SOURCE: OUTLOOK

PEN Presents is a new program by PEN English to support funding for sample translations and the program will be taking submissions from Indian translators as well.

Translations are a must for any work of literature to get a wider audience and often form the bedrock of literary diversity. However, translators are not often given their due and remain unnoticed players in the literary world. The new Booker Prize win for a translated work of literature, however, has brought the focus back on the art of translation and the often invisible artists who perform the complex task.

Amid praise for Geetanjali Shree and Daisy Rockwell's joint Booker Prize win for the translated novel 'Tomb of Sand', global NGO English Pen has announced a new programme to support and encourage translators. The program, known as PEN Presents, is meant to support sample translations.

English PEN was founded in 1921 and is one of the first global NGOs that started working for human rights. It is also the founder of PEN International, a consortium of writers spread across over a hundred nations. The new program will enable translators to get funding for a shortlist of submissions to cover the often-unpaid work of translating a sample. The program will initially run in 2022–23 but the organisers aim for it to become a permanent, long term programme. 

In good news for Indian translators, the program will also be taking a first round of submissions focusing on the literature of the languages of India. The program will also include a digital showcase of selected samples which will be promoted to publishers. 

CLICK ON THE SOURCE IN HIGHLIGHT TO READ MORE