Making the ‘Invisible’ Visible? : Reviewing Translated Works

This book examines some of the criteria against which translated fictional and non-fictional works are assessed. It not only provides a novel cross-cultural insight into reviewing practices, assessing how translations are reviewed differently in the United Kingdom, France and Germany, but it also compares the way in which reviewers for different platforms assess translated works, from a popular platform open to reviews from the general public, through mainstream broadsheets and cultural supplements, to specialised literary magazines.

The book takes its inspiration from The Translator’s Invisibility: A History of Translation, in which Lawrence Venuti examines the reviewing of translations and contends that fluency is the main criterion against which translations are read and assessed by reviewers, ultimately rendering the translator «invisible». The book therefore provides a timely and thorough update to Venuti’s study and offers insights into the status of translation in book reviews.