As First Second gets born this Spring (May 2nd, at your favorite bookstore), we hope to define ourselves by the care and attention that goes into the making of the books.

One aspect that goes mostly unmentioned is translation, but for the foreign titles we offer it’s totally crucial. I’ve been dismayed over the years to see sometimes brilliant titles receive slipshod, clunky translations — which are bound to turn off American readers and reviewers. I know this is dear to the hearts of publishers like Kim Thompson at Fantagraphics and Chris Oliveros at Drawn & Quarterly.

Anyway, :01 translator extraordinaire Alexis Siegel (and my brother) gave a very interesting interview at Comic World News on the subject of translating comics.