Several talented translators and interpreters have shared their experience to help colleagues, and the number of books is growing fast. Both new and not-so-new translators should find the list below useful, especially as books on style, editing, proofreading and copywriting are also included.

Click on the book title for more information. Please let me know if you have any other suggestions for this page.

Inclusion in this list does not mean I’ve either read or recommend the book. Any links to my own and other people’s reviews are highlighted. You might find it useful to read ‘A Word of Caution about Using the Resource Pages’ before you start exploring the links.

If you have read one of the books below and would like to write a review of it for this blog as a guest post, or have written a review elsewhere and you’d like me to include a link for it here, please get in touch.

Last updated 2 February 2021

A Companion to Translation Studies

Topics in Translation

Edited by Piotr Kuhiwczak and Karin Littau

A Practical Guide for Translators (Topics in Translation)

by Geoffrey Samuelsson-Brown

A Systematic Approach to Translating Contracts into English

by Rob Lunn

Free e-book.

After Babel: Aspects of Language and Translation

by George Steiner

An Introduction to Translation Memory

by Emma Goldsmith

Free e-book available via the SDL site.

Balance Your Words: Stepping in the Translation Industry

by Sara Colombo

Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language

by Gretchen McCulloch

Becoming a Translator: An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Translation

by Douglas Robinson

Beginning, Middle and End: How to Be a Managing Translator and Deal Effectively With Your Projects

by Luisa Matos, Rui Sousa and Teresa Sousa

E-book costing around $9. Also available in Portuguese.

Being a Successful Interpreter: Adding Value and Delivering Excellence

by Jonathan Downie

Butcher’s Copy-editing: The Cambridge Handbook for Editors, Copy-editors and Proofreaders

by Judith Butcher, Caroline Drake and Maureen Leach

You can read a review of this book by Sylvia Sullivan on the CIEP website here.

Can Theory Help Translators?

A Dialogue Between the Ivory Tower and the Workplace (Translation Theories Explored)

by Andrew Chesterman and Emma Wagner

Community Interpreting

By Sandra Beatriz Hale

Conference Interpreting: A Student’s Practice Book

by Andrew Gillies

Conference Interpreting Explained

by Roderick Jones

Conference Interpreting: Principles and Practice

by Valerie Taylor-Bouladon

Confessions of a Freelance Translator

by Gary Smith

Content Strategy for Mobile

by Karen McGrane

Copywriting Made Simple

by Tom Albrighton

Dialogue Interpreting: A Guide to Interpreting in Public Services and the Community

by Rebecca Tipton and Olgierda Furmanek

Diario de un futuro traductor

by Ismael Pardo

Also available as an e-book.

Diversification in the Language Industry

by Nicole Y. Adams

You can read my review of this book here.

Don’t Trust Your Spell Check

by Dean Evans

You can read my review of this book here.

Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style

by Benjamin Dreyer

English & Spanish Audiovisual Translation Guide

by GOSUB and Natives For You

E-book costing €40.

Essays on Conference Interpreting

by James Nolan

Exploring Translation Theories

by Anthony Pym

Finding and Marketing to Translation Agencies: A Practical Guide for Freelance Translators

by Corinne McKay

Available as a book, on Kindle or as a PDF download.

First You Write a Sentence.: The Elements of Reading, Writing … and Life

by Joe Moran

You can read a review of this book by Kate Sotejeff-Wilson on her blog Ridge Writing Retreats here.

Found in Translation: How Language Shapes Our Lives and Transforms the World

by Nataly Kelly and Jost Zetzsche

Fowler’s Dictionary of Modern English Usage

Edited by Jeremy Butterfield

Get Fit for the Future of Transcreation: A handbook on how to succeed in an undervalued market

by Nina Sattler-Hovdar

Also available as a downloadable PDF here.

Handbuch Technisches Übersetzen

by Peter A Schmitt

For German-English technical translators.

How to be a Successful Freelance Translator

by Robert Gebhardt

Links to Kindle version, although book format might also be available.

