Dear Doctor

[the Bible

Unsurprisingly, the Bible is not only the world's most widely sold but also most translated book in the world. Individual parts have been translated into 3,394 languages, and the complete Bible into 694 languages.]

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

Original Swedish Title: Män som hatar kvinnor ("Men Who Hate Women")

The English title sounds more thrilling and mysterious, which likely contributed to its popularity.

2. "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie

Original Title: Ten Little Niggers (UK, 1939), later changed due to offensive language.

The translated title became far more acceptable and is now the standard worldwide.

3. "The Sound of Music" (based on the memoir The Story of the Trapp Family Singers)

The translated title (for the musical/movie adaptation) became iconic, while the original memoir's title is less known globally.

4. "The Elegance of the Hedgehog"

Original French Title: L'Élégance du hérisson

The English version closely translated the title, but the evocative phrasing in English likely helped the book gain international fame.

5. "All Quiet on the Western Front"

Original German Title: Im Westen nichts Neues ("Nothing New in the West")

The English title conveys the same idea but with a more poetic tone, making it more memorable.

Among the English translations of the French novel À la recherche du temps perdu by Marcel Proust, the first translation's title Remembrance of Things Past is probably more popular, as it is taken from a Shakespeare sonnet. This is why it is "significantly altered" from the original title. This is not the case in later English translations where the title is In Search of Lost Time.