The pursuit of happiness and successful translation : how to effectively translate Sanaciones Milagrosas, a self-help book, for the U.S. market

Abstract

Until recently, there has been little research on “self-help” books – not to mention the translation of this type of literature. However, today, the importance of the self-help industry is undeniable. In the United States sales reached $11 billion in 2013 (Schulz 2013), while in Latin America one in five books sold belongs to the self-help category (Papalini 2007). An important point to keep in mind, however, is that “what we call selfhelp or self-improvement literature is not a monolithic genre.