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New Responses to Old Problems: How the German Translator Publisher is Making Swahili Literature Available in a Notoriously Difficult Market

This article shows how changing ideologies and evolving market forces have combined to lessen German publishers’ enthusiasm for Swahili literature – and how, surprisingly, translators of Swahili are now taking the initiative to ensure that Swahili literature still gets published. After outlining preceding periods of translation and showing how they are determined by ideologies and market forces, I take a close and partially personal look at the development and role of the translator-publishers: how digital technology and new formats have enabled them to take over classical publishers’ tasks. Still, even if translators manage to publish their translated works, they are confronted with the challenge of reaching an audience and creating a space for Swahili literature in German-speaking countries. These translators could possibly join forces to reach a critical mass for translations, thus paving the way for Swahili translated literature to be recognized and appreciated by German-speaking readers.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:DRESDEN/oai:qucosa:de:qucosa:35330
Date11 September 2019
CreatorsReuster-Jahn, Uta
ContributorsUniversität Leipzig
Source SetsHochschulschriftenserver (HSSS) der SLUB Dresden
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typeinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion, doc-type:article, info:eu-repo/semantics/article, doc-type:Text
Rightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Relation1614-2373, urn:nbn:de:bsz:15-qucosa2-351933, qucosa:35193

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