A group of “academics, authors, and fans” are announcing the creation of the juried Science Fiction and Fantasy Translation Awards to correct a perceived imbalance. As co-founder Cheryl Morgan (of Science Fiction Awards Watch) said, “I see non-English speaking countries all around the world give awards for translated fiction. Only in English-speaking countries are translations not specifically rewarded. We aim to change that.”
There will be two awards, which will debut in 2011 for works whose English translations appear in 2010: one for long form literature (40,000 words and longer) and one for short form (fewer than 40,000 words). The awards will consist of trophies and cash prizes for both the original authors and the translators. “The awards will seek out and reward authors and translators who bring fresh new works created in other languages to the English-speaking world.”
As part of the announcement, SFFTA writes “Fantastic literature has a long and honorable tradition outside the English-speaking world. Jules Verne and Stanisław Lem are acknowledged masters of science fiction while writers such as Jorge Luis Borges, Italo Calvino, and Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić have created marvelous fantastic works. Some current authors, such as Andreas Eschbach, Maurice Dantec, and Andrzej Sapkowski, have had success in translation, but many more wait to be discovered. Our book stores are full of translated Japanese manga. China and Russia have huge local markets for science fiction.”
University of California at Riverside Professor Rob Latham said, “The literature of the fantastic is an international phenomenon and has been since Hoffmann, Gogol, and Maupassant in the 19th century. Yet contemporary Anglo-American readers have only a sketchy sense of the global scope of science fiction and fantasy today. This award will take a big step towards the goal of closing that blind spot.”
Critic and professor Gary K. Wolfe said, “Despite its ancient tradition and continuing popularity as an integral aspect of world literature, contemporary non-English language fantasy and science fiction has become all but invisible to those of us in the English-speaking world. I hope this award will not only recognize outstanding translations, but encourage editors and publishers to seek out more such translations in the future.”
The founding committee includes: Melissa Conway (UC Riverside), Rose Fox (Genreville), Nalo Hopkinson (author), Josh Jasper (Genreville), Rob Latham (UC Riverside), Farah Mendlesohn (Middlesex University), Cheryl Morgan (Science Fiction Awards Watch), Geoff Ryman (author), Kevin Standlee (SFSFC Inc.), and Gary K. Wolfe (Roosevelt University).
For more information, including an opportunity to donate for the award funding, see sfftawards.org.