Translating a book into another language is a common goal for many indie authors. The question of which AI is the best to translate or whether to hire a human translator often comes up early in the process. The answer is not so straightforward as we would like. And while we naturally are opposed to a machine stealing our livelihood, ignoring this valid question is unfair.

Every year, dozens of English-language indie authors who want to translate their work into German encounter the same set of alarming rumors about copyright law: "German translators automatically own the copyright to their translations!" or "You can't own the German rights if the translator is based in Germany!" These myths spread quickly in self-publishing communities and have scared more than one author away from the lucrative German market. The reality is much simpler — and