At a difficult time for authors and publishers, FLAD launched the first open call for the translation of literary works in order to promote Portuguese authors in the U.S. market and support Portuguese publishing companies, helping to enable works by American authors who would not otherwise arrive in Portugal.

FLAD launched this Tuesday the first edition of the contest for the translation of literary works from Portuguese to English and from English to Portuguese. The open call will be open until December 31st.

“This contest is a first step towards helping Portuguese authors and publishing companies enter the North-American publishing market. We know it’s not an easy process, but we believe that financial support for translation can make it easier. At the same time, and because FLAD is a bridge between the two countries, we decided to support the translations of American books in Portugal, making viable editions that might not reach bookstores without this support.” – Rita Faden,President of FLAD.

Candidates:

  • National publishers may submit works, fiction or non-fiction, which are not published in Portugal, as long as the original English version is already published in the United States.
  • Authors and publishers in the United States may also submit works that are not published in the U.S., and it is an essential requirement that the original version be published in Portuguese.

The financial support provided by FLAD will be intended to bear the costs of translating the literary work and will focus on books of any era that are considered of interest to the knowledge of the USA in Portugal and of Portugal in the USA.

The open call will have two annual editions

In 2020, the contest will be open from 1 to 31 December. Applications must be submitted online through the link by 23:59 (UK Time) on December 31st. FLAD’s decision will be announced by the 31st of January of 2021.

From next year, the open call will have two annual editions. The first will take place from the 1st to 31st of May of 2021,and the second, from October 1st until the 31st of the same year. FLAD’s decision will be announced by the end of the last day of the month following the end of each edition of the open call.

Applications must be accompanied by:

  • Specific form (PT-USA – English and/or Portuguese – and EUA-PT);
  • 1 copy of the book (on paper or pdf);
  • Justification of the request for financial support;
  • CV of the translator;
  • Translation budget;
  • Translation contract;
  • Copyright or document agreement attesting for the author’s assignment of rights;
  • Indication of other existing support for translation and/or editing;
  • Justification of commercialization and distribution capacity;
  • Publication deadline of the book;
  • Declaration of consent for the collection and processing of personal data.

We advise you to consult the contest regulations (PT-USA – English and/or Portuguese – and USA-PT), where you can find all the details about the application.

Jury

The applications submitted will be analyzed and selected by FLAD, taking into account the relevance of the literary work and the feasibility of its publication. FLAD reserves the right to select one or more applications, as well as not to select any application if it concludes that none meets the requirements of quality, relevance, or other specifications. The final decision, of which there will be no appeal, will be communicated by FLAD, via e-mail, to all candidates.

Applications must be submitted by December 31stto: fladport@flad.pt

Thank you and see you soon!