The YA literature category is exploding the United States and other English-speaking countries. There hasn’t, however, been much exposure to YA works from other non-English-speaking areas in English-speaking countries. This is largely due to the fact that very little of these works are translated into English. In the articles “Around the Globe: An Introduction to International YA Writing”, “Around the Globe: International YA Writing”, and “Bringing International YA Literature into English: A Panel Discussion” all discuss the organization Words Without Borders and what they have done to bring works from around the world to English-language readers.
Words Without Borders is a nonprofit organization that strives to promote cultural understanding and awareness by publishing a previously untranslated work in English each month in their online magazine. In December 2014, Words Without Borders published their first translated Young Adult works. Everroad and Hahn explain, “if very few adult titles are translated into English, the number of YA titles making the journey is even smaller”. That is why this first issue was so important. With all of the popularity of YA literature among English-language readers, the December issue broke readership records (Gilmore).
The issue titled “Around the Globe: International YA Writing” spotlighted nine works translated from nine different languages. Each work, varying widely “geographically, thematically, generically, tonally” brings about a different story line with a unique struggle (Erroad and Hahn). According to Erroad and Hahn, searching for these works brought about an interesting debate on the line between childhood and adulthood in different countries. Many aren’t aware of the YA category like we are. Their aim, Erroad and Hahn explained, “was to find voices that made us sit up and think, books that deserve a place on bookshelves alongside the very best Anglophone writers.”
The publishing of “Around the Globe: International YA Writing” paved the way for more cultural understanding among English-language readers. “The December issue helps to shine a light on multicultural diversity around the world,” and “[e]ven in nations with a strong YA presence, books are now more and more reflecting a multicultural world.” Although Words Without Borders has not published another exclusively international YA issue, they have started the ball rolling and broadened the scope of YA in the English-language reading world.
“Around the Globe: International YA Writing”. Words Without Borders, December 2014. https://www.wordswithoutborders.org/issue/december-2014.
Everroad, Briony and Daniel Hahn. “Around the Globe: An Introduction to International YA Writing”. Words Without Borders, December 2014. https://www.wordswithoutborders.org/article/around-the-globe-an-introduction-to-international-ya-writing.
Gilmore, Natasha. “Bringing International YA Literature into English: A Panel Discussion”. Publishers Weekly, 16 December 2014. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/65077-bringing-international-ya-literature-into-english-a-panel-discussion.html.