First published in The Author (Summer 2023 – vol 134.2)

Writing reader’s reports on foreign-language books for publishers or scouts is often presented to emerging translators as a ‘way in’. No one seems to mention (or if they do, only in hushed tones) the fact that the remuneration does not reflect the work and expertise required – or the value the reports provide to publishers. Nor are questions often raised as to whether reports really do lead to further work opportunities. A lack of statistics has made it difficult to judge the situation objectively, so last year the SoA Translators Association committee decided to obtain real-life data, launching the first survey of translators’ experiences of bilingual reader’s reports in the UK and beyond.

A reader’s report is commissioned by a publisher (or one of the literary scouts who keep publishers and other stakeholders informed about books to look out for), often at very short notice, to provide an overview of a foreign-language book they or their client might be interested in acquiring but cannot read in full. Reports vary in length from a few short sentences (sometimes even just notes supplemented by a phone call) to several pages, and typically incorporate a short synopsis, the reporter’s opinion of whether the book succeeds in its aims, whether it is enjoyable, informative in a new way, or makes a stand-out literary contribution, and where it fits in relation to the market or the publisher’s list, as well as potential translation challenges or cultural sensitivities.

When looking to acquire a title, editors may use reports to convince others on their team of the title’s merits, and so they can be fundamental in the acquisitions process. Reports are also commissioned by grant awarding bodies. For instance, English PEN commissions reader’s reports as part of the judging process for its PEN Translates funding scheme.

Given how monolingual the UK publishing industry is, it is translators who are most often commissioned to complete reports on books in other languages. There are plenty of reasons why they accept such commissions: to build relationships with publishers, to expand their reading, and to gain an insight into different editors’ particular tastes. Translators are also paid, of course. Whether they are properly compensated for their work and expertise is the question; our survey was designed to answer it. Our 140 respondents told us the language and length of the source text, genre, and publisher, as well as the remuneration received, time taken to complete the report, and turnaround period requested.

Our analysis revealed an average remuneration of £132.62, though it is common for publishers to offer a flat fee of £100. Given that translators were spending an average of around three days on these reports, the day rate came out at a shocking £44.60. Assuming an eight-hour work day, this means respondents were being paid around £5.50 an hour for their work, half the current ‘living wage’, and only slightly more than half the official Minimum Wage of £10.18 an hour. This is not the fault of a few low-paying publishers: results showed consistently low rates across the board, though a few publishers did offer marginally more. In the comments, respondents also complained of unrealistic deadlines, while many claimed they are now reluctant to take on these reports at all, or will refuse to do so entirely until translators are properly financially compensated. Several respondents also spoke of being hopeful that a report would lead to further work, or even being asked to translate the work in question, only to be later disappointed. Though some did report positive experiences, the overall message was that this is an unfair system requiring drastic changes.

There is clear value to publishers and scouts in commissioning reader’s reports. According to Molly Slight, Publisher at Scribe UK, they can be vital in making acquisitions decisions. ‘We publish books in English translation from all over the world and it would be a huge shan1e to limit this to just languages spoken by our staff, so we rely on these reports by translators to get a sense of the plot, contents, voice, and style, as well as give us a true picture of the book’s reception in its original langnage: She describes how they are circulated along with information from the publisher or agent for discussion at acquisitions meetings ‘and, especially if the translator is known to us and well respected, can be the deciding factor:

Without reports, publishers might buy books they later regret, or miss out on books that could be future classics or lead to great sales. According to recent data compiled by Nielsen on behalf of the Booker Foundation, 1.9 million translated fiction titles were sold in the UK in 2022 – that’s a lot of sales to be counting yourself out of.

So why is this apparent value not converting into appropriate payment for the reader’s time and expertise? Perhaps publishing staffers are simply not aware of the poor labour-to-pay ratio, and the issue this presents to freelancers. In addition, they may be reluctant to increase their rates if other translators are prepared to provide reports for less, especially since not all reports commissioned will lead to a book being acquired. Some other organisations are certainly conscious of the issue: English PEN recently increased their rate for reader’s reports to £250 (or £400 for longer books). If publishers and scouts continue to expect qualified people to undertake this work, they need to revisit their rates as well.

Nichola Smalley is a twice International Booker Prize-longlisted translator from Swedish and Norwegian and a Translators Association committee member. She occasionally writes reader’s reports if she likes the sound of the book. @tallnicky

Clare Richards is an editor and translator from Korean. Her debut novel translation, Kang Hwagil’s gothic thriller, Another Person, was published by Pushkin Press this year. Clare is an elected member of the SoA’s Translators Association committee and is passionate about making literary translation more accessible, particularly for disabled and neurodivergent people. @clarehannahmary