Twisting tongues

The Frankfurt Book Fair has big plans for China and the rest of Asia as publishers work to break down language, cultural and business barriers. Chen Yingqun reports.

In an age when machines do translations almost instantly, it may seem that publishing books in multiple languages around the world could be done at the snap of a finger. While the works of prominent authors easily jump linguistic and national boundaries - like those of 2012 Nobel literature laureate Mo Yan - that's not necessarily so in other cases. Many authors and publishers who aspire to sell their books internationally face hard-to-solve cultural differences and a lack of qualified human translators.

Publishers in China and other countries are eager to communicate more and develop good working relationships, but they still have a long way to go, says Juergen Boos, president of the Frankfurt Book Fair.