PEN Translates is open until 11.59pm BST on 31 May 2025
Grant opportunities open now
PEN Translates – open to UK publishers. Grants for new books in translation from any language and region. Deadline: 31 May 2025.
PEN Translates x SALT – open to publishers anywhere outside South Asia. Grants for new books in translation from any language of South Asia. Deadline: 31 May 2025.
PEN Presents x SALT – open to translators anywhere in the world, for translations of works originally published in any official or unofficial language of South Asia, whose authors are citizens of a South Asian country, resident in South Asia, or of south Asian heritage, and for work of any form, genre, style and era. Deadline: 31 May 2025.
Translation Grants Assessor Pool – open to literary translators anywhere in the world. Join our pool of independent freelance assessors, who evaluate the translation grant proposals we receive. Deadline: 31 May 2025.
About the award
PEN Translates was launched in 2012, with support from Arts Council England, to encourage UK publishers to acquire more books from other languages. The award helps UK publishers to meet the costs of translating new works into English – while ensuring translators are acknowledged and paid properly for their work.
The award funds up to 75% of translation costs for selected projects. When a publisher’s annual turnover is less than £500,000 we will consider supporting up to 100% of translation costs.
There are two submission periods each year, the first in April–May (with awards decided in December) and the second in October–November (with awards decided the following June).
The Selection Panel (a specially selected group of industry professionals including writers, translators and booksellers) will assess your application based on the submitted form and the supporting documents provided.
From 1 April 2024, in partnership with the South Asian Literature in Translation (SALT) project, we are running an additional strand: PEN Translates x SALT. Applicants can apply through the main submission portal, using the specific forms for the strand below. PEN Translates x SALT is open to publishers anywhere in the world other than South Asia (rather than just the UK), exclusively for works of South Asian literature. A separate Selection Panel considers these applications.
If you have any queries, please contact [email protected]
Eligibility
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.
PEN Translates x SALT is open to works from publishers anywhere outside South Asia, for works of South Asian literature.
In the last four years, the average grant awarded was £2,750, and 80% of grants were between £1,000 and £4,750. PEN Translates has limited funds to award each round, and we encourage publishers also to pursue funding elsewhere if possible.
The submitted project may be a work of fiction (including children’s literature), non-fiction, poetry, prose or plays (for print edition), but not a magazine.
The grant is open to UK-based publishers only.
For further information on eligibility, please consult the guidance for applicants and application form.
The criteria for assessment are:
- Literary quality (40% weighting)
- Strength of the publishing project (30% weighting)
- Contribution to UK bibliodiversity (30% weighting)
PEN Translates will support a project when the translation is in progress, but not if it is in the final stages of production. For translations underway, the publication date must be at least 3 months after the announcement of the award. Awards are announced approximately seven months after the application deadline.