Without reading translated books, we’re only seeing a tiny sliver of the literature the world has to offer. Authors are writing incredible books in a variety of languages around the world, but only a small percentage make their way to English translations.
If you’re looking for a place to start reading books in translation, Preply has created a great resource for you. They have compiled the most translated books by country, and presented the data in these beautiful maps! You can check out their original post for more information on some of the titles included.
The Most Translated Books of the World
Did you guess the most translated book in the world? It’s The Little Prince, which has been translated to more than 380 different languages! Following after that is The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. These are both considered classics that have had many decades to accumulate translations.
Preply excluded from these numbers religious texts that couldn’t be easily attributed to a single author or country.
The Most Translated Books of North America
I highly recommend taking a moment to try to guess which title from the U.S. is the most translated before you scroll.
- Antigua and Barbuda: Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid
- Bahamas: Hotel by Arthur Hailey
- Barbados: In the Castle of my Skin by George Lamming
- Canada: Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
- Costa Rica: The Lonely Men’s Island by José León Sánchez
- Cuba: Reasons of State by Alejo Carpentier
- Dominica: Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
- Dominican Republic: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz*
- Guatemala: El Señor Presidente by Miguel Ángel Asturias
- Haiti: Hadriana in all my Dreams by René Dépestre
- Honduras: Prisión Verde by Ramón Amaya Amador
- Jamaica: A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
- Mexico: Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo
- Nicaragua: To Live is to Love by Ernesto Cardenal
- Panama: Aura by Carlos Fuentes
- Saint Kitts and Nevis: Crossing the River by Caryl Phillips
- Saint Lucia: Omeros by Derek Walcott
- Trinidad and Tobago: A Bend in the River by V. S. Naipaul
- United States of America: The Way to Happiness by L. Ron Hubbard
If you’re surprised by that last title, Preply explains:
The most translated single book in North America and the only self-help book on the world map is from the United States: L. Ron Hubbard’s The Way to Happiness. Translated into more than 112 languages, this booklet lists 21 moral commandments for readers to follow.
Hubbard also happens to be the founder of the Church of Scientology, so the unsolicited distribution of these texts in schools and other public buildings has caused quite the controversy. “Ask, and you shall receive” is presumably not one of its guiding principles.
*In light of sexual misconduct allegations against Junot Diaz, consider supporting the work of other Dominican authors like Rita Indiana, Julia Alvarez, and Angie Cruz.
The Most Translated Books of South America
Unsurprisingly, the most translated title on the South American continent is The Alchemist by Paulo Cohelo. Like The Little Prince, it doubles as both a novel and a fable about living well, and it’s still popular decades after publication.
- Argentina: The Aleph by Jorge Luis Borges
- Bolivia: One Hundred Poems for Children by Oscar Alfaro
- Brazil: The Alchemist by Paulo Cohelo
- Chile: 2666 by Roberto Bolaño
- Colombia: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
- Ecuador: Huasipungo by Jorge Icaza
- Guyana: Palace of the Peacock by Wilson Harris
- Paraguay: Son of Man by Augusto Roa Bastos
- Peru: The Green House by Mario Vargas Llosa
- Uruguay: Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano
- Venezuela: Doña Barbara by Rómulo Gallegos
The Most Translated Books in Europe
As you might expect, Europe has many children’s titles that have been published in a variety of languages. Still, it’s interesting to see that this isn’t an exact overlap with their most popular children’s books — it seems like the books that have been around for longer (like Bambi) have the best chance of getting lots of translations, regardless of whether they’re currently the most popular book in that country.
- Albania: The General of the Dead Army by Ismail Kadare
- Austria: Bambi, a Life in the Woods by Felix Salten
- Azerbaijan: Kamsha by Nizami Ganjavi
- Belarus: The Unwomanly Face of War: an Oral History of Women in World War II by Svetlana Aleksievich
- Belgium: The Adventures of Tintin by Georges Prosper Remi (Hergé)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: The Bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andrić
- Bulgaria: Under the Yoke by Ivan Vazov
- Croatia: Croatian God Mars by Miroslav Krleža
- Czech Republic: The Good Soldier by Švejk Jaroslav Hašek
- Denmark: Andersen’s Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen
- England: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol
- Estonia: The Czar’s Madman by Jaan Kross
- Finland: Kalevala by Elias Lönnrot
- France: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- Germany: Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind
- Greece: The Greek Passion by Nikos Kazantzakis
- Hungary: The Tragedy of Man by Imre Madách
- Iceland: Salka Valka: A Novel of Iceland by Halldór Laxness
- Ireland: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
- Italy: The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
- Latvia: My System: A Treatise On Chess by Aron Nimzowitsch
- Lithuania: The Seasons by Kristijonas Donelaitis
- Macedonia: White Dawns by Kočo Racin
- Malta: Dun Karm, Poet of Malta by Dun Karm
- Moldova: Ostinato by Paul Goma
- Montenegro: The Mountain Wreath by Petar II Petrović-Njegoš
- Netherlands: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
- Norway: The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Thor Heyerdahl
- Poland: Quo Vadis by Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz
- Portugal: Baltasar and Blimunda by José Saramago
- Romania: The Book of Mirrors by Eugen Chirovici
- Russia: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
- Scotland: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
- Serbia: Dictionary of the Khazars by Milorad Pavić
- Slovakia: Kumewawa, the Son of the Jungle by Tibor Sekelj
- Slovenia: Minuet for Guitar by Vitomil Zupan
- Spain: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
- Sweden: Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
- Switzerland: Heidi by Johanna Spyri
- Turkey: My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk
- Ukraine: Testament by Taras Shevchenko
- Wales: The Pillars of Earth by Ken Follett
The Most Translated Books in Africa
Another fable makes the list on the African continent: The Upright Revolution: Or Why Humans Walk Upright by Kenyan author Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o has been published in more than 60 languages. These short tales that give insight into the human condition seem to have universal appeal, making them attractive as translation options.
