Arts & Humanities

Lost and Found in Translation

The Art and Politics of Bringing World Literature to English Readers

Edith Grossman

American literary translator, best known for her translations of Gabriel García Márquez, including "One Hundred Years of Solitude" and "Love in the Time of Cholera." She is the author of "Why Translation Matters."

March 3, 2026·9 min read

Lost and Found in Translation

Only about 3% of books published in English are translations. This "translation gap" means that English-language readers are missing out on vast swaths of world literature. A new generation of translators and publishers is working to change this — but the economics of translation are challenging, and questions about who translates what remain deeply contested.

TOPICS

literaturetranslationworld literaturepublishingculture

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