Cultural policy

Publication of the ‘Report on the economic value of book translation’ in Spain

ACE Traductores (http://ace-traductores NULL.org/) (Spain) has presented a Report on the economic value of book translation, prepared by the consulting agency AFI and financed by the Ministry of Culture and CEDRO, the main Spanish Reproduction Rights Centre.

Its main objective was to “check, get to know and quantify the economic value of book translation in Spain, taking into account not only the publishing figures but also the total amount of sales, whose impact, in the absence of statistics, is presumably higher”. →

Literary Translators into Spanish: Joining objectives on both sides of the Atlantic

Over recent months several national associations of literary translators into Spanish —from Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and Spain— have combined efforts to improve the working conditions of their Latin American members, as well as to contribute to the prestige of the profession and the development of culture by means of the exchange of information, experience and knowledge, and also to promote common training programmes. →

New website: KurdîLit – Network for Kurdish literature and publishing in Turkey

Although Kurdish-language publishing in Turkey has picked up speed, especially in the last ten years, Diyarbakır Arts Center (http://www NULL.diyarbakirsanat NULL.org/en/default NULL.aspx) and Lîs Editions (http://www NULL.wesanenlis NULL.com/) noticed that the limited visibility of Kurdish-language literature in Turkey and in the international arena continues to be a problem, both for producers and for readers. →

PEN International’s ‘Quebec Declaration on Literary Translation and Translators’ now available in more than twenty languages

On 15 October 2015 PEN International adopted the Quebec Declaration on Literary Translation and Translators (http://www NULL.pen-international NULL.org/the-quebec-declaration-on-literary-translation-and-translators/).

The text contains a six-point summary of the principles and objectives that PEN International intends to promote in the area of literary translation. These principles include the importance of translation in promoting the dignity of all cultures and languages, the need to draw attention to the conditions required in order to engage in this activity and, above all, the importance of defending the people who make communication possible – literary translators. →

Conference ‘The European author in the 21st century’ (Brussels, 26 April 2016)

On 26 April 2016, World Intellectual Property Day, the French Permanent Council of Writers will organize a conference at the European Parliament, titled ‘The European Author in the 21st Century’.

(http://www NULL.ceatl NULL.eu/conference-the-european-author-in-the-21st-century-brussels-26-april-2016/france-conference-invitation-eng-apr16)

For the full program, please click here (http://www NULL.ceatl NULL.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/PROGRAMME-The-European-Author-in-the-21st-Century NULL.docx). →

TTIP negotiations : CEATL welcomes the European Parliament’s recommendations

Brussels, 8 September, 2015

In a press release dated 2 February 2015 (http://www NULL.ceatl NULL.eu/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/2015-02-02-PRESS-RELEASE-TTIP-english NULL.pdf), CEATL sounded the alarm on the fact that the publishing industry was part of the TTIP negotiating mandate, which might pose a threat to policies of protection and promotion of the book sector, notably to fixed book prices. →

TTIP negotiations: CEATL sounds the alarm on literature and publishing not being covered by the so-called ‘cultural exception’

PRESS RELEASE

Brussels, 2 February, 2015

Representing 10,000 literary translators in 29 European countries, CEATL urges the parties responsible for the ongoing Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations between the European Union and the United States of America to pay attention to the following issues of concern to everyone with a stake in European literatures and the cultural values they constitute:

Publishing is not covered by the so-called “cultural exception” and is therefore part of the mandate of TTIP negotiators
This poses a threat to Europe’s publishing and literature since TTIP will tolerate continued cultural promotion and protection measures only if these are non-discriminatory.

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Frankfurt Book Fair: CEATL partner of the first European declaration in favour of the book

On 9 October 2014, at the Frankfurt Book Fair and on the initiative of Vincent Monadé, President of the Centre national du livre (France), several directors of European organizations in the publishing field signed the first common declaration in favour of the book, in the presence of European trade federations (EWC, European Writers’ Council; FEP, Federation of European Publishers; EIBF, European and International Booksellers Federation; and CEATL). →

Feasibility Study for Actions to Support the Mobility of Literary Translators

In November 2013 the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education and Culture published the results of a feasibility study carried out at the Directorate’s request by the Italian bureau Consulmarc Sviluppo s.r.l. The study can be downloaded here (http://eacea NULL.ec NULL.europa NULL.eu/llp/studies/study_suport_mobility_literary_translators NULL.php).

The proposed programme, for which the authors suggested the name ‘Mercurio’, is in three parts:

Mobility Actions focused on translation activities and training (residencies, workshops, etc.);
Partnership Actions focused on mobility for capacity-building and networking activities;
Complementary Side Actions focused on the dissemination of information and on awareness campaigns

For a two-year pilot, the study recommends a budget of €4,799,000, of which the European Commission would provide €3,981,000 and the stakeholders €818,000. →

The complete text of Petra recommendations now also available in Italian

In 2012, Petra (European Platform for Literary Translation) issued a list of recommendations (http://www NULL.ceatl NULL.eu/?p=4015) intended to provide for new and better conditions for literary translators in Europe. The recommendations were published in English, French and German.

