Comic Book Translation
Comic book and graphic novel translation and localisation. We publish in multiple languages ourselves, and offer the same service to independent creators and publishers.
A world of readers is waiting for your story. The global market for graphic novels, manga and comic books keeps expanding, and most of it does not read English. Translation is the difference between a book that sells in one territory and a book that sells in several.
We publish our own catalogue in multiple languages. This service exists because we built the capability for ourselves first, and then found that other publishers and independent creators needed it too.
Translation is not the hard part. Lettering is.
Anyone can render a sentence into another language. Making it fit inside a speech balloon that was drawn for the original is a different job.
A translated line is rarely the same length as the line it replaces. Spanish runs longer than English; Japanese runs shorter. If nobody accounts for that, you end up with balloons that are half empty, balloons with the text crushed to six points, or — worse — art that has been redrawn badly to make room.
We handle both halves. The translation and the lettering are done together, by people who know that the balloon is part of the page composition rather than a container to be filled.
What we localise
Dialogue and narration
The obvious part, and the part where voice matters most. A character who is funny in one language has to be funny in the next one, which sometimes means not translating the joke.
Sound effects
Onomatopoeia is drawn, not typed. Sound effects are usually part of the artwork, and localising them properly means treating them as art — matching weight, angle and style so the replacement does not look pasted on.
Signage, captions and incidental text
The text on a shop front, a newspaper in a character’s hands, a label on a door. Leaving these untranslated is the most common tell of a cheap localisation, because it quietly informs the reader that they are looking at somebody else’s book.
Cultural reference
Some references travel and some do not. Where one will land as confusion rather than meaning, we will say so and suggest what to do about it — the decision stays yours, because it is your book.
Languages
What you get back
Why localise at all
Two reasons, and the second is the one people forget.
The first is reach. A graphic novel that exists only in English is invisible to most of the people who would enjoy it, and digital distribution has removed almost every barrier to selling into another territory except the language itself.
The second is longevity. A translated edition gives a book a second launch — a second set of reviews, a second run of press, a second chance with readers who never saw the first one. For an independent title, that second life is often worth more than the first.
Working with us
Translation usually comes at the end of a project, once the original is finished and proven. If yours is not there yet, the rest of the pipeline is available too — editing, illustration, cover art and lettering.
If it is ready, or nearly, get in touch with the title, the language you want to reach, and the page count. We will come back with a timeline and a price rather than a brochure.
Other services
IllustrationComic Book and Graphic Novel Illustration
Our team of experienced illustrators are ready to bring your project to life.
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CoversBook Cover Illustration
Custom book cover illustration from $300 USD, including full rights and source files. Covers built to work as a thumbnail, on a shelf, and everywhere your readers actually are.
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LetteringComic Book Lettering Services
Don't let your book be amateur-ish because of poor lettering. Affordable rates starting at $20/page
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EditingScript and Book Editing Services
Script and book editing for novels, comic books and screenplays. Structural editing, line editing and script review from a team that publishes its own catalogue.
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StoryboardsStoryboarding
The blueprint for visual storytelling — over a decade of turning ideas into shot-by-shot narratives.
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CopywritingComic Book Copywriting and Script Review
Effective copy leads to great stories, and great stories lead to engaged fans.
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Have a story to tell?
Send us the manuscript, the script, or the sketch on a napkin. We will tell you honestly what it needs.