the pioneers in translating Vietnamese publications into English. Last May, along with the publication of Nguyen Nhat Anh - The Keeper of Children's Literature, The Girl from Yesterday (hardcover), Growing Up with Nguyen Nhat Anh's Books, this unit also launched the English version of the work There are two cats sitting by the window. This is the next work by writer Nguyen Nhat Anh to be translated into English, after Sitting and Crying on the Tree, Wishing a Good Day, I See Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass.

In addition, many works by other Vietnamese authors have also been invested in by Tre Publishing House to translate and publish in English such as: Beloved Oxford, Close Your Eyes to See Paris, The Golden Road, Waiting for You to Come to San Francisco, Tiny Doll and the Giant (Duong Thuy); Open the Window with Your Eyes Closed (Nguyen Ngoc Thuan); Endless Field (Nguyen Ngoc Tu), Vietnamese History in Pictures (Tran Bach Dang, editor-in-chief)...

It can be said that the translation and parallel release of the above publications is a positive step forward for the publishing industry. In addition to expanding the readership, this is also a way to gradually promote and introduce these works at international book fairs or through cultural organizations and Vietnamese embassies in other countries. A typical example is the case of I see yellow flowers in the green grass, which was purchased by Hannacroix Creek Books to be published and released in the US.

However, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Minh, Director of Planning and Copyright of Nha Nam, said that the current demand of this market is not large enough, so investment is also a matter worth considering: "Translating Vietnamese works into foreign languages is often more expensive than translating foreign languages into Vietnamese. With the current difficult situation, it will be very difficult for book publishers to have the resources to do such reverse translation," said Mr. Minh.

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/dich-sach-viet-nganh-xuat-ban-chuyen-minh-post807907.html