How to succeed as a Freelance Translator

by Corinne McKay

How to Manage Your Translation Projects

by Nancy Matis

The English version is only available in digital format.

Il traduttore insostituibile

Specializzazione e posizionamento per i professionisti della traduzione

by Marco Cevoli

In Other Words

by Mona Baker

A coursebook on translation.

In Translation: Translators on Their Work and What It Means

edited by Esther Allen and Susan Bernofsky

Interpretation: Techniques and Exercises

by James Nolan

Interpreters vs Machines: Can Interpreters Survive in an AI-Dominated World?

by Jonathan Downie

Interpreting as Interaction

by Cecilia Wadensjö

Introducing Interpreting Studies

by Franz Pöchhacker

Introducing Translation Studies: Theories and Applications

by Jeremy Munday

Introduction to Court Interpreting

by Holly Mikkelson

Introduction to Spanish Translation

by Jack Child

Is That a Fish in Your Ear?: Translation and the Meaning of Everything

by David Bellos

Legal Translation Explained

by Enrique Alcaraz and Brian Hughes

Letting Go of the Words

by Janice (Ginny) Redish

Léxico temático de terminología jurídica español-inglés

Thematic Lexicon of Spanish-English Legal Terminology

by Rebecca Jowers

Localización de videojuegos

by Pablo Muñoz Sánchez

Also available as an e-book.

Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World

by Ella Frances Sanders

Making Your Website Work: 100 Copy & Design Tweaks for Smart Business Owners

by Gill Evans

Manual de traducción inglés-castellano: teoría y práctica

by Juan Gabriel López Guix and Jacqueline Minett Wilkinson

You can read a review of this book on ATA’s blog The Savvy Newcomer here.

Manual of Spanish-English Translation

by Kelly Washbourne

Marketing Tips for Translators: The Ultimate Collection of Business Tips from the Podcast

by Tess Whitty

Meaning-Based Translation: A Guide to Cross-Language Equivalence

by Mildred L. Larson

Medical Translation Step by Step: Learning by Drafting

by Vincent Montalt Resurrecció and Maria González Davies

New Oxford Style Manual

Combining New Hart’s Rules and the New Oxford Dictionary for Writers & Editors

You’ll find my review of this style guide here.

Nicely Said: Writing for the Web with Style and Purpose

by Nicole Fenton and Kate Kiefer Lee

Note-taking for Consecutive Interpreting: A Short Course

by Andrew Gillies

Note-taking Manual: A Study Guide for Interpreters and Everyone Who Takes Notes

by Virginia Valencia

Performing Without a Stage: The Art of Literary Translation

by Robert Wechsler

Public Service Interpreting: The First Steps

by Ann Corsellis

Revising and Editing for Translators

by Brian Mossop

Please click here to read a review of this book by Carl Carter on his blog Tips ‘n’ Tools for Translators.

Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies

by Mona Baker and Gabriela Saldanha

Scientific and Technical Translation

by Maeve Olohan

Scientific and Technical Translation Explained

by Jody Byrne

Search it, Find it: the Translator’s Minimalist Guide to Online Search

by Carlos Djomo

Secrets of Six-Figure Translators: The Essential Guide to Running a Successful Freelance Business

by Oana Maria Sofronov

 

Still Standing Out

by Andrew Morris

Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace

by Joseph M. Williams

 

Tapping Into Translators’ Creativity: Connecting the Dots between Translation and Creativity

by Magda Phili

Terminology for Beginners

by Patricia Brenes

Free e-book.

The Art of the Click: How to Harness the Power of Direct-Response Copywriting and Make More Sales

by Glenn Fisher

The Book of Standing Out: Travels through the Inner World of Freelance Translation

by Andrew Morris

The Business Guide for Translators

by Marta Stelmaszak

The Chicago Manual of Style

Also available online.

You can read my review of this style guide here.

The Copywriting Sourcebook: How to Write Better Copy Faster – for Everything from Ads to Websites

By Andy Maslen

The Elements of Style

by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

You can read a review of this book by Allison M. Jermain here.

