Where Are Data? Reflections on Information Available in the Field of Editorial Translation

Abstract

In order to be able to analyze in depth the flows of editorial translation, concrete data are necessary, which should be provided firstly by the industry that harbors editorial translation. However, the heading “translation” often goes unnoticed in the reports produced annually by bookseller associations, publisher associations, and publishing houses themselves. This stems partially from the structural inattention of publishers, but also from the complexity of rights sale and purchase processes, and of gathering and analyzing this type of information. For about fifteen years now, Argentina has had two databases that, despite their limitations, offer rich material that makes it possible to open up a series of areas of analysis. These databases are the works carried out by Argentina’s Chancellor’s Office, through the Argentine government South Support Program for Translation), and by the TyPA Foundation —standing for Art Theory and Practice— through extranslation reports. In this paper, we will briefly present both databases and summarize the main conclusions obtained in the most recent TyPA study, carried out in 2022. With this as a point of departure, we will draw a map to allow for thinking about issues such as the presence of Argentine literature around the world, the assessment of public translation policies, and the valuing of translation by the publishing industry itself.