Global Literature and the Essential Need for Localization

In recent years, publishing companies are seeing a higher demand for regional and global literature. This can be very exciting for authors and writers who are seeking an international audience, but this also adds an exceptionally high importance on localization. 

Vaishali Mathur, Publisher of Indian Languages Publishing, Penguin Random House India, recently shared the scope of translated works and the craft of translation as a career path with The Telegraph India.

“Globalization has exposed us to thoughts from not just Indian thought leaders but also those from across the world. A fine example of this is the success of Michelle Obama’s Becoming,” said Mathur.

With impactful novels like Becoming, Mathur feels that the quality of a translator’s work is far more important than the quantity of linguists. Professionalism and on-time delivery are also crucial elements in being a successful translator.  

Mathur described significance of the relationship between genres and languages, stating that certain genres do well in certain languages.

“For instance, business books and business self-help work well in Marathi, whereas Telugu has a large readership for spiritual books. A lot of self-help, biographies, memoirs and mythology books are doing well in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and Tamil,” said Mathur.

Read more about Mathur and the importance of localization here.