The Entrepreneurial Linguist: The Business-School Approach to Freelance Translation

by Judy and Dagmar Jenner

The Georgetown Guide to Arabic-English Translation

by Mustafa Mughazy

The Marketing Cookbook for Translators

by Tess Whitty

The New Professional Court Interpreter

by Tony Rosado

The Next Generation of Research in Interpreter Education: Pursuing Evidence-Based Practices

edited by Cynthia Roy and Elizabeth Winston

The Penguin’s Writer’s Manual

by Martin Manser and Stephen Curtis

The Pocket Book of Proofreading

by William Critchley

The Poetics of Translation: History, Theory, Practice

by Willis Barnstone

The Prosperous Translator

by Chris Durban

The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century

By Steven Pinker

You can read a review of this book by Laura Cattaneo here.

The Translation Sales Handbook

by Luke Spear

2014 edition available free online.

The Translation Studies Reader

edited by Lawrence Venuti

The Translator’s Little Book of Poetry

curated and written by Elizabeth de Zoysa, Caroline Durant, Felicity Pearce, Nathalie Reis, Rosie Robbins, Joanna Pawulska Saunders, Angie Taylor and Adriana Tortoriello

The Translator’s Invisibility: A History of Translation

by Lawrence Venuti

The Translator’s Tool Box: A Computer Primer for Translators

by Jost Zetzche

Advice on software tools (CATS, Windows 8 & 8.1, desktop publishing, etc.), 400+ pages in a PDF file.

The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Successful Freelance Translator: Written by translators for translators

by Oleg Semerikov and Simon Hodkinson and edited by Sheila Wilson

You can read a review of this book by Catherine Christaki on ATA’s blog The Savvy Newcomer here. and by Rita Maia on her blog here.

Theories of Translation: An Anthology of Essays from Dryden to Derrida

edited by Rainer Schulte and John Biguenet

Thinking Arabic Translation: A Course in Translation Method: Arabic to English

by James Dickins, Sándor Hervey and Ian Higgins

Thinking French Translation: A Course in Translation Method: French to English

by Sándor Hervey

Thinking German Translation

by Sándor Hervey

Thinking Spanish Translation

by Louise M. Haywood, Michael Thompson and Sándor Hervey

This Little Art

by Kate Briggs

Thoughts on Translation

by Corinne McKay

The nuggets from her blog with the same name.

Through the Client’s Eyes: How to Make Your Translations Visible

by Valerij Tomarenko

Tools and Technology in Translation: The Profile of Beginning Language Professionals in the Digital Age

by Rafa Lombardino

Translating Official Documents

by Roberto Mayoral Asensio

Translating Style

by Tim Parks

Translation – Transkreation: Vom Über-Setzen zum Über-Texten

by Nina Sattler-Hovdar

Also available as an e-book.

Translation 101: Starting Out As A Translator

by Petro Dudi

Translation: An Advanced Resource Book

by Basil Hatim and Jeremy Munday

Translation Changes Everything: Theory and Practice

by Lawrence Venuti

Translation Matters

by Jost Zetzsche

Translation Quality Assessment: Past and Present

by Juliane House

Translation Rules: 40 Ways to Attract Clients, Stay Focused, and Find Success as a Freelance Translator

by Clint Tustison

Available on Kindle.

Translation Studies (New Accents)

by Susan Bassnett

Trends in E-Tools and Resources for Translators and Interpreters

edited by Gloria Corpas Pastor and Isabel Durán-Muñoz

View from the Dock, Diary of a Court Interpreter

by Cordelia Novak

Paperback and Kindle editions available.

Way Smarter Freelancing

by Walt Kania

E-book delivered as pdf.

Write to Sell

by Andy Maslen

Writing for Designers

by Scott Kubie

E-book and print on demand

Writing is Designing: Words and the User Experience

by Michael J. Metts and Andy Welfe

88 Ways to be Successful as a Freelance Translator

by Matt Stanton

Available on Kindle.

101 Things a Translator Needs to Know

by the WLF Think Tank

You can read my review of this book here.