TRANSLATION AND LINGUISTIC RIGHTS COMMITTEE

FOUNDATION AND PRINCIPLES

The Programme and Translation Committee, since renamed the Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee, was set up at P.E.N. 's 43rd International Congress, held in Stockholm in 1978, with the double task of coordinating P.E.N. 's international programme of meetings, and of encouraging the translation of literature written in languages of lesser currency, both into world languages and into other lesser-known languages.

At the beginning of its foundation, the main purpose and duty of the Committee was the coordination of the International P.E.N. programme for meetings and giving impetus to the translations of the literature written in languages of lesser currency into the world languages (the official P.E.N. languages and other world languages) as well as vice versa, from the world languages into the languages of lesser currency.

The basic concepts of the Committee

Today the Committee is involved and proliferates its programme activities in two directions:

· Firstly, in the field of the translation, the Committee supports, thinks up and realizes translation projects from bilateral and multilateral character. It founds and supports bilingual and multilingual editions and interchange of translations between the P.E.N. centers; creates translation centers and there is a possibility for foundation of special (classical and electronic) collections and editions as well as centers for translation and publishing. Through its activity the Committee gives a great contribution in the process of affirmation of the contemporary literary values of the books written on different languages with different cultural background. The Committee endeavors to cherish the literary values as well as to protect the copyrights through translation and reception of the books from the original into other languages using appropriate forms of interliterary cooperation and dialogue.

· Secondly, in the field of affirmation of the multilingual difference of the contemporary world and in the process of protection of the linguistic rights and freedoms of the writers, individuals, nations and minorities that is in accordance with the Declaration of the International P.E.N, it runs open and constructive dialogue and undertakes necessary precautions and activities from international character as well as it cooperates with NGO 's that are interested in the same field and with other organizations (declarations, resolutions, workshops, network for linguistic rights). In that context the Committee works in continuity on the process of affirmation of the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights.

Chairman:
The current Chair is Kata Kulavkova from the Macedonian P.E.N. Centre.

Vice-Chair:
The current Vice-Chair (Deputy Chair) is Carles Torner from the Catalan P.E.N. Centre. He is the Chair of the Follow-up Committee for Universal Declaration for Linguistic Rights in Barcelona.