Sample translations in 2024

All year long, translators from Dutch can apply for a grant for a sample translation. With this grant, they buy time to translate an excerpt from a Flemish literary work, and to bring that work to the attention of publishers in their language area. Find out which fragments are being translated at this moment, and why translators have chosen them!

Gustau Raluy Bruguera translates an excerpt from Everyone’s Sorry Nowadays by Bart Moeyaert in Catalonian.

"Everyone’s Sorry Nowadays is not a typical children's book about children's things. It is a very valuable book with subtle humour, psychological insight and a modern take on the relationship between people. It is a book that readers of all ages can relate to. That makes it suitable for a very broad market."

You can already read a Bulgarian, English, Russian and Ukrainian excerpt from ‘Everyone’s Sorry Nowadays’ on our website.

Svetlana Grubić Samaržija translates an excerpt from Thirty Days by Annelies Verbeke in Croatian.

"On the one hand, I want to make more of Annelies Verbeke's work available for Croatian readers, and on the other, I want to use the book to raise awareness about the problem of discrimination. In the past few years, a lot of people from other countries have come to work in Croatia, especially from India, Nepal and the Philippines, who increasingly face violence. Since this novel is socially engaged, I think it is a good way to put this subject on the table, something that is necessary in Croatia right now."

You can already read an English and Polish excerpt of ‘Thirty Days’ on our website.

Jane Hedley-Prole and Jonathan Reeder translate an excerpt from I, Cartographer by Jeroen Theunissen in English.

“I = Cartographer is not just another diary. It describes a walking tour across Europe (from Ireland to Istanbul), it is a history lesson, a confrontation with climate change and politics, and a journey of a man in a personal crisis. The high literary quality of Theunissen's writing lifts the book far above the 'travelogue' genre: it is a travel novel. His language is pleasantly challenging, both for the committed reader and the translator. We have worked closely together on two similar books over the past three years and are now very keen to tread Theunissen's paths."

Noëlle Michel translates an excerpt from Magnificent Monster by Fleur Pierets into French.

“The need for voices of women and minorities is becoming increasingly necessary in France. There's a lot going on right now in terms of feminism, also in literature, and I think it's important to let new voices from the queer community be heard, especially if they provide an interesting view of our world as is the case in this book.”

You can already read an English and German excerpt from 'Magnificent Monster' on our website.

Gerd Busse translated an excerpt from I Will Endure Everything, Including Myself by Leopold Flam in German.

"Kristien Hemmerechts discovered Leopold Flam's diaries in an archive and edited them with the help of Guido Van Wambeke. During a visit by her at the Translators' House, she had the book with her. I found the story so interesting that I started reading it myself and I became very fascinated. What intrigued me was not only the story itself, but also the beautiful Dutch in which it is written. So a real challenge for me as a translator to convey it in an equally beautiful German."

You can already find Gerd’s German sample translation on our website.

Christina Siever translated an excerpt from Mauk by Jan Vantoortelboom into German.

"The book is particularly relevant to an international readership because it deals with the universal topic of domestic violence. That theme, interwoven with escape into fantasy as a coping mechanism and the need to deal with the past, touches on deeply human experiences that transcend cultures."

You can already read an English excerpt from 'Mauk' on our website.

Dania Schüürmann translated an excerpt from A Revolver Shot by Virginie Loveling into German.

"It’s a complex story that’s more than a hundred years old, yet very interesting to look at from a contemporary feminist perspective. For my development as a translator, I find it particularly challenging to translate such an old text. Moreover, German publishers are currently interested in female classical authors."

You can already read an English excerpt from ‘A Revolver Shot’ on our website.

Gerd Busse translated an excerpt from Minyan by Margot Vanderstraeten into German.

"This is a special book, not only because it offers information about the closed world of the Orthodox Jewish community, which you will hardly find otherwise, but also, because it’s a brilliant 'Antwerp book': designated literature for anyone who is planning to visit Antwerp and wants to find out a little more about the city than what is in the travel guide. Moreover, it’s exceptionally well and lively written, a pleasure not only for the reader, but also for the translator."

You can already read an English excerpt from 'Minyan' on our website.

Jerzy Koch translates an excerpt from Crackling Skulls by Roger van de Velde in Polish.

"Roger Van de Velde is gradually coming back into the limelight as people nowadays have a broader understanding of people/artists with mental health problems. After reading the review of the German translation and later learning about some of this author's stories, I thought that a Polish publisher might also be found for the publication of this translation."

You can already read an English, Slovenian and Spanish excerpt from ‘Crackling Skulls' on our website.

Slawomir Paszkiet translates an excerpt from Rosie and Moussa by Michael De Cock & Judith Vanistendael in Polish.

"I want to translate an excerpt from this book because of lively, humorous and imaginative stories, the diverse characters and the universal themes that it addresses. The characters’ authenticity and interactions, as well as Vanistendael's playful and a precise illustrations that match the story perfectly, particularly appeal to me as a reader and translator."

You can already read an English, Hungarian, Norwegian and Romanian excerpt from ‘Rosie and Moussa’ on our website.

Micaela van Muylem translates an excerpt from I’m Going to the Sheep by Marieke De Maré in Spanish.

"I think this book is a real gem, and believe it will please many readers as well. The characters are very dear in their inability to communicate. It is a very subtle story: although nothing much is said, a lot is being told in and very poetic but understated way. With a longer fragment translation like this, the publisher can have a better idea of the whole novel."

You can already read an English excerpt on our website.

Antonio Cruz Romero translates an excerpt from The Best of Delphine Lecompte by Delphine Lecompte in Spanish.

"In my opinion, there is no poetry in the Spanish language (and more specifically in Spain) that can be compared to Delphine Lecompte's poetic style, and her rich and surreal universe is appealing to readers of poetry in Spanish. Lecompte's poetry is evocative, brutally addictive and utterly overwhelming."

You can already read an English excerpt from 'The Best of Delphine Lecompte' on our website.

All the books above are promoted abroad. On our Dutch website, you can find a comprehensive list of all grants for sample translations and all the information about grants for sample translations.