@Albdantesque
Brilliant! Thanks a lot
Do you have any experience with this yourself?
Well, I write in three languages (Albanian, Greek, and English).
I have published three books in Albanian, two philosophical essays in English, and have translated my first novel in English and my second one in Greek (that is probably going for self-publication).
I have been living 11 years in the US and the conclusion I have come is to not waste my time through reading contemporary American fiction (I like American academic and scientific books a lot, and a very few dead novelists and poets) and to not translate myself in English. If I write academic essays, I better do it in English, but if I write fiction I do not seek anymore being translated into English.
With the first novel, I did the mistake of translating it... but that happened because I was new/enthusiastic into writing, I listened to bad advise, and had no idea what's going on with fiction books in English speaking countries.
From some research that took almost five years let me tell you the facts: in Slovenia (one of the most reading nations in the world) and Czech Republic the 70% of books people read are translations, in Germany 40% of books are translations, in France 30% of books are translations, in the English speaking world just 2.7% of the books people read are translations.
These and other facts have some implications. One, there is more interest in EU on what is going on with other cultures/languages. Two, since many people write English, English publishers do not find good reasons to publish and advertise translations. Three, English speaking countries (through their publishers) seem to have built a wall against literary aesthetics & thought of other countries. Four, the English book market is so enormous that some people have come to the conclusion that if you do not write English you are unimportant and English authors should be the best in the world (with great impact on nations whose secondary language is English).
This is what happening today in the world. In one or in another way, English authors, directors, playwrights, etc, are imposing their aesthetics on the rest of the world... although many English authors have no idea what the rest of the world writes about.
If you, however, come from a small country (like Netherlands, Switzerland, Czech Republic, etc.) you expect people to have interest in more than two languages. Hence, when you discuss with people from these countries you may find them versed in authors (Germans, French, Spanish, etc.) that were never translated in English. This knowledge of literary trends of other countries has brought also a divergence of aesthetics (and thought) between Europe and English speaking countries. In my country, for example, people have high regard of contemporary Spanish authors. To speak for myself, I have been always impressed by Russian, Italian, and German writers.
To conclude, if you can translate yourself in English and you have the free time to do it... please do it, but do not expect your work to be widely read. The market of English books may refer to 1 billion people and the chances of being successful in such a market depend on your manager (that I am supposing you don't have). It is better, in my view, to try to have some success in your own language and after that to start applying for some writers' residencies in EU and USA. In these artistic residencies you may meet translators, managers, and publishers and will have a personal experience on what is going on in the international book market. To arrive at that point, however, you should, at the first place, have become an avid writer... The more you write and the more you are read in your country, the more chances you have of being admitted in writers' residencies and try some success in other countries. There is also the issue of aesthetics (that is often lost in bad translation) and a Dutch writer may expect to be more successful in one country and less successful in another one
