Bodhicharya Publications
Updated – September 2022.
Introduction:
Thank you for considering to translate one of Rinpoche’s books published with us. This document is intended to provide you with an overview of what that will involve from start to finish.
Bodhicharya Publications is a Community Interest Company registered in the UK. Our three directors are also our three principal volunteers. All of our available time and resources are dedicated to managing and distributing the existing book collections and in the generation of new books.
While we as an organisation do not have the resources (or skills) to translate and publish Rinpoche’s books into other languages, it is something we very much welcome. Therefore, if you have the capacity to do so, we encourage any applications to produce our books for new audiences. However, the responsibility, resources and effort to achieve such a project lies with the translating organisation.
The translation and production process:
- The translating organisation (you) makes a request to translate a Bodhicharya publication to publications@bodhicharya.org
- Bodhicharya Publications (we) then prepare and supply you with either:
- Online access to the book text broken down into elements (paragraphs etc).
- Or a spreadsheet containing the book text broken down into paragraphs.
- The translator then adds in the translation beside each English part in either the spreadsheet or online service called Redokun.com.1 (Note that Bodhicharya Publications will cover the costs of the Redokun service). We cannot accept translations supplied in any other form (such as separate Word documents).
- We then typeset the book in the given language and supply you with a PDF proof to check that everything is correct.
- You send us back a list of your final amendments (as comments in the pdf proof), and we send on a final PDF proof for sign off. It is your responsibility to check that everything is correct before going to print. We cannot be held liable for any errors either in the text or caused by the typesetting process.
- We then either:
- add the book to our IngramSpark distribution account to print and distribute both a print and ebook version globally.
- send you the final, print-ready PDF artwork that you then send on to your printer or publisher and manage distribution (Self Publishing).
Publishing & Distribution via Bodhicharya Publications:
Since 2021, we have published most new books on the IngramSpark platform. We have also started to migrate our back catalog of books there too. Once a book is in the system it is added to a global network of online and physical book stores in a ‘print on demand’ fashion. An ebook version is also distributed globally.
Therefore we now have the option of adding Foreign Language Editions, to take care of the printing, sales and distribution of a new language edition of one of our books (both print and ebook).
All costs and profits will be managed and retained within Bodhicharya Publications. Should you require financial assistance for translation we may be able to contribute to that. Please let us know when you first contact us.
Using this method we can also bulk order print books (at print cost) to deliver to a facility in the country of translation so that you have the option to sell the book in your locality. You (or your organisation) will be invoiced for the print and delivery costs of these bulk orders, but all profits from sales are yours to keep.
Self Publishing & Distribution:
This option is for those who wish to print, sell and distribute the translated book via your own organisation or publisher in your own country. We will go through the same steps as listed in ‘the translation and production process’ listed above and finish by sending you the final, print-ready PDF artwork which you are then responsible for sending on to your printer or publisher and managing sales and distribution.
There will be some additional requirements such as obtaining a new ISBN for the edition etc.
You (or the publishing organisation) will be responsible for all printing and distribution costs, but will also keep the profits from these sales, bar any royalties agreed with Bodhicharya Publications from the start.
Terms and conditions:
Bodhicharya Publications (We), translating organisation (you)
- For both practical reasons and for visual consistency, we require that all foreign language editions follow the same visual layout and design as the original English publications. That is why we offer and fund the typesetting process.
- We will arrange for the translated text to be typeset into the design layout and will produce print-ready artwork for you to take to your printer or to add to our IngramSpark distribution service.
- You will organise and be responsible for each book’s translation process, checking of the final translation, supply of translation to us (as either spreadsheet or using the Redokun online service) and proof reading of the typeset layouts supplied by us. We strongly recommend that a second translator is chosen to verify the translation as we have no way of checking the translation.
- If you are ‘self-publishing’ you will also need to register the book with your national book registration service so that you can obtain an ISBN number. This differs from country to country so we are unable to advise in this. This number will be used to generate the barcode for the back cover of the book.
- The content of the text should remain the same and be published in its entirety without removing, amending or adding further text. This includes acknowledgments and the preface of the original text. Translators may add a translators’ preface or similar which we will include at the start of the book. This needs to be supplied as a separate Word document.
- Bodhicharya Publications remains the original publisher and this will be acknowledged on the credits page with the words: ‘First published by Bodhicharya Publications in 20__.’
For further information and to request to translate a Bodhicharya publication, please contact publications@bodhicharya.org
1 – You can find out more about how to use Redokun as a translator here: https://redokun.com/help/translator and how to use the online web editor here.