Goofing up

Romy Chen, a former editor in the publishing industry, says: "Now I prefer e-books because they are cheaper and easier to carry. But if I buy paper books, I will pay much attention to the publishers because many casual publishers do not treat books properly."

Things aren't any better in the translated works' section of the industry.

In May, Shanghai Translation Publishing House launched the Chinese edition of Mountains of the Mind: A History of a Fascination by Robert Macfarlane.

The translator retranslated the names of many famous figures and books in history, which already had fixed translation in Chinese.

For example, Nietzsche is usually translated into Nicai in Chinese, but the version in the book is Niecishi.

Good translators for literature are hard to come by in the publishing industry, sources say.

An editor from China Citic Press says people who translate a book for the first time (from English to Chinese) earn less than 40 yuan ($6.3) per 1,000 words, and for established translators, it is about 120 yuan.

"Under such circumstances, it's really difficult to find a good translator. We have tried English majors from famous universities. They are willing to do it at such prices, but they are not qualified," the editor says, without giving her name as she isn't authorized to speak with media.

In the newly published How Fiction Works by James Wood, "drawing room" was translated to huashi, a room used for painting.

Qiao Nasen, in an article published by Nanfang Metropolis Daily, writes: "The translated works are good in general, but it is a pity to see the mistakes and missing words in more than 70 places, and some mistakes are made due to carelessness, which show how seriously the translator and editors treated the book."

Contact the writer at yangyangs@chinadaily.com.cn