: Translation&Publishing: which situation do I need to inform the author, or don't? I read some English poems on the books or websites, and like to translate some poems from English to Chinese.

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A translation is a derivative work. Merely informing the author is not enough.

If you want to publish a derivative work, you must secure the right to do so from the copyright holder (who may be someone other than the author).

See The Copyright Handbook from NOLO Press.

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You should always inform the author if you are going to use their work. I expect most people would be delighted to have their work translated and shared to a wider audience.

As to how you present the work, that will really depend on what you are trying to achieve, but I think it would make sense to also supply the English versions (assuming you have permission) and link back to the original source.

If the work is very old, then it may be in the public domain, in which case you may have the right to use it without informing the author (which is useful if they're dead). Whether this applies will depend on when it was written and what country you're in.

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