European Council of Literary Translators’ Associations

Conseil Européen des Associations de Traducteurs Littéraires

BRUSSELS, 12 December 2008
 
Press release
 
PRECARIOUS WORKING CONDITIONS JEOPARDISE QUALITY OF
TRANSLATED LITERATURE
 
The European Council of Literary Translators’ Associations (CEATL) announces the publication  of  its  comparative  study  of  European  literary  translators’  social  and economic conditions, carried out in 2007–2008, the first survey of its kind. The main conclusion:  nowhere  in  Europe  can  literary  translators  make  a  living  under  the conditions imposed on them by “the market”; in many countries (including some of the wealthiest), their situation can only be described as catastrophic. This is a serious social problem on a continent that prides itself in being developed, multicultural and multilingual, but it is also, and above all, a major artistic and cultural problem. What are  the  implications  for  the  quality  of  literary  exchanges  between  our  societies  if literary translators have to dash off their work in haste in order to keep body and soul together?
 
To  download  the  study,  click  on:  www.ceatl.eu/docs/surveyuk.pdf  (English)  or www.ceatl.eu/docs/surveyfr.pdf  (French).  The  publication  of  this  study  coincides with the launch of CEATL’s revamped website, which is now at www.ceatl.eu. 
 
– “An impressive pool of comparative data” (Budapest Observer) 
  
For further information, please contact: info@ceatl.eu