Book Fairs, Publishers and Institutions in Germany

Translation, as Goethe once wrote, is without a doubt one of the "one of the most important and worthiest occupations in the realm of world affairs". In times of rapidly advancing globalisation this assessment definitely retains its validity.

Yet this most important occupation is rarely remunerated according to its true worth. On the contrary: the working conditions and payment of literary translators often leave much to be desired. Although they meanwhile lend their voices to approximately every tenth book published in Germany, they are usually the weakest link in the exploitation chain of the book market.

It is Elmar Tophoven, one of the most prominent German representatives of this profession, whom his fellow translators have to thank for a unique, even illustrious exception to this rule, renowned far beyond the borders of Germany. In the early 1970s the Beckett translator seized the initiative, together with Klaus Birkenhauer, then chairperson of the Association of Literary Translators, to found an international translators' centre in Gemany.

Inspired by medieval Spain

This Centre was intended not only to improve the exchange of experience among professional translators, but also quite generally to promote cultural exchange at a time when this was by no means a given. Inspiration for this was found in medieval Spain, where in the 12th and 13th century there existed the School of Toledo. Here, under the patronage of Archbishop Raimund of Toledo, teams of scholars translated the Arabic rendition of the Greek classics via Spanish into Latin.

Years were to pass, however, from the initial idea to the actual establishment of the Centre. Finally, on January 10th, 1978, the Europäische Übersetzer Kollegium Nordrhein-Westfalen in Straelen e.V. was launched under the patronage of Samuel Beckett, Heinrich Böll, Max Frisch, Robert Minder and Mario Wandruska in Straelen on the Lower Rhine, a city which had hitherto been known only as a hub of German-Dutch border traffic in horticulture. Housed at first in temporary accommodation, since 1985 the Translators' Centre, funded mainly by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, has had a permanent home in the town centre, in a spacious and light-flooded complex of buildings. Beneath these roofs the circa 750 guests per year find ideal working conditions: alongside the principal attraction, the library which boasts 110,000 volumes and is thus the largest specialist library for translators of literature and non-fiction throughout the world, the house also offers extensive technical facilities as well as 30 fully furnished apartments, where translators can live and work during their stay.

In contrast to comparable centres elsewhere in Europe, often inspired by Straelen's example, the awarding of residency stipends is by no means limited to the language of the host country. German does not have to be either the source language or the target language. Thus Joakim Sundström was able to translate Harry Mulisch's De Ontdekking van de hemel from the Dutch into Swedish here, just as, for example, Ole Meyer rendered Dante's La Divina Commedia into Danish.

Promotion of excellent literary translations

Thousands of translations have been completed in Straelen up to now. Since the foundation is held in high esteem not only by the translators, who are always happy to return here, but also by local politicians, this output is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future. Professional translators are supported, however, not only by the conditions and amenities offered.

Through the translator's prize that the Übersetzer-Kollegium has awarded together with the Kunststiftung NRW (i. e. art foundation of North Rhine-Westphalia) every two years since 2001, the institute has a further instrument at its disposal to promote outstanding performance in the field of literary translation. The current awardee (2008) of the prize of 25,000 euros is Gerhardt Csejka for his translation of Mircea Cărtărescu's work Die Wissenden (Zsolnay Publishers, Vienna, 2007); at the same time the complete works of the translator were honoured.

Since 2002 the Centre has also accommodated a "Translator in Residence" in a three-month rotation system. By means of readings and lectures they are to provide an interested yet non-conversant audience with insight into a craft long since elevated to an art, without which we readers would no doubt be deprived of many of our most memorable reading experiences.