Members of the Italian association Strade (http://www NULL.traduttoristrade NULL.it/) (Sindacato traduttori editoriali) have now translated those recommendations into Italian. →

Workshop on Translating small literatures for the global market (Sofia, 27-28 May 2013)

From 27-28 May 2013, the Institute of Literature at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences will organise a workshop on ‘translating small literatures for the global market’.

Drawing on the concepts of minor, small and hegemonic literatures and their philosophical implications, the workshop which is meant to be a first step in a long-term research project, hopes to arrive at a ‘post-postmodern’ understanding of the essence and structure of what we call world literature. →

PETRA Recommendations published

From 1 to 3 December 2011 almost 70 organisations, all active in the field of literary translation, gathered in Brussels for the first PETRA congress (http://www NULL.ceatl NULL.eu/?p=2474). These organisations, based in 34 European countries (EU member states and neighbouring countries), reflected upon the situation of literary translation in Europe and discussed the development of a European plan of action in support of literary translation. →

Policy Dialogue on ‘The state of play of translation across the Mediterranean’ (26 June, Brussels)

The Anna Lindh Foundation (http://www NULL.euromedalex NULL.org/) in cooperation with BOZAR (the Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels) and Transeuropéennes (http://www NULL.transeuropeennes NULL.eu/) are pleased to announce a policy dialogue on ‘The state of play of translation across the Mediterranean’.

The event which will be attended by partners, cultural actors, policy makers and officials, will celebrate the official launch of a mapping study of translation flows in the Euro-Mediterranean region supported by the Anna Lindh Foundation. →

Croatia joins the TRADUKI network

On 24th October 2011 in Berlin the TRADUKI (http://english NULL.traduki NULL.eu/index NULL.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48&Itemid=54) partners signed resolutions with Nina Obuljen, the State Secretary in the Croatian Ministry of Culture, for the expansion of the TRADUKI framework agreement. This enables Croatia to become a new member in the private-public partnership between the Austrian Federal Ministry for International and European Affairs, KulturKontakt Austria, the German Foreign Office, the Goethe Institute, Pro Helvetia, the S. →

Policy recommendations of the European Civil Society Platform on Multilingualism

The Civil Society Platform on Multilingualism (http://ec NULL.europa NULL.eu/education/languages/news/news3505/call_en NULL.pdf) was launched by the European Commission in October 2009. Commissioner Orban called upon the Platform to consult with civil society across the EU in order to submit a set of initial proposals to influence thinking at EU, Member State and regional level, and to help designing the financial instruments for the new generation of funding programmes (2014-2020). →

EU feasibility study for actions to support the mobility of literary translators

In cooperation with the Department of Language, Interpreting and Translation Sciences of the University of Trieste (http://www NULL.dslit NULL.units NULL.it), Consulmarc Sviluppo ( http://www NULL.consulmarc NULL.it) s.r.l. is carrying out a feasibility study for actions to promote mobility among literary translators in Europe. The study has been commissioned by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA (http://eacea NULL.ec NULL.europa NULL.eu/about/call_tenders/2009/call_tenders_02_2009_en NULL.php)) and is funded by the European Commission (Directorate-General for Education and Culture). →

CEATL’s replies to the EU online questionnaire on the future Culture Programme

CEATL recently completed the EU online questionnaire (http://ec NULL.europa NULL.eu/culture/our-programmes-and-actions/doc2805_en NULL.htm) on the future Culture Programme. Here are our most important replies:

2.9 – There’s a need for a specific EU programme for culture because without a cultural dimension, the EU is a dead body. Culture can never be reduced to a simple ‘national’ matter, because national cultures are open systems, fed by a wide variety of transnational currents.

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EU Lifelong Learning Programme calls for the creation of literary translators’ platforms

The general call for proposals 2011 for the EU’s Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP) has been launched. In the strategic priorities 2011-2013 (http://ec NULL.europa NULL.eu/education/llp/doc/call11/prior_en NULL.pdf) of this programme, section KA 2.2 (networks in the key activity field of ‘languages’) now includes an item on literary translation:

2.2.2 – Training and cooperation in the field of literary translation

Networks will promote the creation of literary translators’ platforms on the internet or through traditional communication tools. →

Culture Action Europe launches ‘we are more’ campaign

(http://www NULL.wearemore NULL.eu/)Culture Action Europe (http://www NULL.cultureactioneurope NULL.org/) launches the we are more campaign for the new EU Culture Programme (http://ec NULL.europa NULL.eu/culture/our-programmes-and-actions/doc411_en NULL.htm). Please click on the logo to check the special website, which also contains a full position paper and CAE’s contribution to the public online consultation (http://ec NULL.europa NULL.eu/culture/our-programmes-and-actions/doc2805_en NULL.htm) of the Culture Programme. →