AI-assisted translation can open up huge swathes of the Indian market, a market where English, which we westerners might think is the main language and all we need to worry about, is way down the language list on this beautiful continent.
Running 1-9 February this year, one of India’s largest book fairs, the New Delhi World Book Fair, is underway.
The first look from TNPS is at the Türkiye National Stand, organised in collaboration with the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism is spearheading the initiative to elevate the profile of Turkey’s publishing sector in India.
The Türkiye National Stand will serve as a hub for Turkish publishers to engage in copyright negotiations, with the Ministry providing logistical support, including transportation for publishing representatives.
Humanist Publishing: A Key Player in Business and Non-Fiction
From 01-04 February 2025, Humanist Publishing, a leading business book publisher with operations in Turkey and India, will represent Turkey at the fair. Humanist Publishing specialises in business, personal development, biography, and non-fiction.
Founder Menekşe Polatcan Serbest will participate in panel discussions and one-on-one meetings, offering insights into Turkish business and personal development publishing. The stand will also feature Humanist Publishing’s latest projects, author collaborations, and translation initiatives.
A Diverse Showcase of Turkish Literature
The Türkiye National Stand will feature 1,252 works, including:
Publications by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Turkish literature translated into foreign languages through the TEDA Project.
Latest releases from leading Turkish publishing houses.
Participating publishers include Acayip Publication, Kelime Publication, İz Publication, Nar Çocuk, and Hümanist, alongside representatives from the Turkish Press and Publishers Copyright and Licensing Society and the Fellowship Program.
Now for the best bit:
The TEDA Project: Bridging Cultures Through Translation
The New Delhi Book Fair is a key platform for promoting the TEDA Project, a Ministry of Culture and Tourism initiative launched in 2005. The project supports the translation and publication of Turkish literary works into foreign languages, with 963 publishers across 97 countries and 64 languages benefiting so far.
In India, the TEDA Program has supported 31 publishing houses to translate 153 works by 70 Turkish authors into 8 Indian languages, including Bengali, Hindi, English, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, and Urdu.
The View From The Beach
No mention here of how AI may assist these numbers to expand, but you can bet Senthil Nathan‘s Ailaysa will be getting involved, if it’s not already.
AI-assisted translation can open up huge swathes of the Indian market, a market where English, which we westerners might think is the main language and all we need to worry about, is way down the language list on this beautiful continent.
I’d be interest to hear Senthil Nathan’s thoughts on this, but I would imagine there is far more potential for translation between India’s native languages than English to indigenous languages.
This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn newsfeed.
