I’ve been reading more classics of late, a few of them originally written in non-anglophone languages. But every time I settle on which to read, the wading begins. Sifting through my options, going through the process of elimination by scanning reviews and sampling the writing on Amazon. It’s exhausting.

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"Only three percent of everything published in the U.S. each year is translated from another language—and the majority of that is computer manuals and other technical material. Why don’t Americans read beyond their borders?"

This article focuses on the lack of translations as an American issue, but I wonder how the US compares to other markets where English is primary or prominent.  Is the UK also lacking in translated literature, for example?

I also wonder about the reasons behind it, some of which the article touches upon.  Is it more that readers aren't interested in books from other countries, even if translated into English, or more that publishers don't want to invest the money translating something they aren't sure will sell?  My guess is that it's more the latter, but perhaps this is a chicken-and-egg kind of thing.

Personally, I'm very interested in reading works from other countries, to learn about people from different places and cultures, and just for something different to read.  As long as it's translated well though.  I've read some translations that were pretty poorly done.  Granted, there are plenty of native English books published today that aren't written very well either!

Because the great American novel is always better in the original Klingon.