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Databases of translators
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Databases of translators
DATABASES OF TRANSLATORS SHOULD BE DEVELOPED IN COUNTRIES AND REGIONS WHERE THEY DO NOT YET EXIST, AND SHOULD BE KEPT UP TO DATE
Databases of translators and translated works act as more than just a mapping of the literary translation ecosystem. They can help to make the relevant actors visible and strengthen their position. Directories of literary translators who translate into specific target languages exist mainly in countries with well-organised translators’ associations. Sometimes, however, they are open only to members of the those associations. They function as a service for publishers looking for translators, are helpful for exchanging information, map the translation scene in a given country and can contribute to general professionalisation.
For directories sorted by source language, national agencies play an important role.
In the Netherlands database,(65) translated titles are listed, and also, more usefully, the individuals associated with them, including the translator, author, and publishers of the original and translated title. It provides information on more than 21 000 translated titles from the Netherlands and Flanders, for both subsidised and non-subsidised literature (fiction, non-fiction, poetry and children’s and young adult literature).
Flanders Literature gives public access to a database of accredited literary translators,(66) which it shares with the Dutch Foundation for Literature.(67) This list provides foreign publishers with an overview of translators whose quality of work has been favourably assessed by specialists. This is an important tool that guarantees the quality of translations published abroad, which is a valuable service for foreign publishing houses. The ELV (68) is a joint Dutch/Flemish organisation (a partnership between the Taalunie (Union for the Dutch Language),(69) KU Leuven(70) and Utrecht University,(71) in cooperation with Flanders Literature and the Dutch Foundation for Literature). Its aim is to further the quality of literary translation into and from Dutch through education, training and the sharing of expertise, thereby strengthening the knowledge, skills and professionalism of translators, educators and related organisations. The partnership has created a Vertalersbestand (translator’s database) (72) : by means of personal translator profiles, it gives translators to and from Dutch extra visibility and has proven to be a useful tool for making contacts. This benefits not only for clients who are looking for a suitable translator for a specific literary translation assignment or book translation, but also translators and organisations that would like to book a translator for an event. Experience shows that translators have been found via the translators’ database and have received assignments as a result. This quotation from a translator illustrates the value of the service: ‘As a novice literary translator, it is valuable to have an easy-to-find and well-arranged profile in the ELV Translators’ Database, containing only translationrelevant information. My last book translation is a direct result of this: an editor found me in the Translators’ database and made the first contact that way.’
Such databases enable translators throughout the world with similar interests (e.g. translators of Flemish poetry), or who translate the works of a particular author, to connect with each other.
65 https://letterenfonds.secure.force.com/vertalingendatabase/search 66 https://www.flandersliterature.be/translators 67 http://www.letterenfonds.nl/en/ 68 https://literairvertalen.org/english 69 https://taalunie.org/informatie/112/taalunie-union-for-the-dutch-language 70 https://www.kuleuven.be/english/ 71 https://www.uu.nl/en 72 https://literairvertalen.org/vertalersbestand
