Able Quote by Andre Naffis-Sahely
“Generally risk-averse, specialist translation imprints have also hollowed out a fairly comfortable niche for themselves: they get ninety percent of the profits for ten percent of the work, often largely funding their operations - and their salaries - through grants that they don't even apply for. If it wasn't for publicly-funded arts bodies and organizations such as PEN, I wouldn't have been able to work on either [Abdellatif] Laâbi or [ Rashid ] Boudjedra.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: Reflections on Translation Economics, 2021
Specialist translators dominate a niche, earning most profits while relying on grants they seldom seek, highlighting dependency on public arts funding.
In simple terms: Translators profit from a small share of work, funded by grants.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and support sustainable funding models for translators.
Themes
translation
economics
grant dependency
specialization
Mood
concerned
analytical
Type
critical
informative
When to use this quote
- grant applications
- artistic collaborations
- policy advocacy
Key Concepts
niche markets
public funding
career sustainability
Questions to Reflect On
- How can translators diversify income beyond grants?
- What policies could stabilize arts funding?
A Different Perspective
Reliance on unstable grant funding can jeopardize long‑term viability.
![“Translators who choose to work on canonized writers can usually lean on an extensive critical apparatus around either the author or the book in question, especially in the case of writers like [Honore] Balzac and [Emil] Zola.” quote by Andre Naffis-Sahely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dae/andre-naffis-sahely-20813_balzac_translators-who-choose-to-work-on-canoni_67754.jpg)
![“That boom town [Abu Dhabi] proved to be the reef against which my family crashed, the story of many who seek the promised land, and my poetry is a versification of that personal history. History is all I have.” quote by Andre Naffis-Sahely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b48/andre-naffis-sahely-20813_family_that-boom-town-abu-dhabi-proved-to-be-th_623350.jpg)
