Culture Vulture

Nguyen Le Chi started a book company called Chibooks. As an avid reader, the young translator has some ideas about how to upgrade the quality of books that have been translated from foreign languages. She spoke with Culture Vulture about her work.

Well, it's difficult to explain. I have a mysterious connection with books. I feel like I have a natural bond with books.

I have worked in the field of cinematography, then I worked as a journalist and now I am a translator. I am unable to stop loving books and therefore have stuck with the career.

I spent a lot of time working with publishing houses, but I didn't enjoy the type of work I was doing, and I didn't have a chance to work on the things I was interested in. Then I came up with the idea of starting my own book company, where I would be able to release books that I loved. Thus, Chibooks kicked off after three-months of preparation.

Perhaps I was influenced by my father, who was an editor at the The Gioi (World) Publishing House. He always encouraged me to work with books. In the past, I didn't agree with him because I thought the work would be boring, but now I realise that's not true. Each book brings me into a new world. That's why I love books.

You were courageous to start your own book company. What makes you confident with this business?

In order to start a book company, an individual needs to have experience in publishing and financial management. Passion is also important. I didn't possess all of these traits when I first started, but I have been improving day-after-day.

Now my company focuses on translating and distributing foreign books.

Many translated books that were global best sellers have not done well here. Can you explain why?

There are many reasons why the translated versions are not good enough. The first reason why this happens is because the use of insufficient translators. However, translators are often pushed hard by their publishers, who are eager to release books as soon as possible. Publishers often divide a book into several parts and then give the sections to several translators in order to expedite the process.

A lot of translators are often underpaid and therefore do not work up to their full potential.

Do you have a strategy to upgrade the quality of translations for Chibooks?

With new translators, I give them several chapters of a book to translate in order to test their ability. When their translations are appraised, I am then able to decide if their work is sufficient enough. Chibooks' editorial board only works with translators who are excellent in Vietnamese and have a strong knowledge base.

A translator needs a lot of time to finish their work, and they should not be pushed too hard. For example, a 300-page book usually takes about three months to translate.

For a 300-page book, a translator may earn around VND10 million (US$500), which may not be enough for his/her hard work at the moment. Therefore, translators often have to find another job to supplement their income.

Publishers don't want to pay more for translators because then they would have to increase the price of books to make profit.

So I believe that the Government should start a fund to support translators that are working to publish foreign books.

Can you talk a little more about your experience in publishing?

Buying a copyright for a book can be done quickly because it is a good opportunity to earn money.

Sometimes, I'm get the upper hand, when it comes to purchasing books, but sometimes I am unable to purchase the book first.

However, even if my company is unable to release the book another company will. So in the end, the book will still be released in Viet Nam and that makes me happy. — VNS