Why It’s Worth Translating Your Book into Spanish

An estimated 42 million people in the United States speak Spanish at home. It is the second most spoken language in the country. Why wouldn’t you want to extend the available audience for your book to encompass another prominent language, especially in the United States? 

By hiring an experienced translator for an English to Spanish book translation, you are opening the door to a wider audience that is huge in numbers. Not only can you tap into the Spanish-speaking readers in the U.S., but you can also reach readers in Spain, Latin America, and other Spanish-speaking countries. 

You may wonder if the cost of hiring a professional translator to work on your English-language book is worth the investment. Here are some benefits that make translating your book into Spanish well worth the time and money.

Reach an Audience from Around the World

Translating your book to Spanish allows you to reach readers from around the world. You can spread your message, information, knowledge, and ideas to a Spanish-speaking audience. The investment in translation services is small compared to the potential sales that can come from such a wide-spread array of people.

Spanish is One of the Most Spoken Languages on Earth

As of 2023, an estimated 538 million people speak Spanish, making it the fourth most spoken language in the world. This includes 486 million native speakers and 75 million second or foreign-language speakers. Spanish is the primary language in 20 countries and is the third most used language on the internet, after English and Chinese.

Spanish is the Second Most Spoken Language in the United States

In the United States, there are more speakers of Spanish than speakers of French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Hawaiian, many varieties of Chinese, the Indo-Aryan languages, and the Native American languages combined. According to the 2022 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, Spanish is spoken at home by 42 million people aged five or older.

The Value of Translating Your Book into Spanish

How do you assign a value to translating your book into Spanish? What is the value of gaining so many more readers from anywhere in the world? Consider that it will gain exposure to new readers, making your story and ideas more accessible, as well as generate more money. Reaching a much larger population of researchers, academics, and casual readers may be difficult to quantify. The business aspect of translation is important. Begin by knowing how many units you need to sell to recoup the cost of translation. That gives you an indication of whether it is worth it for your specific situation. 

What You Get with a Professional Translator

The process of translation requires a special type of skill. The ability to translate accurately is also an art. Here are some qualities you get with a professional translator.

Accurately Reproduces the Source Language’s Meaning

It’s important to produce an accurate translation that reflects the original text. An exceptional translator understands the source language’s cultural references, puns, metaphors, and idioms to construct the same meaning in the target language while recreating the author’s style and not imposing their own. 

Retains Nuances of the Source Language

A good translator doesn’t provide only a word-for-word conversion from your text to Spanish. Much more refinement and finesse are required for a top-notch translation to correctly convey the message of the source text. This is not an easy task. The writer needs to understand the voice, demographic, and cultural nuances in the source language.

Benefits of Human Translation 

The original author creates the book’s story and ideas. But the translator puts it in a language that people from another language-speaking country can understand. This involves artistry. The popularity of translation tools is growing; however, automatic translation does not replace human translation. A basic machine translator leaves the possibility of wrong word choices that create gaps in the meaning. The results from software translation are not reliable enough at this point and, ultimately, they can yield unintelligible, literal, and nonsensical content. 

Only a professional human translator can produce a top-quality product that accurately reflects the meaning of the source. A certified professional who is fluent in the language can interpret the true meaning of information and attach emotions to the words. Human capabilities should never be replaced by machines no matter how much the machines evolve.

What to Look for in an English-to-Spanish Book Translation Professional

Here are some important qualities to check for when soliciting a professional translator:

• Should be bilingual and completely understand the culture
• Should prioritize user privacy and secure data handling
• Should be committed to client satisfaction, reliability, and professionalism
• Should be responsive and flexible to meet unique project needs such as deadlines or special formats
• Should pay attention to detail

Contact Our Experts at English to Spanish Raleigh Today

All in all, reaching a broader audience will be worth translating your book into Spanish. Call us to talk about your translation needs–whether it is proofreading, business translation, or book translation. Contact us now to request a quote on our translation services by calling 919-629-0020 or filling out the contact form below.