House of Europe launches translation grants

The House of Europe program of the European Union has announced a grant competition for the translation and publication of fiction and non-fiction books. Publishers and translators can receive up to 5,000 euros. This was reported to Chytomo by the program organizers.

House of Europe grants cover up to 70% of the expenses on publishing a book and they finance translations fiction, non-fiction, prose, poetry, drama, comics. The grants also support translations of professional literature in the fields of culture and creative industries, education and youth work, social entrepreneurship, and media. Publishers who want people with low vision to also have access to quality literature will be able to publish books in Braille.

The grants will support translations from EU languages and languages of national minorities of Ukraine into Ukrainian and from Ukrainian into EU languages.

House of Europe will finance not only the translation, but also all production and marketing costs related to the publication of the book. The maximum grant amount will be EUR 5,000, and the first payment will be 60% of the total grant amount.

“The translation grants are intended to support Ukrainian publishers who continue to work with incredible efforts under the brutal full-scale Russian invasion, as well as their colleagues from the EU and the UK, as interest in Ukrainian books abroad has grown significantly over the past year,” said program manager Tetiana Manziuk.

Applications can be submitted by publishing houses and organizations, registered in Ukraine or the EU as a legal entity: Ltd, non-governmental organization, individual entrepreneur.

To find out more about the competition and to apply, please visit the House of Europe website. The application deadline is June 22, 2023 at 15:00.

In an exclusive commentary to Chytomo, Iryna Yurchenko, marketing manager at Laboratory Publishing House, shared her experience of receiving and implementing the grant.

“We received a grant to publish a book by Irene Vallejo, Doctor of Classical Philology, Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World, a deep and comprehensive work on the history of books.

Such support is important for the publishing house, because the publication of each book requires a lot of financial resources, and their lack (especially under martial law) sometimes forces us to revise the publishing plan and postpone titles for “better times.” This is a big problem, because Russian expansion has done its job: for a long time, the market was literally flooded with the products of the aggressor country, and it was extremely difficult to compete with the number of Russian publications, as financial resources limited our capabilities. Now we have a chance to change this. The more quality and useful books in Ukrainian, the better for the Ukrainian book market. Grant support is very important in this regard, as it strengthens us in the active struggle for our place in our own country.

Papyrus is written by a reputable researcher who has studied the history of books in depth. The information is presented in a rich literary language verging on fiction, so the reader gets not only knowledge but also a cozy and interesting read about the invention and journey of the book from ancient times to the present. This Spanish edition was valuable to us not only for its content and depth, but also for expanding our range of non-English translations and for much-needed cultural ties with the European and non-English-speaking publishing community. Moreover, there are fewer translators from Spanish than from English, and support for their work is also needed, which is what the support program helps to realize.

The partnership with House of Europe is not only useful for the Laboratory and the Ukrainian book market, but also extremely pleasant due to the systematization, coordinated work plan, and high-quality communication. It was a great experience for the publishing house and, as a result, we have another interesting book,” Yurchenko said.

House of Europe is an EU-funded programme fostering professional and creative exchange between Ukrainians and their colleagues in EU countries and the UK. The programme focuses on different professional fields: culture and creative industries, education and youth work, social entrepreneurship, and media. 

In addition to translations, House of Europe funds internships, educational trips, networking, residencies, and other forms of professional exchange. The program supports creative cooperation and collaboration between Ukrainians and their EU colleagues in the field of culture and the creative industry.

Image: houseofeurope.org.ua

Photo: Iryna Yurchenko’s Instagram