English PEN’s flagship translation grant is now open for submissions.

Launched in 2012 with support from Arts Council England, PEN Translates helps UK publishers to meet the costs of translating new works into English, while ensuring that translators are acknowledged and paid properly for their work.

The programme has now supported over 300 books and awarded over £1m of funding. 12 titles supported through PEN Translates have featured on International Booker Prize longlists in the last five years.

PEN Translates is open to works from all languages, and it is not essential for publishers to have acquired the rights at the time of application, as long as they have permission from the publisher of the original.

PEN Translates awards are assessed based on:

Literary quality (40% weighting)
Strength of the publishing proposal (30% weighting)
Contribution to UK bibliodiversity (30% weighting).

We particularly welcome submissions from underrepresented forms and genres (e.g. children’s literature, YA, graphic novels) and underrepresented languages and geographies (e.g. indigenous languages, Oceania literatures, Sub-Saharan African languages).

Publishers should note and use the revised application form available on the English PEN website, and apply through our new submissions form.

The deadline for applications is 31 May 2020.