Towards New Conditions
for Literary Translation
in Europe
The PETRA Recommendations
Press file
Press conference – Passa Porta / Brussels – 22.10.12
Contents
The PETRA publication / English version
Press release
A selection of PETRA Recommendations
Intervention of European Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou
Also available in French, German and Dutch
The PETRA Recommendations
Press release
22/10/2012
From 1-3 December 2011, almost 70 organisations, all active in the field of literary translation, gathered in Brussels for the first PETRA congress. 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.
The outcomes of these discussions are now collected in the publication Towards New Conditions for Literary Translation in Europe. The booklet’s subtitle is The PETRA Recommendations.
PETRA, European platform for literary translation
Coordinated by Passa Porta, the International House of Literature in Brussels, and organised in cooperation with the Polish Book Institute (Krakow), the Literarisches Colloquium Berlin, the Slovak Literary Translators Society (Bratislava) and Transeuropéennes (Paris), the PETRA project aims to bring together existing initiatives and to give rise to a new dynamic in the field of literary translation.
The PETRA organisers can count on the expertise and commitment of a number of associated partners: CEATL (European Council of Literary Translators’ Associations), CETL (European Centre of Literary Translation), the Dutch Foundation for Literature, ELV (Expertisecentrum Literair Vertalen), Escuela de Traductores de Toledo, the Flemish Literature Fund, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, HALMA, Het beschrijf, the Robert Bosch Stiftung, the S. Fischer Stiftung and Stiftung ProHelvetia.
Furthermore, there are the so-called ‘contact partners’ in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland. These contact partners are committed to active participation in the PETRA project by organising events and coordinating the PETRA campaign in their country.
PETRA can be seen as the literary translation sector’s answer to the challenge launched by the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, at the Literary Translation and Culture conference in Brussels (April 2009). He said: “I believe that the time has come for the practice of translation to develop its potential and for us to become better aware of how much we owe to translators. We will welcome all approaches and views …”
We are pleased to note that PETRA has been awarded an EU grant and that it is an acknowledged cooperation project within the EU Culture Programme. This shows that the EU takes literary translation seriously.
The PETRA objectives
PETRA aims to give weight and visibility to the initiatives and expertise of the many actors active in the broad field of literary translation in Europe.
PETRA’s main objective is to promote and support literary translation and literary translators in Europe. In particular, PETRA wants to instigate and set in motion beneficial changes in the field.
PETRA also wants to present literary translation to a wider audience as an activity, adventure and artistic process that is both interesting and demanding.
The PETRA recommendations
The PETRA recommendations are the result of the discussions held at the PETRA congress. They deal with five topics:
- Education and training of the literary translator
- Copyright and e-rights management
- Cultural situation and visibility
- Editorial policies and the market
- Economic and social situation of the literary translator.
The PETRA recommendations are based on the conviction that the conditions surrounding literary translation in Europe need to change.
New conditions for literary translation can be created on a European, national or regional level. The EU offers many possibilities for the support of literary translation in Europe. There is, for example, the Culture Programme and the Lifelong Learning Programme. The EU should improve and widen the current facilitating measures. But the EU can do even more. It can motivate national and regional authorities and create a positive dynamic throughout the whole of Europe.
Policy makers, on both a national and regional level, need to be aware of the importance of literary translation, not just for its own sake, but also for that of their country or region, and act accordingly. They have the capacity to make the concrete decisions that will improve the current situation.
This PETRA publication provides the national, regional and the EU policy-makers with interesting and useful suggestions. We urge all parties to reflect upon what they can do, be it collaboratively or individually.
In addition, the PETRA recommendations are also addressed to the worlds of publishing, education and training, authors’ rights, the media and literary criticism... They too can make a substantial contribution to the creation of better conditions for literary translation in Europe.
PETRA invites all stakeholders and parties involved to make a difference.
