--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Few [books] get translated and the ones…" description: "\"Few [books] get translated and the ones that do have trouble making it into the mainstream. It's more likely that Americans will discover another cultu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dd/laila-lalami-25030_american-writer_few-books-get-translated-and-the-ones-th_1637134.png" --- # Few \[books\] get translated and the ones that do have… ![“Few [books] get translated and the ones that do have trouble making it into the mainstream. It's more likely that Americans will discover another culture through an American writer rather read a writer from that culture.” quote by Laila Lalami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dd/laila-lalami-25030_american-writer_few-books-get-translated-and-the-ones-th_1637134.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dd/laila-lalami-25030_american-writer_few-books-get-translated-and-the-ones-th_1637134.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dd/laila-lalami-25030_american-writer_few-books-get-translated-and-the-ones-th_1637134.png) > “Few \[books\] get translated and the ones that do have trouble making it into the mainstream. It's more likely that Americans will discover another culture through an American writer rather read a writer from that culture.” [Laila Lalami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-lalami/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Translation barriers keep many cultures hidden; readers often learn about them via domestic authors instead of original voices. **In simple terms:** Books stay untranslated; readers learn foreign cultures through local writers. Key Takeaway Seek out original works in translation. Themes culture translation literature representation Mood reflective concerned Type analytical observational When to use this quote - library curation - language study - book clubs - academic curricula - media reviews Key Concepts cultural exchange linguistic diversity publishing economics Questions to Reflect On - How can readers support translated literature? - What incentives would encourage publishers to translate more? A Different Perspective Translation costs and market bias limit availability of foreign works. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-writer/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Mainstream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mainstream/) [Trouble making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trouble-making/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [My books have been translated into various languages and sold in other countries, but I never have any contact with the foreign publishers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-zarr/my-books-have-been-translated-into-various-languages-and-sold-in/) [Sara Zarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-zarr/) > [Home to me is the world because my books have been translated into more than 30 languages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi/home-to-me-is-the-world-because-my-books-have-been-translated-into/) [Nawal El Saadawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawal-el-saadawi/) > [I think a lot of writers are unrealistic about having their books translated into film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-davidson/i-think-a-lot-of-writers-are-unrealistic-about-having-their-books/) [Robyn Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-davidson/) > [Of course my books are translated into many languages. I have here, in my home, translations on my shelf of my books into forty-five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/of-course-my-books-are-translated-into-many-languages-i-have-here-in/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [When my books were translated, it was always about the characters, because the unique language aspect was lost in translation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/when-my-books-were-translated-it-was-always-about-the-characters/) [Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/) > [I mix things from my Somali culture and my American side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halima-aden/i-mix-things-from-my-somali-culture-and-my-american-side/) [Halima Aden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halima-aden/) > [African American culture is American culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salim-akil/african-american-culture-is-american-culture/) [Salim Akil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salim-akil/) > [I think that every individual is a microcosm of the culture that they're born into. They reflect the anxieties, insecurities, and strengths of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haroon-moghul/i-think-that-every-individual-is-a-microcosm-of-the-culture-that-they/) [Haroon Moghul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haroon-moghul/) > [People constantly express surprise that Americans are so hot for Shakespeare. But Britain's culture is American culture, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-wanamaker/people-constantly-express-surprise-that-americans-are-so-hot-for/) [Sam Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-wanamaker/) > [I love and admire the American culture and the American dream. I learnt so many things about the American shoe industry and marketing strategies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-della-valle/i-love-and-admire-the-american-culture-and-the-american-dream-i/) [Diego Della Valle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-della-valle/) > [It's a very generous culture, American culture. I know you can't generalize 300 million people, but everyone I've met here has been so lovely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacki-weaver/it-s-a-very-generous-culture-american-culture-i-know-you-can-t/) [Jacki Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacki-weaver/) > [I have this internal cultural struggle where there's a side of me that is very Brazilian that misses the food and culture, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morena-baccarin/i-have-this-internal-cultural-struggle-where-there-s-a-side-of-me/) [Morena Baccarin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morena-baccarin/) > [In every aspect of the religious life, American faith has met American culture--and American culture has triumphed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-wolfe/in-every-aspect-of-the-religious-life-american-faith-has-met-american/) [Alan Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-wolfe/) > [Let a man attain the highest and broadest culture that any American has possessed, then let him die by sea-storm, railroad collision, or other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/let-a-man-attain-the-highest-and-broadest-culture-that-any-american/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [When you find a writer who really is saying something to you, read everything that writer has written and you will get more education…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-you-find-a-writer-who-really-is-saying-something-to-you-read/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) ## More by Laila Lalami > [There is a insularity within American fiction even for adults. It's very tough for books in translation in the US.