A selection of the world's most translated books

International Translation Day is set on the feast of St Jerome, known for translating most of the Greek New Testament into Latin, besides translating parts of the Hebrew gospel into Greek. Originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, the complete Bible has been translated into 724 languages, according to a 2022 count. At least one book of the Bible has been translated into 3,384 languages.

The Bhagavad Gita — Sanskrit for "Song of God" — is a 700-verse scripture that is part of the Indian epic, the Mahabharata. Composed as a dialog between Prince Arjuna and Krishna, an incarnation of the god Vishnu, this important text of Hinduism is generally dated to 2 B.C. It has reportedly been translated into more than 75 global languages, with more than 300 translations in English alone.

Translating roughly to "the way of integrity," the Tao Te Ching is a Chinese text dating from the 4th or 3rd century B.C. and is attributed to an obscure figure, Lao Tzu, or "The Old Master." Described by Penguin Random House as "the most translated book in the world after the Bible," its 81 verses steers readers toward the Tao, or the "Way": harmony with the life force of the universe.

"The Ingenious Nobleman Mister Quixote of La Mancha" — popularly known as "Don Quixote" — was first written in Spanish by Miguel de Cervantes. Published as two parts in 1605 and 1615, literary historians deem it one of the most important books of all time, and it is often cited as the first modern novel. Translated into 50 languages, it also inspired the English adjective "quixotic."

Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tales have been translated into 128 languages. Written between 1835 and 1837, some of the Danish author's best known stories like "Thumbelina" (picture), "The Little Mermaid," "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" share the common theme of resilience in the face of adversity. A quality which remains relevant even in the 21st century.

In 2015, artist, designer, author and "emoji translator," Joe Hale single-handedly worked 300 hours to convert English author Lewis Carroll's 27,500-word novel "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" into more than 26,000 emojis. It was part of the 150th anniversary celebrations of the book whose protagonist is known as Alis in Yiddish, Alisi in Tongan or Anya in Russian.

"The Little Prince" has been translated into 552 languages and dialects; and some of these languages now have several translated versions. Written originally in French, it is about a young prince who visits various planets, including Earth, and addresses themes of loneliness, friendship, love and loss. First published in 1943, it still commands a cult following today.

Though not a book, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, published in 1948, holds the Guinness World Record as the most translated document in history, existing in more than 500 languages and dialects from Abkhaz to Zulu. Its extensive translation underscores the universal commitment to human rights, ensuring that people worldwide know their basic human rights regardless of their language.

"The Alchemist" (Portuguese: "O Alquimista") is a novel by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, which was first published in 1988. Originally written in Portuguese, it became a widely translated international bestseller. Coelho holds the Guinness record "for the most translated author for the same book." To date, "The Alchemist" has been translated into 80 languages including Hindi, Farsi and isiXhosa.

Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiong'o's "The Upright Revolution" (2019) is a short story on how and why humans began to walk upright. Originally written in Gikuyu, this short story merging myth and folklore with an acute insight into the human psyche and politics has been translated into 63 languages — 47 of them African — making it the most translated story in the history of African literature.