New Swedish Books, autumn 2019 1
33 Autumn 2019 New site about Swedish literature
in French A new French website promoting Swedish literature has been launched. Project coordinator Aino Höglund from the Swedish Institute in Paris tells all. How did you get the idea for the site? – The translation of quality Swedish literature into French has declined in recent years and we wanted to do something about it. The translator Elena Balzamo first presented the idea to us, Maria Ridelberg-Lemoine, Assistant Director, and me. We began work in autumn 2018 and it took nine months all in all from initial idea to launch. The goal of this initiative is for more quality Swedish literature to be sold in France and translated into French. ” The site allows you to browse through an array of books that are not currently translated into French“ – With this new site we can help French publishers get in contact with translators and get Swedish literature recommendations that they wouldn’t come across otherwise. Translators get the opportunity to present the books they’ve read and want to translate, to promote themselves and to reach out to French publishers. Tell us about the content. – The site is aimed foremost at translators and French publishers but could also be relevant to anyone with an interest in Swedish literature in French. The site allows you to browse through an array of books that are not currently translated into French, with a focus on contemporary titles but including some older ones too. Swedish to French translators also have the opportunity to present themselves and their CVs to help publishers find the right translator for their project. – French publishers can also order sample translations of the books featured on the site. The translations are funded by us at the Swedish Institute in Paris. – We have formed an editorial team of experienced translators to ensure that all the texts on the site are of high quality. We meet regularly to select books and read through sample translations submitted by various translators. Getting translations published on the site serves as a stamp of quality, especially for translators who lack extensive experience and want to show off their work. How important are translators for Swedish literature in French? – Extremely important! After all, it is their work that we want to promote on the new site. Swedish literature wouldn’t exist in France without translators. They are the key to this community. – We really hope that translators will find this website and project in general a great help. We would like to facilitate contact with publishers in France and help translators highlight Swedish literature that they think deserves to be translated into French. The site has been up for a couple of months now and we have already had many positive reactions from translators and French publishers. We hope that this will continue in the future and that we can continue to develop the site together!