The translation industry is quite diverse and from fiction to nonfiction, the writing, comic books, and a lot of these have been translated into a plethora of languages. The world’s most translated books include religious books and children’s books mainly. A lot of books that appear in the list of translated versions are without any second thought children.

A book is a collection of ideas, mindsets, and knowledge, all arranged in one place. Reading enables people to gain vast exposure, improves creativity, and strengthens imagination. Furthermore, it gives understanding, and empathy and empowers the readers to see the world from the writer’s perspective. People who are into books and reading understand how the translation of certain books has been more popular than original books.

Only 3% of the books have their translations, in the UK. It is a thing of great pride and joy for a writer to get his book translated. Only famous and well-known translators get to see their books translated into other languages.

Books are usually translated to cater to a cross-border audience who has a different language. This is one of the easiest ways to market a book. More translations help more people to read.

List of World’s 10 Most Translated Books

A translator has hectic and challenging duties to work on. He faces many challenges during his journey of translation. They need to be proficient in the target as well as the source language. They use their skills to transform literature reserving its original tone and essence. It often happens that the translated version of a book gets more popular and the original book doesn’t get much identified. Most translated books in this section start with the Bible.

Here is a list of 10 common translated books in the world which have gained a lot of popularity.

Bible

Bible is the world’s most popular book and has been translated into more than 3350 languages. As the Bible is a religious book, it has been translated into almost every important language to make it accessible to a maximum number of people.

Religious books are usually the most translated books in the world. The new testament of the Bible is translated into more than 2000 languages and around 700 are in the old testament approximately, which is the highest number for any book.

The Little Prince

After religious books, children’s books are translated into most languages. The little prince is a popular storybook and it is quite famous for its poetic tale and the illustrations in watercolor that comes with the book and is widely popular among audiences. This book was originally written in French by famous author Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

He has done great justice with the content. This storybook starts with a pilot who gets lost in the Sahara Desert and there he finds a blonde boy who requests him to draw a sheep for him. This further leads to the story that throws light on the importance of life.

This book got published in 1943 for the first time. It has been translated to more than 380 languages and has sold over 140 million copies all over the world.

The Adventures of Pinocchio

This book is not only common among kids but even adults are also great admirers of this story which has a moral too. It was written by Carlo Collodi originally in Italian, this book has its translation in 260 languages. The story is about a small wooden boy who is habitual of lying.

It was published back in 1883 and has been enjoying the fame since then. It is about the adventures of an animated marionette whose name is Pinocchio and about his father who is a poor woodcarver named Geppetto.

Tao te Ching

This one is again a religious book. Zhuangzi is a fundamental text and it is for both philosophical and religious Taoism. Also, it had a great influence on other schools of Chinese philosophy and religion. It further included legalism, Confucianism, and Chinese Buddhism.

It has been translated into more than 250 languages. Tao te Ching was originally written in Chinese by Laozi. It is about integrity and self-awareness and teaches wisdom.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Alice’s adventures have been popular since this book was published in 1865. This story revolves around a girl who loses her way and then finds herself in a magical world. Written by Lewis Carrol originally in the English language has kept the readers engaged the longest with captivating vocabulary and exciting plots.

This book has been translated into more than 174 languages around the world and is still a favorite of many readers. People read it with great affection. Like many other children’s books, this book has also been used for cinematic adaptation.

Steps to Christ

Steps to Christ is written by Ellen G. White, Pioneer and prophetess of the seventh-day Adventist church and it was published first time ever in 1892. This book talks about the seventh-day Adventists’ belief in matters such as salvation, the nature of man, and how a Christian should spend his life.

It further addresses the topics such as repentance, confession, faith, acceptance, growing into Christ, and prayer. This book has been translated into 160 languages. This book further discusses knowing Jesus christ on and personal level.

El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha

The complete title of the book is The Ingenious Gentleman Sir Quixote of La Mancha. The plot of this book revolves around the adventures of a member of the lowest nobility. He was a hidalgo from La Mancha named Alonso Quixano who pretends to lose his mind due to going through a lot of chivalric romances and adventure books.

He then gets to be a knight-errant (caballero andante) to revive chivalry and to serve his masses with the name of Don Quixote de la Mancha. The writer of this book is Miguel Cervantes and it was originally published in Spanish.

Translation of this book is available in more than 145 languages. They published it in two parts in 1605 and 1615 and critics consider it one of the greatest works ever.

Anderson’s Fairy Tales

These fairy tales written by Hans Christian Anderson are of Danish origin. Anderson’s fairy tales comprise more than 150 stories expanding into nine volumes that have been translated into more than 125 languages. These tales have their cultural influences on the west’s collective consciousness and these are also accessible to the children being children’s books.

However, these also are equally popular among adults. Tales also teach the lessons of virtue and resilience and are quite adverse for the mature readers as well. The most famous fairy tales include “The Emperor’s new clothes”, “The little mermaid”, “The Nightingale”, and “The Steadfast Tin Soldier.

It is important to note that a few of the tales are dark and also slightly disturbing however, the fantasy and imagination behind them are just indisputable. Many of the tales among these have also been adapted for movies.

The Adventures of Asterix Asterix le Gaulois

This book is written by multiple writers Rene René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo, and Jean-Yves Ferri. It was originally written in French. The book has been translated into more than 115 languages. It is a comic series and tells how the exploits of a Gaul warrior who prevents his village from Roman forces in 50 BCE.

He had the aid of a magic potion which was brewed by their druid Getaflix. This series for the first time appeared in the Franco-Belgian comics magazine Pilote on 29th October 1959. The protagonists include Asterix and his friend Obelix. They get to survive various adventures together.

The Adventures of Tintin (Les Aventures de Tintin)

This book of French origin has been written by Herge and has been already translated into more than 115 languages. It is a comic series and revolves around the adventures of the Tintin.

It has a reporter and his dog who get to involve in a lot of factual research and accurate representation of various cultures and people. This book gained popularity all over the world since its inception and the popularity made people translate it into hundred of languages.

Final Words

Books take the readers to another world. A world that is full of fantasies, imagination,s, and adventures. A writer works really hard to pen down his ideas and get them published. There could be no better tribute to a writer than translating his book into a new language. A list of ten books has been shared which are the world’s most translated books and enjoy a massive readership.