A Spanish translator recently said that he had received a fee of exactly 5,000 euros for translating a 500-page German non-fiction book (a bestseller in this country and winner of a prestigious award). The work took nine months. The Spanish translator now lives in an apartment that belongs to his well-earning sister. These are not jokes, but common reports from the European cultural precariat. They can also be heard in Italy or Slovenia. The fact that we have it better in Germany is often invoked in speeches when literary translators are referred to as “bridge builders”, “cultural mediators” and similar blah blah. It is well known that one can talk about the translation industry without having the slightest idea of the material conditions of their work.
#Drastic #cuts #German #Translator #Fund
