In 1987, the last year for which the data seems comprehensive, the global translation output was approximately 65,000 volumes, more than 32,000 of which were from English. These figures have probably not changed much over the past decade because international publishing has not increased dramatically, despite the widespread use of computers to generate camera-ready composition. English also prevails over the other languages translated within these countries. British and American publishers, in sharp contrast, translate much less. This figure includes 55 translations from Chinese and 17 from Arabic, compared to 374 from French and 362 from German.
Translation undoubtedly occupies a marginal position in Anglo-American cultures.
Yet among the foreign texts that do enter English, writing in African, Asian, and South American languages attracts relatively little interest from publishers. These grossly unequal translation patterns point to a significant trade imbalance between the British and American publishing industries and their foreign counterparts. Quite simply, a lot of money is made from translating English, but little is invested in translating into it. Since the 1980s, sales of foreign rights for English-language books have become highly profitable, earning their publishers millions of dollars annually and in some cases earning more in foreign markets than at home. In the same year, British and American publishers together issued only 14 translations of Brazilian literature.