Cross-border publishers find new plot

Juergen Boos says most imported books in Germany are from English-speaking countries. Few are from China. Provided to China Daily

Story line changes as companies work to break down cultural and business barriers

In an age when machines do translations almost instantly, it may seem that publishing books in multiple languages around the world would be a snap.

While the works of prominent authors easily jump linguistic and national boundaries - like those of 2012 Nobel literature laureate Mo Yan - that not necessarily so in most cases.

Many authors and publishers who aspire to sell works internationally run up against challenges such as 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 a good working relationship, but they still have a long way to go, says Juergen Boos, president of the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Boos was in Beijing recently attending StoryDrive Asia, an all-media gathering dedicated to exploring new forms of collaboration and business models across media boundaries. The Frankfurt Book Fair is a lead organizer.

There has been more willingness on the part of Chinese publishers in the past few years to talk to their overseas counterparts about difficult topics, a big change since it was very difficult to think about working together before, Boos says.

"There were language barriers, copyright issues, and an issue of not trusting each other, because nobody knows about each other, but now the network has been growing."

Boos says that at the fair people were very surprised about how much information they received from Chinese publishers. "Years ago it was very difficult and probably it was the same the other way around."

Boos says Asia's publishing industries are drawing more international attention. For the past few years, there has been a big increase in the size of Asian publishers' stands at book exhibitions. Representatives from China, South Korea and Indonesia, for example, are drawing more attention, and the number of Asian attendees has increased greatly.

This year, book fair organizers upgraded the annual StoryDrive China event, which was first held in 2012, and made it StoryDrive Asia, because they expected more exchanges between publishers to happen in Asia.

"We want to establish a similar platform in Beijing, like the Frankfurt Book Fair. For example, if publishers from South Korea are interested in trading copyright here, they don't need to go to Frankfurt, but could just do it at the new platform here," Boos says, adding that they will also develop similar meeting opportunities in key countries as well as in prominent cities such as Shanghai.

Boos says the potential is great for cross-border deals. There are several kinds of books in China that would be popular in the West, he says, such as ones about China's history and traditional culture.

Also, because of China's tremendous changes, books about the country's social transformation and modern politics and economics would also draw a lot of attention. Travel books, children books and cookbooks also are a lot easier to publish internationally.

However, he says, communication is still lacking between Chinese publishing groups and those in Western countries, and even with those in other Asian countries.

"There's still a long way to go for Chinese publishers, I think. It is still not very common to travel a lot. And to do international business, you have to build up your own network, and you have to build up trust, and this will take a lot of time. It is not enough to go once a year somewhere outside China."

Boos says that in Germany about 80 percent of imported works are from English-speaking countries. Few are from China.

"Mo Yan's books have been translated, mainly because he is the Nobel Prize winner," he says. "The situation only improves when things like this happen. Otherwise, it would be very difficult."

Challenges include the market - publishers focused on profits go for safe belts. Because of Europe's cultural similarities, for example, a work successful in Germany will be easier to publish in France as well. But it may be very difficult to publish the same book in China.

Translation can be another problem, he says. Translation of literature requires higher skills than in other cases, and there is a lack of talented translators who can accurately transform works from Chinese to German and vice versa.

"So it's the market that looks for successful titles, it is the translation issue, it's the quality of translation, and also it's the cultural adaptation."

Boos says he saw more serious intentions to work together among Chinese publishers and German publishers during his visit, and plans were not mainly limited to the trade in copyrights like before, but also to working together based on their knowledge of their own markets.

"When we discussed the week, what everybody was interested in was applied arts, such as economics and technology."

"These books are very easy to travel because many people are interested in the development of design in China. But again, the way it is represented may not cater to German publishers' tastes. It would be a lot easier if two publishers get together, use this content and repackage it in the way Germans like or the other way around.

"So it is about getting to know each other and getting to know the needs of the market."

As the process advances, Boos says, something as seemingly simple as where book fair stands are located can make a big difference.

At next year's Frankfurt Book Fair, Asian publishers will be moved from a marginal area to a more central area, Boos says.

Also, regions will be more connected. While the United States and England exhibits have been near each other, anyone wanting to go to pavilions within a single region may have to walk a half-hour. Grouping geographical areas is expected to promote synergy.

chenyingqun@chinadaily.com.cn