Sampling the system

It's sometimes a good idea for a translator to approach an English-language publisher with short samples of a foreign poet's work, particularly as in the case of Nordic literature such projects can often be subsidised by  govenrnment arts agencies. Sometimes the procedures for filing the applications is a little vague, though. In one recent case I found that having permission from the poet concerned was not enough - it seemed that the Nordic publisher also needed to agree to the sample translations being made, even though there was no question at this stage of the translations being published anywhere. This seems an odd system, and one wonders whether the agency concerned has understood the situation with regard to copyright correctly.  According to one agency official, the publisher's agreement is required "in order to exclude support for projects where rights holders are not interested in taking part in them." Yet if the "rights holder" is the poet or author who has granted permission and actively wants the translations to be made, one wonders where the problem is.

Icelandic translation grants

The Icelandic Literature Fund (Bókmenntasjóður) is advertising again (hat tip: Sjón). This might be a good opportunity for translators who have some time to spare away from their work. There's not much time left for applications, though:

Translators in Residence/Travel Support for 2010

The Icelandic Literature Fund and The Writers´ Union of Iceland invite applications for grants for translators of Icelandic literature. Applicants selected will be granted a two to four weeks stay in Gunnarshús (The Writers´ residence in Reykjavík) in the spring or autumn 2010. The grant consists of travel expenses, housing and a sum of IKR. 20.000. pr. week - to cover living expenses during the stay.

The applications, which indicate translated works/planned translations from Icelandic should be sent no later than September 1st 2009 to The Icelandic Literature Fund, Hallveigarstöðum, Túngötu 14, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland. The result will be announced no later than October 1st.

Grant Central

Each year the Finnish Literature Exchange (FILI), a long-established Finnish culture ministry-funded organization (earlier known as FLIC, the Finnish Literature Information Centre) which aims to connect publishers, translators and authors, awards €510,000 in translation and publication grants to more than 300 projects worldwide.

In former days, grant recipients learned the fate of their applications by snail mail, but now are expected to check the lists of awards that are published on the FILI website.

A glance through the lists - there are two, one for complete translations of Finnish and Finland-Swedish works, and another for sample translations of the same - can be useful in forming a picture of what Finnish titles may be likely to appear in translation from English-language publishers in the following year or years.

Sometimes, however, the crop is sometimes quite small, as in the current spring awards, with much of the funding going to translators working in languages other then English.

Book-length translations receiving funding in the first part of the current grant year include Juhani Aho's Rautatie (translator Owen Witesman, publisher Norvik Press), Henry Parland's Sönder (translator Dinah Cannell, publisher Norvik Press), Riikka Pelo's Taivaankantaja (translator David Hackston, publisher Twisted Spoon Press) and Boel Westin's study of the life and work of Tove Jansson, Tove Jansson: Ord, bild, liv (translator Silvester Mazzarella, publisher Sort Of Books).