Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP2055
Authors: Jacques Melitz
Abstract: The tendency of a single world market to privilege the translation of English fiction and poetry into other languages for reading or listening enjoyment may damage the production of world literature and in this respect make us all worse off. In order to develop this thesis, the article begins with an economic model of the market for imaginative works in which translations are systematically concentrated on writings in the original language with the largest share in world sales. The model is then shown to agree with the facts. Next, it is argued that high concentration of translations on works coming from one particular language hurts the production of literature directly, because variety of languages of origin is enriching as such, and indirectly, because the concentration damages the incentives of those who do not write in the leading language to invest in their own talents. "Literature" in the paper refers to earlier production of imaginative works which represents capital or is still read.
Keywords: language; welfare; literature
JEL Codes: E00; F00
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| English dominance in literature translation (F01) | reduction in variety of languages represented in literature (A30) |
| high concentration of translations from English (F22) | damages the production of world literature (F69) |
| concentration of translations from English (A39) | adversely affects incentives for authors in lesser-spoken languages (F66) |
| adverse effects on incentives for authors in lesser-spoken languages (F69) | reduces overall pool of literary talent (A19) |
| increase in market share of English in translations (F62) | diminishes production of literature in other languages (A19) |
| dominance of one language in market (F10) | monopolizes translations (D42) |
| monopolization of translations (D42) | reinforces cycle of dominance (C92) |