How to Create Your BookLingua Translation Brief

A practical guide to telling BookLingua what should be preserved, adapted or handled with particular care in your translation.

A translation brief helps BookLingua understand the details of your book that cannot always be worked out from the manuscript alone.

It does not need to be a separate document or a lengthy explanation. After uploading your manuscript, you simply select your genre and enter your guidance into the fields provided.

For many books, a few clear sentences will be enough.

What Is a Translation Brief?

A translation brief is a short set of instructions explaining how particular elements of your book should be handled in another language.

It might cover:

• Where the book is set
• Local language or cultural details that should be preserved
• Names or invented terms that should remain unchanged
• Specialist terminology with a particular meaning
• Important instructions about tone or character voice

The information you enter is applied to every language in your order. You will then have an opportunity to make language-specific choices during BookLingua’s pre-translation scan.

What BookLingua Already Works Out

You do not need to explain everything about your book.

BookLingua uses your manuscript and selected genre to identify its general subject, style and tone. It also scans the text for cultural references and terms that may require your input.

Your brief should concentrate on information that:

• BookLingua might not be able to work out from the manuscript alone
• Could have more than one meaning
• Must remain consistent throughout the book
• Would cause a problem if translated literally
• Is particularly important to the book’s setting, characters or subject

A few specific instructions are more useful than a long plot summary.

1. Select the Right Genre

After uploading your manuscript, select the genre that best describes your book.

Genre helps BookLingua make appropriate decisions about vocabulary, tone and style. A romantic comedy should feel different from a psychological thriller, while a practical business guide should prioritise clarity and accessibility.

If your book combines genres, select the main one and mention the secondary influence in the special-instructions field.

For example:

Fantasy romance with elements of gothic horror.

Or:

A practical business guide written in a friendly, conversational style.

2. Explain the Setting and Local Context

Use the setting field to explain where your book takes place and which aspects of its local identity should be preserved.

This is especially useful when the setting affects:

• Legal and political terms
• Healthcare and education
• Job titles
• Measurements and currency
• Food and drink
• Local expressions
• Cultural traditions

For example:

Set in New York. Keep the American setting and preserve US-specific legal and political terms.

Or:

Set in the UK. Keep British institutions and terms such as NHS, barrister and Prime Minister rather than replacing them with local equivalents.

A book should not appear to have moved countries simply because it has been translated into another language.

If your book is set in a fictional world, say so:

Set in a fictional medieval-inspired kingdom. Preserve the invented institutions, titles and place names.

3. Identify Terms That Need Special Treatment

Use the special-instructions field to tell BookLingua about names or terms that should be handled in a particular way.

These might include:

• Fictional places
• Fantasy races or creatures
• Spells and magical objects
• Invented organisations
• Unusual nicknames
• Product or method names
• Specialist abbreviations
• Series-specific terminology

Explain whether each important term should remain unchanged, be translated naturally or be treated consistently in a particular way.

For example:

Keep the fictional place name “Elaris” unchanged.

“The Binding” is the name of a magical ritual. Translate it naturally, but use the same term throughout the book.

Keep the abbreviation “SEO,” as it is commonly used in every target market.

You do not need to list every character or place name. Focus on the terms whose meaning or treatment may not be obvious.

4. Explain Ambiguous Specialist Language

A familiar-looking word may have a specialist meaning in the context of your book.

This is particularly important for books involving:

• Medicine
• Law
• Science
• Finance
• Religion
• The military
• History
• Technology
• A specialist industry

A short explanation can prevent a term from being interpreted incorrectly.

For example:

“Chambers” refers to a barristers’ chambers, not a room.

“Conversion” usually means a customer completing an intended action, not converting currency.

Use recognised European medical terminology rather than translating these terms literally.

You only need to explain terms that are ambiguous, unusual or essential to understanding the book.

5. Add Important Tone or Character Instructions

BookLingua uses the manuscript and genre to identify the book’s overall tone. There is no need to include general requests such as “make it read naturally” or “preserve my voice.”

Add a note only when there is something the translation could otherwise miss.

For example:

The narrator is deliberately formal and old-fashioned, but the dialogue should feel natural.

The humour is dry and understated. Preserve the effect of the jokes rather than translating them word for word.

The romantic scenes should remain sensual and natural rather than becoming clinical.

Anna speaks formally to her employer but informally with her sister. Preserve that distinction where the language allows it.

Explain what a speech pattern communicates rather than asking for an English accent to be recreated literally in another language.

6. Keep Your Brief Concise

Once you’ve uploaded your manuscript, you can add your instructions directly into the fields provided. There’s no need to create or upload a separate translation brief.

Prioritise the information that matters most. Avoid:

• Summarising the entire plot
• Listing every character
• Repeating information that is obvious from the manuscript
• Giving instructions for ordinary words
• Asking for a completely literal translation
• Adding notes to the manuscript itself

Clear instructions with specific examples are the most useful.

Review the Pre-Translation Scan

After selecting your target languages, BookLingua scans the manuscript for cultural references and other terms that may need your input.

For each flagged item, you may be asked whether BookLingua should:

• Keep the original term
• Adapt it to the closest local equivalent
• Keep it and add a short explanation
• Ignore the flag because the term has been misidentified

You’ll make these choices separately for each language, with the relevant passage shown to help you decide. Take a moment to read the surrounding text, as the scan may occasionally flag an ordinary word, heading or name that doesn’t need any special treatment.

Your choices are saved and applied during translation.

Example Brief for a Novel

Setting and local context: Set in a fictional medieval-inspired kingdom. Do not modernise titles or institutions.

Special instructions: Keep “Elaris” and “Vaelor” unchanged. “The Binding” is a magical ritual and should use one consistent translated term throughout. The tone is atmospheric and romantic, with occasional dark humour. King Aren speaks more formally than Mara, particularly in public scenes.

Example Brief for a Non-Fiction Book

Setting and local context: Written for an international audience. Keep widely recognised English marketing terms such as SEO and email funnel.

Special instructions: The tone should remain practical, friendly and straightforward. Avoid unnecessarily academic language. “Conversion” usually refers to a customer completing an intended action. Keep the original dollar amounts because they relate to specific case studies.

Copy-and-Use Template

Use this template to prepare your notes before uploading:

Genre:
[Choose the closest available genre.]

Setting and local context:
The book is set in [location or type of setting]. Please preserve [institutions, local terminology or cultural details].

Names and special terms:
Keep [names or terms] unchanged. Translate [term] naturally but use it consistently throughout.

Specialist language:
[Term] means [brief explanation] in this book.

Tone or character instructions:
Preserve [important feature of tone, humour, narration or character speech].

Delete any sections that are not relevant. A short brief containing only the important details is usually all BookLingua needs.

Ready to begin? Upload your manuscript and add your translation instructions during the ordering process.