- Angola: The Book of Chameleons by José Eduardo Agualusa
- Botswana: Maru by Bessie Head
- Burundi: Petit Pays by Gaël Faye
- Cameroon: Houseboy by Ferdinand Oyono
- Cape Verde: The Last Will and Testament of Senhor da Silva by Araújo Germano Almeida
- Congo: Broken Glass by Alain Mabanckou
- Côte d’Ivoire: Allah is not Obliged by Ahmadou Kourouma
- Democratic Republic of the Congo: Tram 83 by Mwanza Mujila
- Djibouti: Passage of Tears by Abdourahman A Waberi
- Egypt: Women at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi
- Ethiopia: The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu
- Ghana: The Beautyful Ones are Not Yet Born by Ayi Kwei Armah
- Guinea: The African Child by Camara Laye
- Guinea-Bissau: The Ultimate Tragedy by Abdulai Sila
- Kenya: The Upright Revolution: Or Why Humans Walk Upright by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
- Lesotho: Chaka by Thomas Mofolo
- Liberia: The House at Sugar Beach by Helene Cooper
- Libya: In The Country of Men by Hisham Matar
- Madagascar: The Palace by Claude Simon
- Malawi: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba
- Mali: Kaïdara: récit initiatique peul by Amadou Hampaté Bâ
- Mauritania: Guantánamo Diary by Mohamedou Ould Slahi
- Mauritius: The Last Brother by Nathacha Appanah
- Morocco: Racism Explained to My Daughter by Tahar Ben Jelloun
- Mozambique: Sleepwalking Land by Mia Couto
- Nigeria: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
- Rwanda: Left to Tell: One Woman’s Story of Surviving the Rwandan Genocide by Immaculée Ilibagiza
- Senegal: God’s Bits of Wood by Ousmane Sembène
- Sierra Leone: Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
- Somalia: Desert Flower by Waris Dirie
- South Africa: The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
- Sudan: Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih
- Tanzania: Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah
- Uganda: Chroniques Abyssiniennes by Moses Isegawa
- Zambia: River God by Wilbur Smith
- Zimbabwe: We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
The Most Translated Books in Asia
Pop quiz: who’s the most translated novelist on the Asian continent? Most likely you already got it or are kicking yourself now: it’s Haruki Murakami. Norwegian Wood ties for the most translated book from Asia with Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda.
- Afghanistan: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
- Armenia: My Name is Aram by William Saroyan
- Cambodia: The Road of Lost Innocence by Somaly Mam
- China: The True Story of Ah Q by Lu Xun
- Georgia: The Lord of the Panther-Skin by Shota Rustaveli
- India: Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda
- Indonesia: Footsteps by Pramoedya Ananta Toer
- Iran: The Blind Owl by Sadegh Hedayat
- Israel: Suddenly, a Knock on the Door by Etgar Keret
- Japan: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
- Korea (North and South): The Tears of my Soul by Kim Hyon-hui
- Kyrgyzstan: The Place of the Skull by Chinghiz Aitmatov
- Lebanon: I Killed Scheherazade: Confessions of an Angry Arab Woman by Joumana Haddad
- Malaysia: The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng
- Myanmar: From the Land of Green Ghosts: a Burmese Odyssey by Pascal Khoo Thwe
- Pakistan: Poems by Aḥmad Faiẓ
- Philippines: Mass by F. Sionil Jose
- Singapore: The Saint in New York by Leslie Charteris
- Sri Lanka: The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
- Syria: The Book of Contemplation: Islam and the Crusades by Usama ibn Munqidh
- Tajikistan: Der Tod des Wucherers by Sadriddin Aini
- Thailand: Awaken Healing Energy Through the Tao by Mantak Chia
- Timor-Leste: The Crossing: a Story of East Timor by Luís Cardoso
- Uzbekistan: The Beggar in the Harem: Impudent Adventures in Old Bukhara by Leonid Solovyov
- Vietnam: Prison Diary by Ho Chi Minh
The Most Translated Books in Oceania
The most translated work from New Zealand is The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera, a fantastic children’s story about a Maori girl who has to prove that she is the once in a generation “whale rider,” despite that title traditionally only going to men. It was also made into a movie!
- Australia: The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
- New Zealand: The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera
- Samoa: Leaves of the Banyan Tree by Albert Wendt
- Tonga: Tales of the Tikongs by Epeli Hau’ofa
Those are the most translated books form every country in the world! Did any come as a surprise? You can check out Preply’s data and methodology and well as their original post for more information.
And if you liked this post, you’ll probably also like the infographics of The Most Popular Children’s Books From Every Country In the World!
Source : The Most Translated Books From Every Country in the World
