From the blog of Pierre Assouline (French writer):
42,7% des romans parus en France en 2005 sont des traductions. 15,1% des livres de sciences humaines et sociales parus en France en 2005 sont des traductions. Il faudrait être d'une mauvaise foi insigne, et d'une francophobie absolue (deux traits de caractère assez répandus dans nos contrées ces temps-ci lors qu'ils sont conjugués à l'autodénigrement) pour ne pas voir dans les résultats de cette enquête le reflet de la curiosité et de l'ouverture des lecteurs français . LIVREShebdo (No 646 du 19 mai) en dévoile les résultats détaillés obtenus à partir d'une analyse des données de sa base Electre. Pour ce qui est de la fiction, la langue anglaise écrase les autres (73,8%), loin devant l'espagnol (3,6%), l'allemand (3,5%), l'italien (3,0%), le russe et les langues scandinaves (2,4% chacun)...
In English:
42.7% of novels published in France in 2005 were translations. 15.1% of liberal arts and social sciences books published in France in 2005 were translation. It would be a display of utter bad faith and of complete francophobia (two characteristics quite common in our country those days when combined with self-depracation) to not have seen in the results of this survey hints of the curiosity and the openmindedness of French readers. LIVREShebdo (issue 646, May 19th) reveals detailed results obtained from an analysis of its database Electre. As for fiction, the English language crushes the others (73.8%), far ahead of Spanish (3.6%), German (3.5%), Italian (3.0%), Russian and Scandinavian languages (2.4% each) ...
Meanwhile, a recent study shows that only 3% of books published in the United States in 2005 (all categories) were translations.

And then, you'll have people like Camille Paglia who will publish an anthology of the best world poems where the authors will be either English or American ...

Comments

Ekrem Serdar said…
Well here's a question- as the last time I was in France was when I was 13, I didn't have a chance to check out the Nationale Bibliotheque. How would you compare the library systems of U.S./France? Give 'em both a chance and assume Paris vs. New York. (or, if you know London, that's fine too.) Or major University libraries.
François Luong said…
Ekrem,

To be perfectly honest with you, i've never been to the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. The few times I've been to Paris, I went to visit relatives, skateboarding spots, the small bookstands of the Left Bank.

On the other hand, the website of the BNF is a resource I use constantly, as it archives digitally many texts published between the Pact of Strasbourg (the first document in vernacular French, instead of Latin) to Apollinaire's Calligrammes.

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