How do you translate book titles?

I believe it depends on the type of the book.
If we are talking about a book in a practical kind of field like say business administration then we are probably talking about using a specific terminology that will probably help you translate the title almost immediately however if we are talking about a field of science that requires caring about the aesthetics ( i.e.
beauty of language and word choice) like literature, then in this case it would be better to wait and read more into the book until you come up with a title in the target language that you believe as a translator would satisfy the original writer of the book.

Well, I think that in order to translate something you can to fully understand what it means, not just the basic meaning, rather to go beyond and reflect on the author's choice of words, like for example why he used this particular word and not another one to express his idea, what nuance do the words that make up the title have with others, what ideas or images does this word provoke to the people who use it.
Having done that, now I think you must do the process in reverse for the target language, what words or expressions provoke the same mental image in this language, are there other synonyms for this word that could go better, and thus I think while staying loyal to an author's choice of words, you can translate something understandable and significant for readers in the target language.

Well, just as u translate any other statement, but It Would be better to translate the title after completion reading up all the content of the related pages.

I agree with most answers here, but the first thing you need to look at is the contract you have with the publisher, agent or author. Usually most publishers you license the translation from will stipulate that you cannot change the title, i.e. they require direct translations expect minor ones for a better meaning, without their approval. 

 

Past that case, usually you need to go for a title that is both similar to the original one but using terminology that attracts readers to it. But in all cases it needs to remain true to the original form. 

You should consider a lot of things when translating the title of the book, because first of all you are due to keep the meaning of the title, and the intention of the writer if you can...
some titles could be a proverb or an idiom that is hard to be compared with another one in the target language...
in this case I prefer to keep at least the meaning!

First, no matter what languages, type of text or subject, whether its pragmatic or litterary, the title MUST be translated at the very end of your project, just before sending to the Revisor, after getting feedback, try remodeling the title again just before sending to client. That's when you're most likely to have a comprehensive, well-rounded understanding of the text.

Litterary (prose, poetry, novel, etc):

often litterary titles draw upon word-play, clichés and puns which dont necessarily work in any other language. Are there any metaphores? Elements of style like rhyme, aliterations, etc. It's best to move as far away as possible from the individual words of the Source in order to create a natural, idiomatic, rendition of the author's desired effect. A good example: "50 Shades of Grey" - There's poetic imagery here, and a visual picture of the color grey, but the character is also named Grey. It would be FALSE to simply render Mr. Grey by whatever the color grey is called in your Target Language. So litterary, especially poetry, you should be spending A LOT of time on creating a great title. That's your Cherry On The Top!

 

Pragmatic (All the rest): For general texts, on websites, communications or what not, sometimes its better to stick to the Source Language, in other words, dont get too creative!. For Manuals, its imperative to be technically exact and accurate, depending on the language, the title of a technical manual might be considerably longer than the original.

 

The importance of the title of a text cannot be stressed enough. There is a reason why editors often change the titles chosen by the author: it needs to convey the desired effect on the targeted public. The translator should attempt to recreate the same effect in his own language.

Book titles have to be literally translated ..
use easy understanding yet professional words to reach the minds of the reader but don't deviate from what the book wants the reader to understand ..
always stick to the text never follow your personal opinion when it comes to translating books and titles ..
it is not an easy thing by the way ..
good luck my friend

Titles of pieces of writing are generally the last translated parts of a given work.
By full and complete comprehension of all elements, stories, components, wording and framing inside, a title has not to be literally translated, but rather rephrased in the light of the original title.
If the original title is of an appealing ambiguous nature, the target title shall carry ambiguity, but at the same time, maintain its appealing nature in the target language and culture.
The same way, if the original title include metaphorical phrasing, the target title shall carry metaphorically rephrased essence, but closely sculptured to go with the substance contained therein.

You don't change a book title, a book title is like a name, its stays the same in every language.

In short , I think you should concentrate on the meaning of the title itself or on the content of the book ..

what I do is, if the title of the book has a meaning in the target language, I translate it then writing the title in the source language between brackets.
If it has no meaning in the target language I transform the name into the target language letters and also writing the title in the source language between brackets.