Competition for Estonian-Latvian and Latvian-Estonian Translation Prize Begins

21.12.2011 | 00:00

For the third time the Latvian and Estonian Ministries of Foreign Affairs have announced that the competition for recognising the best Latvian and Estonian-language translators is now open. The winner of the competition will be announced in February 2012.Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated that a Latvian translator has won the prize the two previous years. “We hope that this year we can award an Estonian translator for his or her work translating Latvian literature into Estonian,” said Paet.

For the third time the Latvian and Estonian Ministries of Foreign Affairs have announced that the competition for recognising the best Latvian and Estonian-language translators is now open. The winner of the competition will be announced in February 2012.

Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated that a Latvian translator has won the prize the two previous years. “We hope that this year we can award an Estonian translator for his or her work translating Latvian literature into Estonian,” said Paet.

The Estonian-Latvian and Latvian-Estonian translation prize emphasises the importance of the Estonian and Latvian languages as well as cultural exchange in order to advance the professionalism of translators of literature as well as political, popular science, historical, sociological, memoirs and other texts.

The monetary value of the award is 3 000 euros, to which both sides are contributing equally. The jury will contain representatives from the foreign ministries of the two countries and the director of each nation’s literature information centre.

The agreement that established the Estonian-Latvian and Latvian-Estonian translation award was signed by Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet and Latvian Foreign Minister Māris Riekstiņš on 18 February 2009.

In previous years the prize has been awarded to Latvian translators Maima Grīnberga (2009) and Guntars Godinš (2010).

Nominees for the translation competition along with the translator’s CV can be submitted through the application form found on the Foreign Ministry’s website: www.vm.ee/sites/default/files/Eesti_lati_tolkeauhinna_vorm.doc. The deadline for nominations is 31 January 2012.