Translation grants
Interested in translating any of the books included in our online B2B? Make sure to check the available translation grants offered by book agencies and other organisations below.
The Netherlands
Translation grants
A foreign publisher can apply for financial support for the publication in translation of a Dutch work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry, a graphic novel or children’s book. Translation grants may also be made available to literary magazines and for exclusively digital publications. This kind of subsidy is intended to encourage foreign publishers to publish Dutch literature in translation.
Illustrated Children's Books
In the case of high quality illustrated children’s books, foreign publishers can apply for financial assistance to cover a proportion of the production costs. The amount granted is based on the direct production costs. The maximum sum that may be awarded is € 2,800. If the translator has been approved by the foundation, an additional translation subsidy of max 70% of the cost of translation can be granted.
Flanders (Belgium)
Translation grants
Flanders Literature awards grants to foreign language publishers for the translation of literary work written or illustrated by residents of Dutch-speaking Belgium. The work should originally have been published in Dutch by a Flemish or Dutch publishing house or staged by a professional theatre company in Flanders or in the Netherlands. The purpose of these grants is to stimulate international publication or performance of work by Flemish authors, illustrators, playwrights and comic book authors. For illustrated books, the grant includes up to 25% of production costs. Flanders literature also offers financial assistance to cover up to 60% of the translator’s fee for publishers from economically strong countries and up to 80% of the translator’s fee for publishers from countries with a nominal GDP per capita lower than 60% of the EU average.
Eastern Europe
Traduki supports the translation of fiction and non-fiction as well as children's and youth literature from the 20th and 21st centuries. Translation support by Traduki covers the costs of the license fee and of the translation fee in line with customary local rates. Traduki supports translations from German into Albanian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Macedonian, Montenegrin, Romanian, Serbian and Slovenian, from these languages into German, as well as translations within these languages. They also support Translations of Swiss authors writing in Italian, French and Rhaeto-Romance into Albanian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Macedonian, Montenegrin, Romanian, Serbian and Slovenian.
Grants for the translation and publication of works by Slovenian authors
The main form of international promotion is the co-financing of translations from Slovenian into other languages, including adult fiction, children’s and young adult fiction, essayistic and critical works on culture and the humanities, plays, graphic novels and comics. The subsidy covers up to 100% (with a maximum of 10.000 euro) of the translation costs. Foreign publishers can also apply for contributions towards the costs of printing translations of Slovenian authors. The funding can cover up to 70% of printing costs, with a maximum of 3.000 euro.
Applicants must be legal persons (e.g. publishing houses, theatres) registered abroad. Grants cannot be awarded retroactively.
The Croatian Ministry of Culture provides translation grants for books of Croatian authors in order to promote their presentation abroad. Foreign publishers can apply to the Ministry’s Service for Books and Publishing for subsidy, which is intended to cover the translation cost (partly or in full). The production itself is not subsidized. The accent is on translation of Croatian (contemporary) fiction and literary non-fiction.
The Institute for Cooperation and Language, I.P (Camões, I.P.) and the General Directorate for Books, Archives and Libraries, (DGLAB) have created a Funding Programme to support the translation and the publication abroad. The Funding Programme is created to promote the translation and the publication abroad of works written in Portuguese by Portuguese authors or by authors from the Portuguese-speaking African countries (Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe) and from East Timor. Grants are given to the publishers - paying a part of the translation and/or the publication costs - and also directly to the translators.
The Goethe-Institut’s grant programme “Translations of German Books into Other Languages” supports non-German publishers in publishing German-language literature. The programme supports the translation of current works of contemporary literature, literature for children and young adults, comics and graphic novels as well as non-fiction works on current social issues. In the nearly 50 years of its existence, the programme has provided financial support for the publication of approximately 6000 books in 45 languages.
As mentioned under 'Eastern Europe', Traduki also supports translations from German into Albanian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Macedonian, Montenegrin, Romanian, Serbian and Slovenian, and from these languages into German.
Wales Literature Exchange translation grants are open to foreign publishers for the translation of Wales' two literatures (Welsh and English language literature). In the case of translations of Welsh-language literature into English, publishers in the UK can also apply.
PEN Translates
PEN Translates was launched in 2012, with support from Arts Council England, to encourage UK publishers to acquire more books from other languages. The award helps UK publishers to meet the costs of translating new works into English – whilst ensuring translators are acknowledged and paid properly for their work.
PEN Translates will fund up to 75% of translation costs for selected projects. When a publisher’s annual turnover is less than £500,000 we will consider supporting up to 100% of translation costs.
Creative Europe
Creative Europe supports initiatives on translating and promoting European literary works.
The aim is to widen the transnational circulation and diversity of European literary works by encouraging translation and promotion of books in lesser-used languages. These include all the languages officially recognised in EU Member States, except English, German, French, Spanish (Castilian) and Italian.
Another objective of Creative Europe is to help European literary works to reach new audiences within the EU and beyond, and to strengthen the competitiveness of the book sector by encouraging cooperation within the book value chain.
Can't find what you're looking for? The Aldus directory of translations grants is a global database providing a country by country insight on funding opportunities for literary translation projects.