Translating literature presents a particular difficulty: being faithful to the original does not always mean translating it literally.
An expression can work perfectly in a Spanish novel and sound artificial in English. A pun can completely lose its effect in French. A cultural reference may be obvious to the original reader and unknown to someone reading the work of literature in another country.
So, how far can adaptation go without turning the translation into a completely different work?
Being faithful to a work of literature does not mean copying its structure
A translation that is too literal can preserve the words and, at the same time, lose some of the effect produced by the original.
Sentence order, dialogue structure, rhythm, and certain expressions do not necessarily work the same way in all languages.
Therefore, in a professional literary translation , loyalty does not consist solely of maintaining the most immediate meaning of each sentence. It also involves preserving, as far as possible, the tone, the intention, and the way the text works for the reader.
A novel with an agile narrator should continue to convey agility. An ironic character should continue to sound ironic. And a deliberately uncomfortable scene shouldn’t become neutral just because the translation has softened the language.
What about cultural references?
It depends on the function they have within the work itself.
A reference to a place, a custom, a food, a well-known person, or a popular expression can form part of the text’s cultural identity.
Automatically replacing it with an equivalent reference from the target market can change the setting or even amend relevant information about the characters.
But simply keeping it doesn’t guarantee that it will work either.
The decision depends on whether the reader needs to understand that reference to follow the story, get a joke, or correctly interpret a scene.
That’s why there is no single solution.
In some cases it will make sense to keep the original reference. In other cases, it will be necessary to find a formulation that allows it to be understood without unnecessarily altering the text.
Wordplay is one of the best examples
A pun can be virtually impossible to translate word for word.
If the effect depends on two terms having a double meaning or sounding similar in the original language, that relationship may disappear completely when they are translated.
That’s where an important decision arises.
Is it more faithful to keep the exact words used even if the wordplay disappears? Or look for another solution that creates a similar effect on the reader?
Sometimes, separating oneself from the specific words of the original can be precisely what allows us to preserve its intention.
This is one of the reasons why translating novels and narrative cannot be reduced to finding equivalences between terms.
And what about the way the characters speak?
That can also pose problems.
The way someone speaks can provide information about their age, personality, social context, origin, or the era in which they live.
Translating certain expressions literally can create unnatural dialogues or convey associations that were not there in the original.
But taking that adaptation too far brings its own risks.
Assigning a character a very marked regional variety in the target language, for example, can add geographical or social connotations that the author never introduced.
The goal should not be to automatically replace one way of speaking with another, but to understand what function it serves within the story and to find a coherent solution.
What about the author’s style?
Style is also included in the translation.
Some authors construct long, complex sentences; others use very short structures. Some deliberately repeat certain words, while others base part of their writing on rhythm, ambiguity, or the choice of specific images.
Making all those voices sound the same in the target language would mean losing part of what differentiates one work of literature from another.
Therefore, making a more natural translation does not mean standardizing the text.
Naturalness must coexist with the stylistic particularities of the original.
Children’s literature: when words also have sound
The translation of children’s stories and young adult literature also introduces other elements.
In children’s literature, the text may be intended to be read aloud. Rhymes, repetitions, onomatopoeia, sound games, or invented words can be as important as their meaning.
A translation can correctly convey the information and still stop working if it completely loses that rhythm.
There can also be a direct relationship between the text and the illustration.
If an image represents the basis of a joke, rhyme, or pun, the translator has less freedom to modify certain elements.
In young adult literature, on the other hand, the dialogues and registers must be natural for its audience without introducing expressions that change the personality of the characters or the context of the story.
Does adapting mean changing the work of literature?
Not necessarily.
Adapting in literary translation does not mean freely rewriting the text or modifying what the author intended to convey.
It means recognizing that each language has different resources and that reproducing a linguistic structure exactly does not always allow us to preserve its effect.
The limit to this is not simply adding meanings, intentions, or characteristics that do not belong to the original.
One question can help to mark that boundary: does this decision allow the transfer of something that already exists in the work or is it introducing something new?
Who decides what stays and what gets adapted?
The translator plays a fundamental role, but is not the only factor.
The genre, the audience, the characteristics of the edition, the target market, and the indications from the publisher or the author can influence certain decisions.
Therefore, a literary translation service should not approach a historical novel, an illustrated book, a fantasy saga, or a contemporary young adult work in the same way.
An agency specializing in literary translation must be able to select professionals suited to the language combination, genre, and specific characteristics of the work in question.
So, what should a literary translation preserve?
There is no formula that applies to all books.
But the objective is quite clear: to allow the reader of the target language to access the text without unnecessarily losing what defines it.
That includes its meaning, but also its voice, its tone, its characters, its rhythm, and its stylistic choices.
In some sentences, achieving this will require staying very close to the original.
In other cases, it will be necessary to move away from specific words to better preserve their effect.
The key is knowing why.
Frequently asked questions
No. An overly literal translation can produce unnatural structures or cause nuances, wordplay, and effects that are in the original to disappear. The priority is to preserve the meaning and, as far as possible, the function that language fulfills within the text.
Expressions, wordplay, cultural references, registers, or certain linguistic resources may require adaptation when there is no direct equivalent that works in the target language.
Yes, but they shouldn’t be automatically replaced. The decision depends on the importance of the reference to the story, the characters, the setting, and the reader’s understanding.
Because, in addition to meaning, elements such as rhymes, sound, repetitions, reading aloud, or the relationship between the text and the illustrations can be involved.
It must combine mastery of the target language, interpretation skills, knowledge of the genre’s characteristics, and criteria that allow us to maintain the linguistic and stylistic coherence of the text.
Translate your literary work with blarlo
At blarlo we work on translation projects for novels and narratives and on translating children’s stories and young adult literature with professional native translators specialized according to the language, the market and the characteristics of each work of literature.
As an agency specializing in literary translation, we select the right professional for each project and work with quality and review processes backed by ISO 9001 and ISO 17100 certifications.
Because translating literature is not just about deciding between being literal or adapting. It involves identifying what must be preserved so that the text continues to function when it changes language.
About the author
Laura González Toré, Marketing and Communications Director at blarlo
Specialized in content strategy, digital communication and internationalization, she works on blarlo’s positioning and adapting to companies’ needs.
