The predicament of translators

Comment on "Wanted: a few good decoders" (China Daily, Sept 3)

Good article. It touches on several aspects of the "supply chain" of the book translation sector, from raw products (original Chinese works) to the likes and dislikes of the targeted foreign readers.

As a translator, I'd like to say that there are several reasons why some translators won't translate a given Chinese work. Being busy working on their jobs (as a sinologist in my case) is just one of them. Personally, I hesitate to translate a work unless it is certain to be published, distributed and marketed by a reputable international publisher. The reasons: First, Chinese publishers focus on selecting a book and getting it translated and printed, but tend to be unwilling to pay good money to have it properly edited.