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English-Language Reading in the Netherlands and Its Consequences on Dutch-Language Publishing

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English-Language Reading in the Netherlands and Its Consequences on Dutch-Language Publishing ENGLISH-LANGUAGE READING IN THE NETHERLANDS AND ITS CONSEQUENCES ON DUTCH-LANGUAGE PUBLISHING Giulia Trentacosti, BA MSc January 2020 A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Edinburgh Napier University, for the award of Doctor of Philosophy. 1 Declaration This thesis is presented in accordance with the regulations for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and is the result of the my own independent work. The work has not been submitted for any other degree or professional qualification. None of the material associated with this research has been published elsewhere yet. Date: 12 January 2020 Signature: 2 Abstract English-language proficiency, and thus the number of consumers able to read in English, is rapidly growing in Europe. Concomitantly, digitization and online retailing make English-language books readily available to consumers. Whilst representing an opportunity for Anglophone publishers to export to non- Anglophone markets, this constitutes a significant threat to local publishers, as they must face competition from English-language editions. Perhaps due to the relatively recent upsurge in this trend, this phenomenon and its consequences on local-language publishing have been little studied. This thesis helps fill this gap by undertaking an empirical study on English-language reading in one of the European countries with the highest level of English proficiency: the Netherlands. Drawing on the theoretical framework of field theory, two methodological approaches are adopted in this study: 1) quantification of the scale of the phenomenon by gathering statistics on English-language sales in Europe and the Netherlands; and 2) investigation of how Dutch publishing and translation professionals are affected by this issue through in-depth qualitative interviews. The quantitative results show a steady rise in English-language books sold in the Netherlands between 1976 and 2018, when they accounted for 15% of the trade book market. The qualitative results show that the main defence strategy used by Dutch publishers is to release translations simultaneously with English-language originals. However, through acceleration of publication rhythms, simultaneous publication was felt to exert significant pressure on publishers and translators. Also, Dutch publishers indicated they increasingly concentrated on publishing Dutch originals and non-Anglophone books. This study enhances Dutch publishing professionals’ awareness of this phenomenon and lays the foundations for self-reflection. Moreover, its findings set the basis for further research into this topic in the Netherlands as well as in other markets and fields facing similar challenges. 3 Acknowledgments I am most thankful to my supervisor Dr. Nick Pilcher for his advice and constant encouragement throughout the last part of my PhD; his patient guidance and enthusiastic support have been truly instrumental in finalizing this thesis. My gratitude goes also to my ex-supervisors Prof. Alistair McCleery and Prof. Mary Fisher for their guidance and knowledge. Special thanks also go to Dr. Sarah Artt for being such an attentive panel chair of my supervisory team; her support has been essential in completing this PhD. This thesis simply would not have been possible without the invaluable contributions made by the participants in the empirical research. I am extremely grateful to them for their generosity. On a more personal note, I thank all my friends in Italy, Scotland, the Netherlands and elsewhere for being a major source of support in these years. In particular, I want to thank my friend and PhD colleague Anna Klamet for sharing with me this PhD journey, with all its ups and downs. I thank my partner Alberto immensely for his patience and advice, and for simply being the best life companion I could wish for. And lastly, all my gratitude goes to my family, my grandmother Rosanna and grandfather Corrado, my mum Francesca and my brother Filippo who are, with Alberto, the pillars of my life. As I close this chapter of my life, my thoughts and gratefulness go especially to my late grandfather for his unconditional support – the memory of his kind and reassuring presence will never cease to be a source of encouragement for me. 4 Table of contents Declaration .............................................................................................................2 Abstract ................................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgments ..................................................................................................4 Table of contents .................................................................................................... 5 List of tables and figures ....................................................................................... 9 List of abbreviations ............................................................................................. 12 Chapter 1: Thesis Introduction ............................................................................. 14 Thesis overview ....................................................................................... 14 Thesis structure ....................................................................................... 17 English in today’s society and its role of international lingua franca ... 22 1.2.1 The European linguistic situation ................................................... 28 English in European Higher Education ................................................ 38 1.3.1 English in the Netherlands ............................................................. 44 Summary ................................................................................................ 50 Chapter 2: Literature Review ............................................................................... 52 Introduction ............................................................................................ 52 Theoretical framework: Bourdieu’s field theory to explain patterns of cultural production ........................................................................................... 52 Defining the international publishing field ............................................ 59 2.2.1 The transnational circulation of books: translation flows as an indicator of inequality in the field of publishing ......................................... 63 English-language books in continental Europe .................................... 68 2.3.1 English-language books in continental Europe in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries: an historical overview ........................................ 69 2.3.2 English-language books in non-Anglophone European markets today 74 The role of internet retailing and digitization in supporting the export of English-language books .................................................................................... 79 5 The dynamics of the European open market field ................................ 82 2.5.1 Transatlantic copyright disputes and the competition between UK and US publishers in the European open market ....................................... 83 2.5.2 Retail Price Maintenance and its influence on export dynamics ... 88 Summary and outline of the research questions .................................... 91 Chapter 3: Research Methodology ....................................................................... 95 Introduction ............................................................................................ 95 Research paradigms: qualitative and quantitative methods ................ 96 Statistical analysis ................................................................................. 103 3.2.1 American and British book exports to Europe: data collection methods ....................................................................................................... 104 3.2.2 English-language texts in the Netherlands (1976-2018) ...............108 Strategies of qualitative inquiry ............................................................ 114 3.3.1 Grounded theory ............................................................................ 116 3.3.2 Case study approach ...................................................................... 119 Rationale for the choice of the Netherlands as a case study ................ 122 Data collection method: in-depth interviews ....................................... 124 Sample recruiting and composition ..................................................... 128 Interview protocol, transcription and analysis .................................... 132 Reliability, validity and generalizability ............................................... 137 Ethical issues ......................................................................................... 140 A note on cross-language interviewing ............................................. 143 Summary ............................................................................................... 144 Chapter 4: British and American exports in Europe today. Presentation and analysis of the available statistical evidence ...................................................... 146 Introduction .......................................................................................... 146 The UK export market .......................................................................... 147 4.1.1 PA Statistics Yearbooks export data (2001-2017) ......................... 147 4.1.2 HMRC data on single destinations
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