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Only three percent of the books published in the United States are translated works originally written in another language. This is compared to France, where 14 percent of their books sold from a translated source and eight percent in Germany. In these countries, two-thirds of translated books are from English.
The Illinois-based Dalkey Archive Press has been publishing international literature in English for 25 years and says the lack of literature in translation is a cultural crisis that is growing worse. This company only publishes three novellas a year, all less than 200 pages, by famous European authors who are barely known outside of their countries.
Some of these novels have received the highest honor in their country just to get translated into English, and most rarely make it that far. Danish poet and author Pia Juul said it was “a miracle” when her award-winning novel was published into English because “hardly any Danish authors are.” Because of this “cultural crisis,” there are many books that English-readers miss out on because there is no reliable market for books from another language.
Info from: http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2012/07/books-translation
First picture from: http://bokstugan.blogspot.com/2010/09/mordet-pa-halland-av-pia-juul.html
Second picture from: http://andrewblackman.net/2012/06/the-murder-of-halland-by-pia-juul/
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