Amazon has unveiled Kindle Translate, a new AI-driven translation service aimed at helping authors on Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) expand their international audience. The tool, currently in beta, supports translations between English and Spanish, as well as from German to English — with additional languages planned for future updates.

According to Amazon, fewer than 5% of e-books on its platform are available in more than one language, leaving a huge untapped market for authors. Kindle Translate aims to bridge that gap by offering an accessible and affordable way to bring books to new audiences.

Because AI translation is not flawless, Amazon allows authors to preview their translated manuscripts before publication. This helps writers catch potential inaccuracies, though the company notes that those translating into unfamiliar languages may still benefit from human review. Amazon says its translations are “automatically evaluated for accuracy” but hasn’t disclosed the details of that verification process.

Authors can manage their translations directly through the KDP portal — selecting target languages, setting prices, and publishing their translated editions with ease. Readers will see a “Kindle Translate” label on AI-translated titles and can preview samples before purchasing.

For now, the service is free to use, a major advantage for independent authors who have long struggled with the high costs of professional translation. One early tester described the tool as a “cost-effective and trustworthy solution” for making books accessible to more readers.

Kindle Translate joins a growing field of AI translation tools, many of which already support a wider range of languages. Critics argue that human translators still outperform AI when it comes to capturing tone and nuance — particularly in fiction — but advances in large language models are rapidly narrowing that gap.

Amazon confirmed that translated works created with Kindle Translate can also be enrolled in KDP Select and made available through the Kindle Unlimited subscription program, further boosting visibility for authors looking to go global.

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