Taiwan travelogue's English edition allegedly infringed by European publisher, rights agency demands halt
Travelogue of Taiwan won the International Booker Prize in May, but recently there have been reports that its English translation was infringed. According to a Central News Agency report, the English translator Jin Ling issued a statement on October 6 saying that her English-language rights had been infringed by a European publisher and that she had taken legal action.
The agency that handles the book's international rights, Kwang Lei International Rights Agency, also issued a statement on the evening of October 7. Kwang Lei explained that it represents the rights of Spring Hill Publishing and helps license foreign publishers to translate and publish the book in their local languages. In June this year, the European publisher submitted a cover for review, and at that point Kwang Lei confirmed that the publisher was using Jin Ling's English translation without her permission. Kwang Lei immediately asked for publication to be suspended and made clear that it could not be published without authorization, but after several rounds of communication the publisher decided to publish anyway without permission.
Kwang Lei stressed that it had never represented Jin Ling's English translation, and that the original license did not include rights related to the English edition. It said it regrets not having checked further at the time whether the publisher had secured English translation rights, and that it will review its process, check the source and authorization of translations more strictly, and tighten its contract and licensing procedures. Kwang Lei has now asked the publisher to stop publishing, supports Spring Hill Publishing's position that the contract should be terminated, and has handed the matter to lawyers. Because the case has entered legal proceedings, it says it cannot comment on more details for now, and the report does not name the publisher.
What this reminds me of is that as a book wins prizes and travels the world, every link in the chain of translation, licensing and rights needs to be checked carefully. The translator's labor should also be clearly seen, and I hope the way this is handled gives everyone involved a reasonable account.
Source: Central News Agency
The agency that handles the book's international rights, Kwang Lei International Rights Agency, also issued a statement on the evening of October 7. Kwang Lei explained that it represents the rights of Spring Hill Publishing and helps license foreign publishers to translate and publish the book in their local languages. In June this year, the European publisher submitted a cover for review, and at that point Kwang Lei confirmed that the publisher was using Jin Ling's English translation without her permission. Kwang Lei immediately asked for publication to be suspended and made clear that it could not be published without authorization, but after several rounds of communication the publisher decided to publish anyway without permission.
Kwang Lei stressed that it had never represented Jin Ling's English translation, and that the original license did not include rights related to the English edition. It said it regrets not having checked further at the time whether the publisher had secured English translation rights, and that it will review its process, check the source and authorization of translations more strictly, and tighten its contract and licensing procedures. Kwang Lei has now asked the publisher to stop publishing, supports Spring Hill Publishing's position that the contract should be terminated, and has handed the matter to lawyers. Because the case has entered legal proceedings, it says it cannot comment on more details for now, and the report does not name the publisher.
What this reminds me of is that as a book wins prizes and travels the world, every link in the chain of translation, licensing and rights needs to be checked carefully. The translator's labor should also be clearly seen, and I hope the way this is handled gives everyone involved a reasonable account.
Source: Central News Agency
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