Reading in English: why many readers prefer the original language even though translations exist
Between BookTok, young adult sagas, global releases and the desire to read "as it was written", more and more Spanish-speaking readers are turning to books in English even though Spanish translations exist.
The phenomenon opens a cultural debate: reading in the original language can broaden the experience, but it also raises questions about access, prestige, translation, and reader inequality.
Reading in English is no longer just for specialists.
For a long time, reading literature in English seemed to be a practice reserved for translators, academics, advanced students, or bilingual readers. Today, however, many young Spanish-speaking adults buy novels, fantasy series, romance, thrillers, or nonfiction directly in English, even when a Spanish edition exists or is forthcoming.
The shift isn't happening for a single reason. Some readers want to avoid translation waits. Others want to follow BookTok conversations, read phrases as they circulate online, practice the language, or access cheaper, faster, or more attractive editions. There are also those who feel that reading in English brings them closer to the author's original voice.
The original language as a promise of closeness
The idea of reading “in the original” has a particular power. It promises a more direct relationship with the work: without mediation, without adaptations, without inevitable losses. For certain readers, a sentence by Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf, George Orwell, Sally Rooney, Rebecca Yarros, or Colleen Hoover seems to carry a different weight when it appears in the language in which it was written.
But that promise should also be viewed with caution. Reading in the original language doesn't automatically mean reading better. A reader can grasp more nuances in a good translation into their native language than in a foreign language they only partially master. The experience depends on the reader's language level, the type of book, their sensitivity, and the quality of the available translation.
The debate shouldn't pit original against translation as if one option were inherently superior. Rather, it reveals that reading is also about choosing our perspective on a work.
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BookTok and the urgency to read before the translation arrives
Social media accelerated the phenomenon. Many books go viral before their translation is available in all markets. TikTok reported that more than 50 million books recommended by the #BookTok community were sold in Europe during 2025, generating €800 million in key markets, according to analysis by NielsenIQ BookData and Media Control. The same platform notes that more than a third of readers aged 16 to 39 in Germany discover new books through #BookTok.
When a novel explodes on social media, readers don't always want to wait. They want to participate in the conversation now: understanding memes, commenting on scenes, avoiding spoilers, and sharing their enthusiasm with a global community. In that context, reading in English can become a way to be part of the cultural moment.
An example of this trend can be seen in Barcelona. Catalan News reported in April 2025 that BookTok was boosting English-language bookstores in the city, with young local readers visiting these spaces to find viral titles, especially in young adult and new adult literature. The publication also noted that Spanish and Catalan bookstores had begun to expand their selection of English-language books.
Translation, waiting, and access: who gets to read first
Literary translation allows millions of readers to access books written in other languages. Without translations, much of the world's literature would remain confined within linguistic borders. Therefore, preferring to read in English should not be interpreted as a rejection of translators. On the contrary, this phenomenon serves as a reminder of the extent to which translation sustains the global circulation of books.
The European market demonstrates the centrality of English as a source language. A report cited by Publishers Weekly in April 2026 indicated that translations from English account for between 50% and 70% of all translated titles in much of Europe. The same analysis indicates that, in large markets such as Germany, France, Italy, and Spain, translations represent approximately 12% to 15% of new books.
This means that many books written in English do become translated, but not always at the same time or with the same visibility. A significant amount of time can pass between the original publication, the acquisition of rights, translation, proofreading, printing, and distribution. For readers connected to global communities, this wait can feel excessively long.
The prestige of reading in English and its limits
Reading in English also has a social dimension. In certain circles, it functions as a sign of cultural capital: it demonstrates language proficiency, access to international publications, and participation in a global conversation. This dimension can be stimulating, but also problematic if it turns reading into a status symbol.
The British Council notes that around 2.300 billion people speak English worldwide, and that for most it is an additional, non-native language. This helps explain why English functions as a global bridge, but also as a filter: not all readers have the same opportunities to learn it, practice it, or buy imported books.
Spanish, for its part, also possesses enormous international strength. The Cervantes Institute published the report "Spanish: A Language for the World" in 2025 , prepared by the Global Observatory of Spanish, with analyses on demographics, the language's economic value, artificial intelligence, terminology, and digital multilingualism. ( cervantes.org ) Reading in English should not imply underestimating Spanish, but rather accessing a broader library.
When translation is also a way of reading
A good translation is not a mechanical copy. It is a literary interpretation, a negotiation of rhythm, tone, register, humor, cultural references, and verbal music. Reading a translation is also reading a work carefully recreated by someone who dedicated time to making it possible in another language.
Therefore, the fairest debate isn't "original or translation," but rather "what experience do I need now?" Sometimes it's best to read in English to hear a voice more directly. Other times, translation allows for a deeper understanding, without the linguistic effort obscuring the emotion, structure, or nuances.
A bilingual reader can even do both: read first in translation and then return to the original, or compare fragments to discover how a sentence changes when crossing from one language to another.
Keys to understanding why so many readers choose English
- Many Spanish-speaking readers read in English to access viral books or global releases earlier.
- BookTok accelerated the international circulation of titles, especially in young adult, romance, fantasy, and new adult.
- Reading in the original language can offer a closer connection to the author's voice, but it does not guarantee a deeper reading experience.
- Translations fulfill an essential cultural function: opening books to communities that do not master the original language.
- English functions as a global bridge, but it can also operate as an access filter.
- Reading in English and reading in translation are not enemies: they are two ways of entering literature.
What's coming: a bilingual library without hierarchies
The growth in readers seeking books in English should not be seen as a threat to Spanish-language literature. It can be an opportunity to envision more open libraries, more inquisitive readers, and more visible translations.
The challenge lies in avoiding two extremes: believing that the original is always superior or thinking that reading in English is a betrayal of one's own language. Literature doesn't need rigid boundaries. It needs readers capable of moving between languages, appreciating the work of translators, and choosing each book out of desire, not pressure.
Reading in English can be one door. Reading in Spanish, another. Perhaps the richest library is not the one that chooses one language over another, but the one that understands that each language offers a different way of listening to the world.
Ricardo Auguste grew up immersed in Haitian culture and language, roots that permeate his sensibility and his worldview. Although he had no formal academic training in literature, from a young age he was self-taught, reading Haitian and international poets. Over time, he developed his own free and experimental voice, where introspection intersects with a strong social conscience. Among his works are Songes infects (2013), Plen-Pip (2014), Kout zegwi (2015), written in Creole and inspired by Haitian folk traditions, and Mil frases en mis brazos (2015), written in Spanish and focused on universal themes.