Dec 03
LaurentAsso and co
As I just joined the ATLF (after the AAE-ESIT, SFT, Sofia, Scam, briefly the CIoL and NETA and before joining the ATAA someday), let me relay the message from an another acronym organization, who's also making a great deal in advocating literary translators in Europe : the European Council of Literary Translators' Associations (CEATL). The Council indeed published an "Hexalogue", a code a good practice in six points for all literary translation actors (authors, translators, publishers, etc.). It is reproduced below, and you can also download it on their website. Oh and by the way, don't forget the Youth Book Fair this week-end in Paris.
Hexalogue
The Six Commandments of ‘fair-play’ in literary translation, adopted by CEATL’s General Assembly on 14 May, 2011.
1. Licensing of rights
The licensing of rights for the use of the translation shall be limited in time to a maximum of five years. It shall be subject to the restrictions and duration of the licensed rights of the original work. Each licensed right shall be mentioned in the contract.
2. Fees
The fee for the commissioned work shall be equitable, enabling the translator to make a decent living and to produce a translation of good literary quality.
3. Payment terms
On signature of the contract, the translator shall receive an advance payment of at least one third of the fee. The remainder shall be paid on delivery of the translation at the latest.
4. Obligation to publish
The publisher shall publish the translation within the period stipulated in the contract, and no later than two years after the delivery of the manuscript.
5. Share in profit
The translator shall receive a fair share of the profits from the exploitation of his/her work, in whatsoever form it may take, starting from the first copy.
6. Translator’s name
As author of the translation, the translator shall be named wherever the original author is named.
Dec 02
LaurentBlogs et traduction
Just a quick note to introduce a few minor changes on NJATB:
- The most significant one is maybe the language bar, moved from the right column to the top menu (I wanted to do it for a long time, but it required some CSS programming tricks),
- Still in the right menu: I replaced the "Latest Posts" widget with a "Par-ci, par-là" widget with a random selection of posts (but I still haven't found a way to change the title...). Also, the "Categories" widget is now a dropdown menu,
- I changed the text on the main page (About me) so that it's lighter and clearer,
- I also updated other pages (Portfolio, Links) to reflect the development of my activity.
I hope you like these minor evolutions. As always, have your say in the comment box below. (And tomorrow, a special post on the Translation's Hexalogue !)
Nov 28
LaurentAsso and co
Reminder: this is only a recap of the French article. To read the full post, click on the French flag on the right.
The traditional "Matinale de la SFT" took place last saturday. This monthly breakfast gathers a bunch of translators over a coffee and a particular question. This month, it was all about audiovisual translation.
Animated by Isabelle Audinot and Sylvestre Meininger, vice-president of the ATAA (Audiovisual Translators and Adapters Association), we learned about the differences between subtitling, dubbing and voice-over, for TV or movies, as well as the "reality of a sector in crisis". So if you were thinking about translating movies, please read carefully their website (and blog).
As we were told, this is a hard-stricken sector in France: "it's like translators are chosen by the publishers", "rates dropped by 60% in 15 years", "only 20 translators make their living from movie translation" and "workforce increases by 10% each year".
Nevertheless, I have to say I'd be pretty proud if I heard George Clooney saying the words I wrote!
Nov 11
LaurentTraductions H.I.É.
Or when commercial translation adaptation is running wild:
The Uniforme of Progress* ==> *La tenue de ceux qui osent
Does it remind you of something?
Nov 01
LaurentAsso and co, Blogs et traduction
Do you translate books? Do you also stroll in the Feng Shui or Youth departments of the local library just to feel that near-guilty satisfaction to see your name written in a public place? Well, you will be pleased to know that you are not alone and that it may also bring in some money!
Let me introduce you my dear friend Sofia. Here’s what you can on its website:
SOFIA (Societé Française des Intérêts des Authors de l’écrit) is the French society tasked with defending the interests of authors of the written word; it is a non-profit-making company for the collection and distribution of rights, administered equally by authors and publishers and exclusively concerned with the field of books.
As the only society approved by the Minister for Culture for the management of PLR arising from loans in libraries, SOFIA collects and distributes the remuneration arising from these PLR. It is also primarily responsible for the collection and distribution of that portion relating to books arising from remuneration in respect of private digital reproduction.
So what is this lending right?
Law n°2003-517 dated 18 June 2003 relating to remuneration in respect of lending from public libraries and enhanced social protection for authors, introduced an official licence for PLR payments and set up a mandatory system for collective management.[…] This law authorises the lending of books from libraries, with authors and publishers in return benefiting from a fair remuneration funded by a government contribution fixed by decree and by a levy of 6% of the pre-tax retail price of books sold to a lending library, this sum to be paid by the book seller.(Source)
Note that it also works with books translated for foreign French-speaking editors as well as for English books.
Fellow Translators, you now know what you have to do to receive money in your mailbox without even moving: Join Sofia! It will cost you once and for all €38 for your society share (or you can wait that it is deduced from your first payment).
