Statutes of the TRADUCTA programme

    1. GENERAL PROVISIONS

    1.1. Scope of application

    TRADUCTA is a support programme for translators of Estonian literature and foreign publishers. The programme was initiated by the supervisory board of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia in 2000 and was called the Traducta scholarship programme until 2015.

    These Statutes set out the terms and conditions for applications for grants under the Traducta programme of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia (“the Cultural Endowment”) (below jointly referred to as “grants”) on the basis of subsection 2 (4) of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia Act. The general terms and conditions for applications for and the award and recovery of the grants are set out in the general procedure for the allocation of funds of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia (“the general procedure”) and these Statutes are a part of the general procedure. In the event of a conflict with the general procedure, the Statutes shall prevail.

    1.2. Purpose of the programme

    The purpose of the Traducta programme is to support the translation of works by Estonian authors (in particular fiction, poetry and drama, but also history, folklore, essays, etc.) into foreign languages and their publication outside of Estonia.

    1.3. Types of grants

    Under the Traducta programme, translation grants for creative work and publication grants in the form of project grants are awarded.

    1.4. Applicants

    Both private and legal persons (translators and publishers) are eligible for the translation grants. Only publishers are eligible for the publication grants.

    1.5. Form and method of application

    A standard-format application shall be submitted in the e-kulka online application environment of the Cultural Endowment or by email to traducta@kulka.ee.

    1.6. Deadlines for submitting applications

    Applications shall be submitted by 20 February, 20 May, 20 August or 20 November. If the date falls on a weekend or public holiday, the deadline shall be on the very next working day.

    2. Use of the grants

    2.1. The translation grants shall be used to promote the translation of fiction, poetry or drama for publication outside Estonia. As a rule, only translations of an entire literary work shall be eligible, but a translation of an excerpt may also be supported. However, if the same translation is subsequently published as part of a translation of the entire work, the previously translated excerpt will no longer be eligible for support.

    2.2. Publication grants may be used by foreign publishers for publishing Estonian literature abroad. The Traducta programme shall support only works translated to a high standard. The Traducta programme shall not support translation through third languages, except in exceptional cases. The Traducta expert committee shall decide on such exceptional cases.

    3. Applying for grants

    3.1. To apply for a translation grant,

    a standard-format application shall be submitted to the Traducta committee of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, adding the following: (amended on 25 June 2019)

    • the volume of the work to be translated (character count for prose; word and line count for poetry);
    • a copy of the contract between the foreign publisher and the holder of copyright in the original work to be translated;
    • a copy of the contract between the translator and the foreign publisher for the publication of the translation;
    • an excerpt from the translation (up to 20 pages);
    • the translator’s resume and list of published translations.

    3.2. To apply for a grant for the translation of a dramatic work,

    a standard-format application shall be submitted to the Traducta committee of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, adding the following: (amended on 25 June 2019)

    • the volume of the work to be translated (character count for dramatic prose; word and line count for dramatic verse);
    • the full text of the original work;
    • an excerpt from the translation (up to 20 pages);
    • a statement of purpose from a foreign performing arts institution;
    • the translator’s resume and list of published translations.

    3.3. To apply for a grant for translating an excerpt,

    a standard-format application shall be submitted to the Traducta committee of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, adding the following:

    • an informal statement of purpose to support the application;
    • the translated excerpt (up to 30 pages, 1,800 characters per page);
    • a copy of the original;
    • an excerpt from the translation (up to 20 pages);
    • the translator’s resume and list of published translations;

    3.4. To apply for a publication grant,

    a standard-format application shall be submitted to the Traducta committee of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, adding the following:

    • the volume of the work to be translated (character count for prose; word and line count for poetry);
    • an exact calculation of the publication costs of the work;
    • a copy of the contract between the foreign publisher and the holder of copyright in the original work to be translated;
    • a copy of the contract between the publisher and the translator;
    • the latest printed or digital catalogue of the publisher.

    3.4.1. Publication grants shall not be used to cover remuneration for image editing and graphic design, taxes or shipping costs.
    3.4.2. As a rule, the maximum amount of a grant is 2,000 euros.

    4. Awarding grants

    4.1. The awarding of grants shall be decided by an expert committee (“the Traducta committee”) appointed by the supervisory board of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.
    4.2. The decisions of the committee shall be approved by the supervisory board.
    4.3. The Traducta programme is funded from the interdisciplinary projects of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.
    4.4. Translation grants and publication grants shall not be awarded if the translation or work was published before the application deadline.
    4.5. As a rule, the applicant is informed of the decision two months after the application deadline.

    5. Signing the contract

    5.1. The Cultural Endowment of Estonia shall sign a contract with the recipient of a translation grant or with the foreign publisher.
    5.2. The terms and conditions of the contract (except for grants for translating an excerpt) shall include the following obligations:
    • to ensure that the grant from the Traducta programme of the Estonian Cultural Endowment is mentioned in the publication in the target language of the translation in the following wording: “Selle raamatu väljaandmist on toetanud Eesti Kultuurkapitali programm Traducta” (in English: “This book has been supported by the Estonian Cultural Endowment, Traducta programme.”), to which the logo must be added; (amended on 30 December 2020)
    • to submit to the Cultural Endowment of Estonia 5 (five) copies of the publication. (amended on 30 December 2020)

    5.3. 4 (four) of the copies submitted to the Cultural Endowment of Estonia will be handed over to specialist organisations as follows:

    • 1 (one) copy to the National Library of Estonia for long-term preservation;
    • 1 (one) copy to the Estonian Literary Museum for long-term preservation;
    • 2 (two) copies to the Estonian Literature Centre (except for children’s literature) for preservation and to introduce the programme;
    • Two copies of publications of children’s literature to the Estonian Children's Literature Centre for preservation and to introduce the programme.

    (Section 5.3 supplemented on 30 December 2020.)

    6. Conditions for payment of grants

    6.1. The conditions for the payment of translation grants shall be determined by the Traducta committee.
    6.2. As a rule, translation grants shall be paid as follows:

    • 60% of the amount after the publisher has received and approved the translation;
    • 40% of the amount after the work has been published and delivered to the office of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.

    6.3. As a rule, publication grants shall be paid when the work has been published and delivered to the office of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.
    6.4. The number of copies shall be specified in the contract.
    6.5. The committee shall reserve the right to make exceptions to the terms and conditions of payment.

    FINAL PROVISIONS

    These Statutes have been approved by Supervisory Board of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia Decision No 2/2019-S09 of 26 March 2019. 

    Amended by Supervisory Board of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia Decision No 5/2019-S09 of 26 June 2019
    Amended by Supervisory Board of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia Decision No 8/2020-S09 of 30 December 2020