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-lalami/there-is-a-insularity-within-american-fiction-even-for-adults-it-s/) [Laila Lalami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-lalami/) > [ I \[read\] "The Book of Unknown Americans," which is by a friend of mine, Cristina Henriquez, and is about two Latino, immigrant families who… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-lalami/i-read-the-book-of-unknown-americans-which-is-by-a-friend-of-mine/) [Laila Lalami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-lalami/) > [The ones that were relevant while I wrote my book were books like "Beloved" by Toni Morrison, which is based on a historical fact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-lalami/the-ones-that-were-relevant-while-i-wrote-my-book-were-books-like/) [Laila Lalami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-lalami/) > [“He needed time to adjust to real life, where heroes and villains could not be told apart by their looks or their accents, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-lalami/he-needed-time-to-adjust-to-real-life-where-heroes-and-villains-could/) [Laila Lalami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-lalami/) > [Every book leaves its mark on you. It might leave you hungry for that kind of book or you may be satiated, and you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-lalami/every-book-leaves-its-mark-on-you-it-might-leave-you-hungry-for-that/) [Laila Lalami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-lalami/) > [A name is precious; it carries inside it a language, a history, a set of traditions, a particular way of looking at the world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-lalami/a-name-is-precious-it-carries-inside-it-a-language-a-history-a-set-of/) [Laila Lalami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-lalami/) > [In some ways, I think it's the closest that we come to the truth — is in the form of fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-lalami/in-some-ways-i-think-it-s-the-closest-that-we-come-to-the-truth-is-in/) [Laila Lalami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-lalami/) > [“His anger took many shapes: sometimes soft and familiar, like a round stone he had caressed for so long that is was perfectly smooth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-lalami/his-anger-took-many-shapes-sometimes-soft-and-familiar-like-a-round/) [Laila Lalami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-lalami/) > [When I was a child, I was reading books filled with people different from me, all French, all foreigners. There was a sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-lalami/when-i-was-a-child-i-was-reading-books-filled-with-people-different/) [Laila Lalami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-lalami/) > [“It was a communion of pain, and no one in the city could pretend not to have heard it. The women had made witnesses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-lalami/it-was-a-communion-of-pain-and-no-one-in-the-city-could-pretend-not/) [Laila Lalami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-lalami/) > [“know now that these conquerors, like many others before them, and no doubt like others after, gave speeches not to voice the truth, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-lalami/know-now-that-these-conquerors-like-many-others-before-them-and-no/) [Laila Lalami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-lalami/) > [There are writers I return to no matter what I'm working on, writers like the South African J.M. Coetzee. He has an ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-lalami/there-are-writers-i-return-to-no-matter-what-i-m-working-on-writers/) [Laila Lalami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-lalami/) > [No one wrote better about the sin of pride, the corruption of power and the redemption of love. I will miss you, Gabriel García…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-lalami/no-one-wrote-better-about-the-sin-of-pride-the-corruption-of-power/) [Laila Lalami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-lalami/) > [Thing that was very different for me is that an American child's reading is filled with Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-lalami/thing-that-was-very-different-for-me-is-that-an-american-child-s/) [Laila Lalami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-lalami/) > [“Nothing new has ever happened to aq son of Adam, she said. Everything has already been lived and everything has already been told. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-lalami/nothing-new-has-ever-happened-to-aq-son-of-adam-she-said-everything/) [Laila Lalami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-lalami/) [Explore all 23 Laila Lalami quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-lalami/) ## More American writer quotes > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [It's the tradition of American writers getting away in order to see the country - to get a better view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/it-s-the-tradition-of-american-writers-getting-away-in-order-to-see/) [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) > [American writers, at least those of us who are fortunate enough to support ourselves in the field, are by and large a lucky lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/american-writers-at-least-those-of-us-who-are-fortunate-enough-to/) [Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/) > [“One of the vital things for a writer who’s writing a book, which is a lengthy project and is going to take about a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/one-of-the-vital-things-for-a-writer-who-s-writing-a-book-which-is-a/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [I'm definitely more influenced by European writers than I am by American writers, there's no doubt about that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-m-definitely-more-influenced-by-european-writers-than-i-am-by/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [I have a well-balanced show. It's 50/50 on men/women, and also African-American/white writers, it's the same thing. 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Once you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/failing-to-be-american-the-sonnet-i-ve-tried-to-rekindle-the-american/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Let me now praise the American writer James Dickey. In 1970, his novel 'Deliverance' was published. I found it to be 278 pages that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/let-me-now-praise-the-american-writer-james-dickey-in-1970-his-novel/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [James Baldwin is one of the greatest, North American writers of the second half of the Twentieth Century. A prolific writer and a brilliant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raoul-peck/james-baldwin-is-one-of-the-greatest-north-american-writers-of-the/) [Raoul Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raoul-peck/) > [I'm a writer. 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