Support to literary translation

Call for Proposals

The Call for Proposals EACEA 46/2014 – “Support to literary translation projects” has been published by the European Commission, Directorate Education and Training.

The main objectives of the “Support to literary translation projects” call are:

- to support cultural and linguistic diversity in the Union and in other countries participating in the Culture Sub-programme of the Creative Europe Programme;

- to promote the transnational circulation of high quality literary works, as well as to improve access to these literary works in the European Union (hereafter "the EU") and beyond and to reach new audiences.

 

The priorities of the “Support to literary translation projects” call are:

- Supporting the circulation of European literature with a view to ensuring the widest possible accessibility;

- Supporting the promotion of European literature including the appropriate use of digital technologies in both the distribution and promotion of the works;

- Encourage the translation and promotion of high quality European literature in the long term.

Raising the profile of translators is an additional priority of this scheme. For that reason, publishers will be required to include a biography of the translators in each translated book. Translations from lesser used languages into English, German, French and Spanish (Castilian) are encouraged as these may contribute to a wider circulation of the works.

Depending on the duration, needs, nature and objectives of the projects, the “Support to literary translation projects” call will provide two categories of support:

Category 1 – Two year projects- Every year up to 2020, two year projects for which the maximum grant per project is EUR 100 000.

Category 2 – Framework partnership agreements - For the calls for proposals published in December 2013 and in November 2016, framework partnership agreements for respectively three years and four years. The maximum grant per specific agreement awarded under the framework partnership agreement will be EUR 100 000 per year.

For calls published in 2014 and 2015 applicants can only apply for the category 1. For the call to be published in 2016 applicants will have to choose to apply under either category 1 or category 2 depending on the duration, needs, nature and objectives of the project.

NB : regardless of the category applicants can submit only one application per call

The category 1 in the framework of the current “Support to literary translation projects” call for proposal includes projects that:

- have a maximum duration of 2 years (eligibility period);

- are the subject of an application requesting no more than EUR 100 000, representing a maximum of 50% of the total eligible budget;

- consist both in the translation and promotion of a package of 3 to 10 eligible works of fiction from and into eligible languages;

- are based on a strategy for the translation, distribution and promotion of the translated package of works of fiction.

The projects under the current “Support to literary translation projects” call will also have to comply with the following requirements concerning the original works (as a source):

- Works in paper or digital format (e-books) are both eligible

- The works must be works of fiction with a high literary value, irrespective of their literary genre, such as novels, short stories, plays, poetry, comic books and children’s fiction. Non-fiction works are not eligible, such as: autobiographies or biographies or essays without fictional elements; tourist guides; human science works (such as history, philosophy, economy, etc.) and works related to other sciences (such as physics, mathematics, etc.).

- The works must have been previously published.

- The works must be written by authors who are nationals of, or residents in, an eligible country with the exception of works written in Latin or ancient Greek.

- The works must not have been previously translated into the target language, unless a new translation corresponds to a clearly assessed need. In any case applicants must respect a 50 year time limit since the last translation, explain the expected impact on new readers, and provide a convincing explanation of the need for a new translation into the specific target language.

Eligible activities under the current “Support to literary translation projects” call are Translation, publication, distribution and promotion of a package of eligible works of fiction with a high literary value, irrespective of their literary genre, such as novels, short stories, plays, poetry, comic books and children’s fiction.

Activities can include such as special events and marketing/distribution organised for the promotion of the translated works in the EU and outside the EU, including digital promotion tools and promotion of authors at book fairs and literary festivals.

As a complement to the translation, publication, distribution and promotion of a package of eligible works, projects can also include the partial translation (translation of excerpts) and promotion of works of fiction from the catalogues of the applicant (not included in the package) to foster the selling of rights either within Europe or beyond.

The total budget for the co-financing of projects under the “Support to literary translation projects” call is estimated at 7 % of the total budget for Creative Europe – Culture Sub-programme (i.e. EUR 454 800 000) which amounts to around EUR 31 800 000 over the period 2014-2020.

Each year throughout the duration of the Programme, the European Commission and the Agency will publish an annual work programme indicating the budget devoted to literary translation projects for that particular year.

Financial contribution from the EU cannot exceed 50% of the total eligible costs of the project. The remaining amount shall be secured by the applicants.

The Agency reserves the right not to distribute all funds available.

The deadline for submitting proposals is 4 February 2015.

Further information on the current call for proposals is available on the European Commission’s web site at: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/creative-europe/funding/literary-translation-2015_en