For further information, visit www.petra2011.eu
Contact
Grażyna Bienkowski – - 00 32 2 226 04 56
Barbara Simons – – 00 32 226 04 59
Magda Siemienska – - 00 32 2 226 04 56
The PETRA Recommendations
A selection
Education and Training of the Literary Translator
It is recommended to create open structures, at national and European level, to enable universities and higher education establishments to collaborate with non-academic organisations and associations and networks of professional literary translators, without cumbersome administrative procedures.
Copyright and E-rights Management
The EU member states are invited to foster negotiations between translators' associations, publishers' associations and/or collecting societies with the aim of concluding a model publishing contract for translators. The contract is to be fair to both translators and publishers and should be suitable for the digital era.
Cultural Situation and Visibility
Translators are authors who deserve to have their creative and cultural achievements recognised. Publishing companies, newspapers and institutions should commit themselves to crediting translators by name in books and in digital media, in advertising for books, in book reviews, in the catalogues of libraries and the book trade. Translators should be named everywhere the author is named.
Editorial Policies and the Market
The European Commission, national literary foundations and literary publishers should all strive to improve the social status and remuneration of literary translators.
For this purpose, national and European bodies should cooperate to establish a system of direct grants to translators, while publishers should decide to treat translators not as a budgetary afterthought, but in a manner commensurate with their level of education, their creative efforts, the time they invest and the cultural significance of their work.
Economic and Social Situation of Literary Translators
Negotiations between translators’ associations and publishers’ associations should be instigated on a national level: promoting discussions concerning rates, copyright and acceptable types of contract. On this point, we are keen to stress the necessity for the EU to formulate concrete directives concerning copyright in Europe.
Intervention of European Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou
Presentation of the PETRA recommendations
Passa Porta / Brussels / Monday 22 October 2012
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am very happy to be with you today to receive the recommendations of the PETRA project for literary translation.
It was at the end of last year that I opened your congress on literary translation in Europe. There you began a dialogue on the challenges and needs of the sector. And today, we see the fruit of those discussions.
I am delighted to see all the work behind these recommendations. Your ideas will drive forward the awareness campaign that you are organising.
Some of you will remember President Barroso's words of support at the Commission's conference on literary translation back in 2009. When you speak to me about the importance of literary translation in Europe, you are also preaching to the converted.
As artists and authors in their own right, literary translators are 'cultural engineers', building bridges to ideas and knowledge that otherwise would remain out of our reach.
European integration is first and foremost a dialogue between cultures. And without the contribution of these artist-engineers, the European project would not have progressed – certainly not to the point where it is crowned today, and rightly so, with the Nobel Peace Prize.
I am a passionate supporter of literary translation and very proud that the European Commission has been supporting the book sector for many years, funding not only translations but also many other projects.
Since 2009, our EU Prize for Literature has put the spotlight on new or emerging European authors, helping them to reach new audiences outside their home country. Let me be clear about our ambition. We are working to establish a genuine European readership of close to half a billion people.
But I do not want to stop there.
For the next EU funding period, from 2014 to 2020, I am proposing a substantial increase in the budget for our new 'Creative Europe' programme – because we believe that investing in the cultural and creative sectors can generate new jobs and a significant economic return.
Books are the second most exported cultural goods of the EU. They account for a major part of our cultural and creative industries, and this makes a direct contribution to our strategy for growth and jobs.
But of course, it is not just about the economy.
By investing in our cultural and creative sectors, we are making a real commitment to social inclusion and sustainable development across Europe.
I expect that the future 'Creative Europe' programme will involve around 8,000 cultural organisations. 300,000 artists, cultural professionals and their works will have the chance to operate across borders. 'Creative Europe' will support the translation of 5,500 books.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am confident that 'Creative Europe' will take forward many of the recommendations in your report. I congratulate everyone that has worked on the PETRA project, and thank Passaporta for their vision and leadership.
Like any piece of good work that has reached completion, this is not really the end, but just the beginning of your next chapter.
Thank you.