Professional Assessment of Translation Support Services for Nigerian Literature at International Book Fairs

International book fairs including the Frankfurt Book Fair, the London Book Fair, and the Bologna Children's Book Fair represent critical commercial and cultural platforms for the international translation and publication of Nigerian literature, yet Nigerian authors and publishers lack consistent professional translation support at these events. This study professionally assessed the translation support services available to Nigerian literary professionals at international book fairs and the barriers to greater international translation uptake of Nigerian literary work. A professional assessment methodology was employed, combining structured interviews with 15 Nigerian publishers, authors, and literary agents who had attended international book fairs in the preceding three years, analysis of Nigerian representation at Frankfurt, London, and Bologna fairs from 2021 to 2023, and comparative assessment of translation support services available to comparable national literatures including Kenyan, South African, and Ghanaian literature. Results showed that Nigerian literary professionals at international fairs receive minimal institutional translation support compared to European national literature support organisations, and that translation rights sales from Nigeria are disproportionately concentrated in a handful of established authors. Translation discovery tools, sample chapter translation for rights presentations, and translation grant information were consistently identified as major gaps. The study recommends the establishment of a Nigerian Literature Translation Fund under the Nigeria Export Promotion Council with dedicated fair presence capacity, and the development of a national translation promotion strategy modelled on the German Federal Foreign Office's literary translation grant programme.

Keywords: literary translation, international book fair, Nigerian literature, translation promotion, publishing