Last March, during the 9th Congress of the Spanish Language, held in Cadiz, Spain, the Instituto Cervantes released its World Map of Translation (Mapa Mundial de la Traducción). This innovative project is a wealth of information derived from an extensive dataset of books published in Spanish and translated into English, Mandarin Chinese, French, Arabic, Russian, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Italian, and Swedish.

The project explores the history of translations of Spanish-language books from 1950 to 2021. An analysis of more than 300,000 records places Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, author of the legendary Don Quixote, at the helm as the most translated Spanish-language author. He is closely followed by Gabriel García Márquez, Isabel Allende, Jorge Luis Borges, and Mario Vargas Llosa.

 

 

The Instituto Cervantes, a Spanish public organization, aims to promote and teach Spanish and globally disseminate Spanish, Hispanic-American, and Hispanic-African culture. They claim that there are various methods to share stories globally; translating books written in Spanish into other languages is one. Another approach involves leveraging data to understand the translation ecosystem, bridging the humanities and digital technology worlds.

The World Map of Translation is an information resource utilizing a vast dataset to clearly depict the most translated Spanish-language books into English, Mandarin Chinese, French, Arabic, Russian, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Italian, and Swedish. As previously mentioned, the project tracks the history of translations of Spanish-language books from 1950 to 2021. It aims to demonstrate the scope and potential of the translation field, monitor the trends of the most translated texts, and compile information from various perspectives to share and reuse in different research fields.
 

 

Little did Don Quixote know that his adventures would be translated into many languages. Originally titled "El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha,” this novel by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was first published in 1605. Since then, it has been translated into 145 languages, securing Cervantes' spot at the top of the most translated Spanish-language authors list into languages like Mandarin Chinese, German, Japanese, French, English, and Italian.

According to the World Map of Translation, Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez has led the 21st-century charts for the most translated Spanish-language authors with his One Hundred Years of Solitude work. The novel, which earned him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982, is set in Macondo, a fictional town created by the author. Considered a masterpiece of Hispanic American and global literature, One Hundred Years of Solitude is one of the most-read and translated Spanish-language books. Over 30 million copies have been sold, and it has been translated into more than 49 languages.

The Ten Most Translated Spanish-Language Authors in the 21st Century 

The World Map of Translation reveals that Chilean writer Isabel Allende, author of seminal novels like The House of the Spirits, Paula, and Portrait in Sepia, and the only woman on the list, follows Gabriel García Márquez on the list of the most translated Spanish-language authors of this century. Other prominent authors include the unforgettable Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges (author of The Aleph and Fictions, and the second most translated author into Mandarin Chinese), and Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, acclaimed for novels like The Green House, which has been translated into 19 languages.

Despite being the most translated Spanish-language author between 1950 and 2021, Miguel de Cervantes ranks fifth in this century, trailed by Spanish writers Carlos Luis Zafón and Arturo Pérez-Reverte, known for renowned books such as The Shadow of the Wind and The Queen of the South, respectively.

Chilean writers Luis Sepúlveda (author of The Old Man Who Read Love Stories) and Roberto Bolaño (whose posthumous book, 2666, is among the most translated books from Chile) rank 8th and 9th, respectively. The list concludes with Spanish writer Javier Marías, author of works like Your Face Tomorrow and Tomorrow in the Battle Think of Me.