Some of the Books We Love Were Never Written in English

Author: RentReadBuy Editorial Team

Published: 2026-09-29

Discover three remarkable books that crossed languages before reaching English readers - from a mysterious Japanese café to a Brazilian classic and Renaissance Italy.

Translated books from Japanese, Portuguese and Italian literature featured by RentReadBuy, with page tabs representing their journey into English.

Imagine your bookshelf without translation

Take translation away from your bookshelf and entire worlds begin to disappear.

A mysterious café in Tokyo. A shepherd following a recurring dream. A Renaissance writer examining power and leadership. These reading experiences look very different on the page, but they share something important: none began in English.

Someone had to carry each one across a language before an English-language reader could open the book and enter its world.

Some books cross oceans. Some cross centuries. These had to cross languages first.

With International Translation Day observed on 30 September, this is a good moment to notice not only the books we read, but also the translators who make many of those reading experiences possible.

The name between the author and you

Translation is not simply a matter of replacing one word with another. A literary translator has to carry meaning, rhythm, humour, emotion, cultural references and voice into another language while giving a new group of readers a book that still feels alive.

The United Nations recognises 30 September as International Translation Day, highlighting the contribution of language professionals to dialogue, understanding and cooperation. For readers, there is an especially simple way to recognise that work: the next time you open a translated book, look for the translator's name too.

Three books. Three languages. Three different journeys.

Start in Japanese fiction, travel through a Portuguese-language modern classic, then step back into Renaissance Italian political thought.

JAPANESE → ENGLISH

Before the Coffee Gets Cold

Toshikazu Kawaguchi · English translation by Geoffrey Trousselot

A small Tokyo café. One particular seat. One impossible opportunity.

In a café tucked away in Tokyo, customers may be able to return to a moment in the past. But there are rules. They cannot leave their seat, they cannot change the present, and they must return before their coffee gets cold.

That unusual premise becomes a gentle way of exploring regret, relationships, unfinished conversations and the things people wish they had said when there was still time.

Start here if you want translated fiction that feels immediately approachable but emotionally distinctive.

Explore Before the Coffee Gets Cold

PORTUGUESE → ENGLISH

The Alchemist

Paulo Coelho · English translation by Alan R. Clarke

A recurring dream becomes a journey far beyond home.

Santiago begins as a shepherd with a recurring dream. Following it takes him away from the life he knows and into a journey involving treasure, risk, strangers and questions about what makes a life meaningful.

The Alchemist began as O Alquimista in Portuguese. Its journey into English is a useful reminder that a story can begin within one language and culture, then become part of the reading lives of people far beyond them.

Choose this when you want a short, reflective journey built around purpose, possibility and following a path.

Explore The Alchemist

Some passages deserve a second look

Reading beyond familiar places and cultures can leave you with moments you want to return to: an unfamiliar idea, a phrase that makes you pause, a cultural detail you want to look up later, or simply a passage that stays with you.

For books you own and plan to revisit, removable page markers can make those moments easier to find again. Different colours can become simple landmarks for favourite passages, questions, themes or ideas.

READING COMPANION

Morandi Sticky Index Tabs

This 1,200-piece set combines writable page markers in multiple muted colours, giving readers a simple way to organise passages, themes and ideas they want to find again.

It fits naturally into an active reading routine: mark a thought while it is fresh, then return to it without searching through the entire book.

Best considered for books you own, notebooks and reading journals. For borrowed or rented books, follow the applicable book-care rules before attaching any adhesive marker.

ITALIAN → ENGLISH

The Prince

Niccolò Machiavelli · Penguin Classics translation by Tim Parks

Translation does not only transport stories. It transports ideas.

Written in Renaissance Italy, The Prince examines political power, leadership and statecraft. The Penguin Classics edition featured here is translated by Tim Parks.

Whatever conclusion a reader reaches about its arguments, its continued availability in translation demonstrates something important: translation lets readers encounter, examine and debate texts written in another language and another historical period.

Try this when you want translated reading to move beyond fiction into history, political thought and enduring arguments.

Explore The Prince

Where should you begin?

Want something intimate, unusual and emotional? Start with Before the Coffee Gets Cold .

Want a short, reflective journey about purpose and possibility? Open The Alchemist .

Want to move from storytelling into political thought and history? Try The Prince .

Explore first. Keep the books that stay with you.

Trying literature from another language, culture or period sometimes means stepping outside your usual reading choices. Renting can make that exploration easier.

And when a book becomes one you want to underline, annotate, revisit or place permanently on your shelf, choose a copy to keep.

Rent what you want to explore. Buy what you want to keep.

Read beyond the language you already know

Start with a Japanese novel, follow a story born in Portuguese, or explore a translated work from Renaissance Italy. Once one book opens that door, follow its author, translator, original language or country to the next.

There is far more waiting on the other side of your usual bookshelf.

Browse the RentReadBuy Library

One more name to notice on your next book

The next time you pick up a translated book, look beyond the title and author's name. Find the translator too. The book reached your shelf through their words as well.

References

References consulted for Translation Day, book and translator details:

Frequently Asked Questions

What are translated books?

Translated books are works originally written in one language and recreated in another by a translator, allowing readers who do not know the original language to experience the story, ideas and writing.

What are some good translated books to start with?

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho are accessible starting points. Readers interested in classic political thought can also explore Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince.

Was Before the Coffee Gets Cold originally written in English?

No. Toshikazu Kawaguchi originally wrote Before the Coffee Gets Cold in Japanese. The English edition featured in this article was translated by Geoffrey Trousselot.

Was The Alchemist originally written in English?

No. Paulo Coelho originally wrote The Alchemist in Portuguese. Alan R. Clarke translated the widely read English edition.

When is International Translation Day?

International Translation Day is observed every year on 30 September. It recognises the work of language professionals and the important role translation plays in connecting people and cultures.

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