11.1 Purpose
Rupkatha Books recognises translation as an essential instrument for expanding the global circulation of scholarship across languages, cultures, and knowledge traditions. Translation is both an intellectual and a scholarly endeavour requiring linguistic expertise, cultural competence, disciplinary knowledge, and ethical responsibility.
This policy establishes the principles governing translation rights, permissions, editorial standards, attribution, publication, and long-term stewardship of translated works. It should be read together with the Copyright and Licensing Policy, Authorship Policy, Publication Ethics Policy, Generative AI Policy, and other relevant publisher policies.
11.2 Translation Rights
Translation normally constitutes a derivative work under applicable copyright law. Before submitting a translated work for publication, authors, translators, or editors must ensure that they possess the legal authority to prepare and publish the translation.
Permission is ordinarily required unless:
- the source work is in the public domain;
- the translator owns the relevant rights; or
- applicable law provides an exception permitting translation.
Rupkatha Books may require documentary evidence of translation rights before editorial consideration or publication.
11.3 Public Domain Works
Works that have entered the public domain may ordinarily be translated without obtaining copyright permission.
Copyright in the new translation normally belongs to the translator, subject to the applicable Publishing Agreement and Open Access licence. Where the copyright status of the source work is uncertain, translators are expected to obtain appropriate legal or institutional guidance before submission.
11.4 Principles of Scholarly Translation
Translations submitted to Rupkatha Books should:
- faithfully convey the meaning and scholarly intent of the source text;
- preserve intellectual integrity and disciplinary accuracy;
- respect historical, linguistic, and cultural contexts;
- distinguish clearly between translation and editorial interpretation;
- identify significant adaptations, omissions, or additions; and
- maintain transparency regarding editorial intervention.
Where substantial interpretation or adaptation has occurred, an explanatory translator’s note should accompany the publication.
11.5 Responsibilities of Translators
Translators are expected to:
- produce accurate, reliable, and scholarly translations;
- maintain high linguistic and editorial standards;
- verify specialised terminology and technical vocabulary;
- preserve disciplinary precision;
- acknowledge all source materials appropriately;
- disclose uncertainties where relevant; and
- respect the intellectual intent and cultural context of the original work.
Translation should balance fidelity with clarity while remaining appropriate for its intended scholarly readership.
11.6 Recognition of Translators
Rupkatha Books recognises translators as significant scholarly contributors.
Their contribution will normally be acknowledged in:
- the title page;
- publication metadata;
- DOI and ISBN records;
- copyright information;
- repository records;
- indexing services; and
- promotional materials.
Where translators provide substantial introductions, annotations, commentary, glossaries, or other scholarly apparatus, these contributions shall receive appropriate academic recognition.
11.7 Editorial Assessment and Peer Review
Translated works undergo editorial evaluation appropriate to their scholarly nature.
Assessment may consider:
- fidelity to the source text;
- linguistic quality;
- disciplinary accuracy;
- consistency of terminology;
- scholarly significance;
- readability;
- annotation and commentary;
- cultural sensitivity; and
- suitability for international readership.
Where appropriate, manuscripts may be reviewed by specialists with expertise in both the source and target languages.
11.8 Scholarly Apparatus
Translations may include supporting scholarly materials such as:
- introductions;
- translator’s notes;
- annotations;
- glossaries;
- bibliographies;
- textual commentary;
- appendices;
- multimedia resources; and
- other digital supplementary materials.
Such material should remain clearly distinguishable from the translated text to preserve transparency within the scholarly record.
11.9 Artificial Intelligence and Translation
Artificial Intelligence may assist aspects of scholarly translation, including terminology management, preliminary drafting, multilingual comparison, and language refinement.
However:
- AI cannot replace scholarly or literary judgement;
- translators remain fully responsible for linguistic accuracy, interpretation, and cultural nuance;
- substantial AI assistance should be disclosed in accordance with the Generative AI Policy; and
- all published translations must remain works of accountable human scholarship.
11.10 Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Heritage
Translations involving Indigenous knowledge, traditional cultural expressions, oral traditions, sacred texts, endangered languages, or culturally sensitive materials require particular care and respect.
Authors and translators should:
- respect community protocols and cultural rights;
- acknowledge knowledge holders appropriately;
- obtain permissions where required;
- avoid cultural misrepresentation or appropriation; and
- engage with relevant communities or subject specialists where appropriate.
Rupkatha Books may require additional editorial or expert review for culturally sensitive publications.
11.11 Third-Party Material
Authors and translators are responsible for securing permission to reproduce copyrighted third-party material incorporated into translated publications.
This includes, where applicable:
- textual extracts;
- illustrations;
- photographs;
- figures;
- maps;
- tables;
- archival materials;
- audiovisual resources; and
- other protected content.
All reproduced material shall receive appropriate attribution in accordance with applicable copyright law.
11.12 Revised and Retranslated Editions
Rupkatha Books welcomes revised translations and new translations that offer significant scholarly, linguistic, literary, or cultural value.
Such publications should clearly identify:
- the original work;
- earlier translations where relevant;
- the scope of revision or retranslation; and
- significant editorial or interpretative changes.
Transparent documentation of publication history strengthens the integrity and traceability of the scholarly record.
