Translation, mostly a labor of love

Given that only 3 percent of what's published in English is translation, if you're in the business as a niche publisher/translator, chances are, you're doing it for love.

As Christopher Mattison, formerly executive editor at Zephyr Press in the United States who is now starting up a new publishing venture at Hong Kong City University, says, "Profit is generally not part of the discussion. There is only measured loss."

Sometimes the rewards come when they are least expected, as a sudden acknowledgement of years of quietly slogging away.