About our PEN Translates and PEN Presents programmes

English PEN runs two grant programmes for literature in translation:

PEN Translates supports new books in translation into English from UK publishers. We award grants to publishers to cover the costs of paying translation fees, enabling publishers to acquire and publish more translated literature while ensuring translators are paid and acknowledged properly for their work.

PEN Presents supports and showcases sample translations into English, funding the often-unpaid work of creating samples, giving UK publishers access to titles from underrepresented languages and regions, and helping diversify the translated literature landscape. Translators anywhere in the world can apply to create short samples of previously untranslated work.

For both PEN Translates and PEN Presents, applications are assessed both by independent assessors (literary translators who consider individual applications) and Selection Panels (independent, rotating groups of seven expert writers, translators, agents, scouts, publishers, publicists, booksellers, critics, journalists, programmers and readers, who consider all applications in a round of submissions).

The role of assessors for PEN Translates

For PEN Translates, assessors read and consider individual applications from publishers for work translated into English from a language in which they are an expert.

Assessors read the original manuscript in full and a 2,000-word translation sample, considering the material against the ‘literary quality’ assessment criterion, and then provide a written report and a score for the application. All assessors are provided with guidance on how to evaluate and score the applications.

When making their final decisions on awards, the Selection Panel read all assessors’ reports alongside all the applicants’ materials.

English PEN will not disclose the identities of PEN Translates assessors to anyone other than the Selection Panel members for the round of submissions for which they are assessing. The Selection Panel also remain anonymous. However, assessors are welcome to publicly identify themselves as assessors for English PEN if they wish.

You can see a model assessment for PEN Translates here.

The role of assessors for PEN Presents

For PEN Presents, assessors read and consider the samples created by shortlisted translators, for work translated into English from a language in which they are an expert.

Assessors read the 5,000-word translation sample and the equivalent passage from the original work, considering the material against the ‘literary quality’ assessment criterion, and provide a written report and score for the application. All assessors are provided with guidance on how to evaluate and score the applications. Comments from assessors’ reports may be included in the showcasing of selected samples, and assessors can choose whether or not their name is attached publicly to these comments.

When making their final decisions on awards, the Selection Panel read all assessors’ reports alongside all the applicants’ materials.

As with PEN Translates, English PEN will not disclose the identities of PEN Presents assessors to anyone other than the Selection Panel members for the round of submissions for which they are assessing – unless an assessor has chosen to have their name publicly attached to a comment about a sample selected for showcasing. The Selection Panel also remain anonymous. However, assessors are welcome to publicly identify themselves as assessors for English PEN if they wish.

You can see a model assessment for PEN Presents here.

Joining the English PEN translation assessor pool

English PEN recognises the importance of access and transparency in the recruitment of assessors, and the value of assessment work to the development and financial viability of translators’ careers.

We are open twice a year – during October­–November and April–May – for literary translators anywhere in the world to apply to join our pool of assessors. Assessors can be emerging, mid-career or established.

Joining the pool does not mean that we will necessarily commission you to assess an application; whom we commission depends on what proposals we receive, and so we cannot guarantee that you will be invited to assess. Joining the pool instead means that we will be able to consider inviting you to assess, if an application we receive matches your languages and specialisms.

To apply, translators are asked to respond to a short online form about their languages, interests, experience and specialisms, and to attach a CV.

Applications will be considered by the English PEN team, and successful applicants will be invited to join the assessor pool. If they accept this invitation, the details a prospective assessor has submitted to apply to join the pool will comprise their record on file.

How we engage assessors from our pool and commission assessments

When we receive applications for PEN Translates or PEN Presents, we matchmake them with assessors who we invite to evaluate the submissions. Assessors take on this work on a freelance basis (that is, as a third-party contractor rather than an employee of English PEN). We match applications with assessors in terms of language groups, but also in terms of specialism, interest, form, genre, contexts, and a range of other intersecting points.

Whom we commission from our pool is determined by the applications we receive. If we do not receive applications e.g. for work translated from a language in which an assessor is an expert, this means we will not have any assessments for which to commission them. Being in the assessor pool therefore does not guarantee that you will be asked to assess an application; we cannot indicate how often you will be invited to assess. For languages for which a large number of assessors are part of the pool, we pay particular attention to matching an application to their specialisms.

English PEN may on occasion approach translators who are not a part of the pool to assess applications, in the instance that there are no assessors in the pool who can be matched with an application, or if all assessors who can be matched with an application are unable to accept an invitation to assess it.

Payment rates for assessments

Assessments for PEN Translates and PEN Presents are different, and require different amounts of work. For PEN Translates, the scope of work is also dependent on the length of the book being considered. As such, we pay the following rates per assessment (assessors may be invited to assess more than one application per round):

  • PEN Presents (reading a 5,000-word sample and equivalent ~5,000-word original-language passage, with access to the translator’s application form; and completing a written assessment) – £150.
  • PEN Translates (reading a 2,000-word sample and the whole original-language manuscript, with access to the publisher’s application form; and completing a written assessment), where the original manuscript is shorter than 500 pages – £250.
  • PEN Translates (reading a 2,000-word sample and the whole original-language manuscript, with access to the publisher’s application form; and completing a written assessment), where the original manuscript is longer than 500 pages – £400.

Assessor responsibilities if commissioned

Once in the pool, assessors will have no commitments unless they are invited to assess an application and accept the invitation. Once commissioned, assessors will have the following responsibilities: to

  • sign a Letter of Agreement for the work, formally agreeing to take on the assessment in a freelance capacity;
  • sign a Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality form, confirming they have no known direct or indirect conflicts of interest or loyalty, and confirming they will keep the materials shared with them as part of their work in confidence;
  • immediately raise to English PEN any conflicts of interest that emerge during the delivery of their work;
  • read the briefing materials and guidance notes shared with them;
  • read the application materials and texts shared with them;
  • complete a written report and provide a score against the ‘literary quality’ criterion, using the assessment form and guidance provided by English PEN;
  • submit their assessment by the date agreed with English PEN (assessors are usually given four weeks to complete their assessments).

Updating assessor records in the pool

We will review the entire pool every three years (and review particular language groups on a case-by-case basis). Assessors will be contacted about updating their records in the pool (e.g., adding new languages, specialisms, or updated CVs), and to confirm whether they would like to remain in the pool, when we conduct our triennial review. Assessors can choose to update their records, keep existing materials on file, or leave the pool.

Leaving the assessor pool

Assessors can leave the pool at any time by emailing English PEN, who will remove their record from file. Assessors can also chose to leave when they are contacted as part of our periodic review of the pool. If assessors confirm that they would like to be removed from the pool, their record will be removed from file.

Communicating with English PEN

Assessors and translators interested in assessing for English PEN can communicate with us at any time at [email protected].