On 7 July, we awoke to the breaking news (http://www NULL.ceatl NULL.eu/man-booker-international-prize-to-reflect-growing-importance-of-translation) that the UK’s leading international literary awards – the Man Booker International Prize and the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize – are to be merged into a single, annual prize that will reward both authors and translators of foreign-language fiction. Since 2012, several Dutch organizations concerned with literature and literary translation have been carrying out a similar initiative in the Netherlands, where the European Literature Prize (http://www NULL.ceatl NULL.eu/europese-literatuurprijs-2015-awarded-to-german-author-jenny-erpenbeck-and-dutch-translator-elly-schippers) (Europese Literatuurprijs) rewards a novel written in a language used in one of the member states of the Council of Europe as well as its Dutch translation. These are only two examples, but there are probably more in other European countries.
The Board of ACE Traductores (http://www NULL.ace-traductores NULL.org/) (the Spanish Literary Translators Association) has taken full advantage of these circumstances by addressing a letter to the Princess of Asturias Foundation (http://www NULL.fpa NULL.es/en/princess-of-asturias-awards/) inviting its Director to consider the possibility of giving visibility to the translators into Spanish and other official languages of Spain of foreign authors being rewarded in the field of literature. More specifically, we have suggested that it would be good to mention the translators on the Award Certificate (Premio Princesa de Asturias), in the press releases and in all promotional material related to the event and to invite them to the award ceremony.
Taking into account the role of translators in the circulation and promotion of European and world literature, we firmly believe that they should receive the recognition and respect they deserve. Therefore, we invite other members to do the same in their countries in order to foster translators’ visibility.
ACE Traductores