Translation Blogs We Think You Should Be Reading

Here are some of our favorite translation blogs (listed alphabetically). And we need your help! Which ones are we missing?

• Arablit(opens in a new tab) was founded by M. Lynx Qualey and covers Arabic literature in (and not yet in) translation. There you can find roundups of forthcoming books translated from Arabic, book reviews, resources for teachers(opens in a new tab) of Arabic literature in translation, and so much more. Plus, it’s the home of the ArabLit Story Prize(opens in a new tab).
• Asymptote’s blog(opens in a new tab) has a regular circulation of reviews, essays, and translations, as well as a weekly roundup of world literature news.
• Biblibio(opens in a new tab) is the blog of Meytal Radzinski, the founder of the Women in Translation(opens in a new tab) movement and WITMonth. As Radzinski herself describes: “Biblibio is not a review blog. What does that mean? It means that the humble figure behind the veil sees the purpose of this blog as discussing a life in books in general, not only through reviews (though obviously somewhat). Bibli – book. Bio – life. This is a life in letters.”
• The Complete Review(opens in a new tab) and its accompanying blog, The Literary Saloon(opens in a new tab), are run by M. A. Orthofer. Go here for reviews of books both popular and obscure, as well as international literary news that is rarely covered elsewhere. A great resource!
• Conversational Reading(opens in a new tab) is the blog of our own Publicity Director and Senior Editor, Veronica Scott Esposito. While not exclusively translation, the blog is largely translation-focused, including lists of interesting new and forthcoming books(opens in a new tab), Q&As(opens in a new tab) with translators and authors, essays, and other related news in the field.
• Lizok’s Bookshelf(opens in a new tab) is the blog of award-winning Russian translator Lisa Hayden. This is the go-to place for those interested in Russian literature. Lisa will let you know what is going on in the world of Russian literary prizes, tell you about interesting books coming out in Russia, books she’s reading, and, of course, books she’s translating.
• Reader@Large(opens in a new tab) is the blog of Tara Cheesman-Olmsted, a freelance book critic, National Book Critic Circle member, and 2018 Best Translated Book Award fiction judge. The blog began as a general book review blog, but Tara currently only reviews books by international authors and translations, with a preference for small presses!
• Three Percent(opens in a new tab) is the translation blog of the University of Rochester. Chad Post delights us with in-depth blog posts on a wide range of topics within the translation field. Home to book reviews, the Best Translation Book Award, and updates on trends in the translation field (including graphs and all kinds of fancy data analysis)!
• Tony’s Reading List(opens in a new tab) is the blog of a true international literature aficionado. Dive into the expansive book review archives (spanning back to 2009) or, if you’re feeling adventurous, dig into something a little different(opens in a new tab).
• Translationista(opens in a new tab) is the blog of Susan Bernofsky, German-language translator extraordinaire. She’ll keep you up-to-date on the latest literary prizes, as well as other news in the field. Make sure you check out: “Getting the Rights to Translate a Work: A How-To Guide”(opens in a new tab) and “Tips for Beginning Translators.”(opens in a new tab)
• WWB Daily(opens in a new tab), the blog of Words Without Borders, features a monthly watchlist(opens in a new tab) of books coming out that month, in-depth essays(opens in a new tab) by translators, excerpts(opens in a new tab) from forthcoming books in translation.