Literary Translation Projects
Please note:
In this section we would like to emphasise the fact that certain criteria enable rapid identification of possible projects in the Creative Europe programme. However,we also stress that the information provided on this website does not invalidate the absolute necessity to read the respective guidelines relating to the different lines of funding in order to specifically assess the eligibility and evaluation criteria.The guidelines can be found on the Comissão Europeia/ EACEA - Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency website.
Call status: Closed
Next call: February 2020 (See calendar)
Information on the previous 2019 applications, open calls and further documentation is accessible at: https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/creative-europe/funding/support-to-literary-translation-projects-2019_en
This line of funding for literary translation projects is aimed towards the circulation of works of fiction.
Objectives and priorities (summary)
- To promote the transnational circulation of literary works
- To reach new audiences
- To support the circulation of quality European literature, including works awarded with the European Union Prize for Literature
- To promote the access to literary works
- To promote European literature and its availability, including the best practices for promotion and distribution involving digital technology
- To encourage long term promotion and translation of quality literature
- To increase translators’ exposure by including the translator biography notes in the book.
Some preliminary considerations
- There are no quotas by countries or regions
- The financial model is co-funding
Eligible Entities
- Active publishers or publishing houses with the respective Business Activity Code
Eligible Projects
- Translation and publishing of a collection of works of fiction;
- Source and destination translation languages correspond to official languages of countries encompassed by Creative Europe*;
* European Union and candidate countries, EFTA members (Iceland and Norway only) and countries that are part of the Neighbourhood Policy. The latter may include countries in North Africa, but these are only eligible with prior specific agreement with the Commission to participate in Creative Europe. An updated list can be found on the Commission’s webpage.
We encourage
- Least spoken European languages to most spoken European languages (English, German, French and Spanish)
- The translation and promotion of winners of the European Union Prize for Literature
- The best practices for promotion and distribution involving digital technology
- Translating least represented genres (young adult literature, poetry, short stories and comics)
Funding Categories
- Category 1, 2-year projects
- Opening every year until 2020
- A collection of 3 works, up to 10
- Maximum funding: 50%
- Up to 100,000€
- Co-funding percentage paid 30 days after entering into the contract: 70%
Elegible costs
- Translation
- Publication
- Promotion
- Distribution
- External auditing
- Non-deductible VAT costs
Project Evaluation Criteria
| Criteria | Definition | Maximum points |
| 1. Relevance |
Does the application contribute to the overall objectives and priorities? (evaluates how will the project contribute to the transnational circulation and diversity of quality European literature, and the improvement of their accessibility) |
40 |
| 2. Quality of the content and activities |
How is the project implemented? (evaluates the project practical implementation, the quality of the works to be translated, project management team organisation, and activity planning) |
25 |
| 3. Communication and dissemination in Europe and other parts of the world |
What is the approach to promoting the translated works? |
20 |
| 4. Works awarded with the EU Prize for Literature |
Points awarded automatically (1 point for each book awarded with the EUPL) NEW |
15 |
Evaluation Process
- The evaluation process lasts three and a half months.
- Projects are firstly evaluated by independent experts individually.
- A meeting with the members of the Evaluation Committee (the body authorising the selection of projects) will follow. Projects will then be classified according to their evaluation.
- The call timeline can be found here.