The translations – Wuthering Heights on 61 languages, Jane Eyre on 59

The amount of languages in which Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre have been translated has continued to expand. In the last updated version of the second translations analysis article of 24 November the score was 51-49. Emily Jane is still in the lead, still two ahead. Wuthering Heights is now on 61 languages, Jane Eyre on 59. (It’s a combined total of 67 languages.) In the revised article the new lists of languages can be seen.

There may be more languages in Asia and Africa for both that have not yet been discovered. And there will be new languages in upcoming years.

Cover of Wuthering Heights
in Bengali

Cover of the Jane Eyre in Afrikaans

Not all of the languages have got a full translation. The Jane Eyre in Afrikaans (a sort of Dutch from South Africa) is an abridged version for instance, of only 112 pages. The Basque Jane Eyre has only got 56. But abridged versions also count. I haven’t though included a 1943 Wuthering Heights play in Afrikaans. A play is not a translation.

On Wikipedia a list of mostly translated books can be found, billed as a ‘list of literary works by number of translations.’ They are not all literary works though, so the list has been cleansed. The Brontës are not in the Wikipedia list, but our revised literary list has Wuthering Heights in joint 16th place and Jane Eyre in joint 21st.

Top 22 of mostly translated literary works

Otherwise The Tenant of Wildfell Hall has scored two more languages, bringing the total to 30. One behind Villette. Shirley has 29 now, the Professor is still on 28. Agnes Grey has scored one more language, bringing her total to 26.

Cover of a Brazilian The Tenant of
Wildfell Hall

Eric Ruijssenaars