Applications open for Translators of Swedish Literature

The purpose is to facilitate processing and achieve legal certainty in their assessments and decisions. This document shall also be available on the Swedish Arts Council’s website to provide a clear picture of how they distribute and follow up government grants.

Grants to translators of Swedish literature and drama aim to strengthen the quality of translations from Swedish into other languages. The grant is aimed at professional translators. In this context, professional translator means translator who work professionally with literary translation.

Funding Information

• A maximum of SEK 12,000 can be awarded for sample translation and mentorship respectively. For other projects, you apply for a grant to cover the actual costs of the project.

Costs Covered

• Grants can be used to cover costs in connection with work-related activities that aim to strengthen the quality of translations of Swedish literature and drama. This may involve participation in projects or events such as festivals, conferences, seminars, fairs, workshops, or travel in connection with the work on a particular translation.
• One prerequisite for support is that the translator’s project relates to works published in Sweden, are written in Swedish or in one of the national minority languages, and that the translator does not translate via any other language.

Eligible Costs

• Travel and accommodation costs, conference or course fees, or, where applicable, mentoring fees are eligible for grants. Sample translation grants are applied for the estimated cost of the work on producing a suitable material to enable publishers or theatres to make decisions on buying the rights for a full translation.

Eligibility Criteria

• Based on Regulation (SFS 2007:1435) on government grants for international exchange and cooperation in the field of literature, the Swedish Arts Council awards grants for translators of Swedish literature and drama into other languages.
• Grants can be applied for by professional translators of Swedish literature and drama.
• Mentorship collaboration between an established translator and a mentee is also eligible, where the established translator applies for the grant. Sample translations meant for publishers or theatres for consideration of publication or performance of the work are also eligible for grants.

Ineligibility Criteria

• Translators of literature from other languages into Swedish, as well as organisations, publishers, or networks cannot apply for the grant.
• It is not possible to apply for grants for work with textbooks, Festschrifts, homage volumes, publishing of sheet music, study materials, specialised scholarly works, reference books, hobby books, yearbooks, books of local interest, exhibition catalogues, craft books, handbooks, cookbooks, and travel guides.
• Translations already under contract are not eligible for sample translation grants. The grant shall not reimburse a fee for a translation contracted for publication.
• Travel, events, and activities that have already taken place are not eligible for a grant.

Application Requirements

• In the application, the applicant shall provide the information requested by the Swedish Arts Council on the application form.
• Compulsory appendix for all applications is a current CV with a list of published works that the applicant has translated from Swedish.
• For a sample translation, a certificate from the right holder shall also be submitted, stating that the translator has the right to work on the translation. The translator shall also enter information, with short justifications, on which publishers or theatres the work shall be presented to.
• For mentorship projects, the applicant, the mentor, should enclose their own and the mentee’s CV, a jointly signed project plan, and the mentee’s motivation letter.

For more information, visit Swedish Arts Council.