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Translating graphic novels
Thread poster: Mark Harris
Mark Harris
Mark Harris
France
Local time: 16:56
French to English
+ ...
Jun 27, 2022

I'm looking to get into the graphic novel sector but this is not an area I've ever worked in before and there isn't a great deal of information available online in terms of translation. I'm curious to know if anyone has ever translated graphic novels or comics before and how you would go about quoting. It would seem a bit odd to me to quote per word, since there are relatively few words in a graphic novel, but nevertheless a lot of work involved to edit the translation so it fits into the speech... See more
I'm looking to get into the graphic novel sector but this is not an area I've ever worked in before and there isn't a great deal of information available online in terms of translation. I'm curious to know if anyone has ever translated graphic novels or comics before and how you would go about quoting. It would seem a bit odd to me to quote per word, since there are relatively few words in a graphic novel, but nevertheless a lot of work involved to edit the translation so it fits into the speech bubbles, etc. So a standard rate per word would likely amount to a unfairly small overall rate for the entire book. Perhaps the standard is to quote per page? Can anyone share their experience on this?

Many thanks in advance! ▲ Collapse
 
Joakim Braun
Joakim Braun  Identity Verified
Sweden
Local time: 16:56
German to Swedish
+ ...
Try one page Jun 28, 2022

Definitely not your usual per-word rate. I think a lump sum is reasonable.
If the order is big enough to be worth it (64+ pages?), do a test translation of one page and see how much time that takes, then adjust your rate accordingly.

Are you doing the digital lettering? That would take some time to do well, especially if you don't have practise. But without it, it's hard to say whether the copy fits or not. (BTW hyphenation in speech balloons is very ugly, and should be avoide... See more
Definitely not your usual per-word rate. I think a lump sum is reasonable.
If the order is big enough to be worth it (64+ pages?), do a test translation of one page and see how much time that takes, then adjust your rate accordingly.

Are you doing the digital lettering? That would take some time to do well, especially if you don't have practise. But without it, it's hard to say whether the copy fits or not. (BTW hyphenation in speech balloons is very ugly, and should be avoided even at the expense of rewriting - but you don't see this unless you do the lettering.) ▲ Collapse


Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 


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Translating graphic novels







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