Taiwan Travelogue translator Lin King is calling out publishing’s “relay translation” practices.

Lin King is a translator and writer who translated the Mandarin-language novel Taiwan Travelogue (《臺灣漫遊錄》), originally written by Yáng Shuāng-Zǐ, into English. The English translation won the Booker Prize. The original book was published in Mandarin under the title Táiwān Màn Yóu Lù. King discovered that a European publisher planned to release a new translation of the book, but this time translated from her English version into a third language. This practice is called relay translation, where a text is translated into a new language not from the original source, but from an existing translation. King argues that this violates her copyright as the sole owner of the English translation.

Lin King sent repeated warnings to the unnamed European publisher about the unauthorized relay translation, emphasizing that it infringed on her copyright as the translator of the English version. She has since initiated legal proceedings against the publisher. King’s claim is based on the principle that the English translation is her original creative work, similar to how a filmmaker adapts a book or a musician covers a song. She compares translation to performance, where every artistic choice made by the translator shapes how the original work is received. The publisher, Graywolf Press, which published King’s translation in the U.S., supports her stance, stating that translators are writers whose work deserves legal protection.

Lin King describes translation as an art form that involves adaptation and performance. She argues that a translation is not merely a mechanical transfer of words but a creative reinterpretation, much like a filmmaker adapting a novel or a musician covering a song. King emphasizes that translators are writers in their own right, as they make deliberate choices about every word in the translated text. For example, King selected each word in Taiwan Travelogue from the vast English lexicon, even though the original author, Yáng Shuāng-Zǐ, cannot read the English version. This highlights the translator’s role as both an artist and an advocate for the original work.

Lin King is challenging what she calls unfair and long-standing practices in the publishing industry, where relay translations are sometimes used without permission from the original translator. She notes that these practices are often accepted as normal, even though they violate copyright laws. King stresses that her motivation is not financial gain, as literary translation is notoriously underpaid. She volunteered to translate Taiwan Travelogue without compensation and pitched the book to U.S. publishers because she believed in the work. Her legal action aims to set a precedent that protects translators’ rights and challenges the industry’s status quo.