Assisting translations in border crossing

Abstract

Abstract This contribution explores the position of translation policy and its connection to translation flows in translation studies research. Power relationships (among languages, cultures, etc.) are essential when assessing and interpreting translation flows. Despite the hyper-centrality of English, other countries and language areas develop cultural policies to export their own literature through translation. The case study furnished here deals with the state agents responsible for the literary translation policy of Estonia, viz., the Estonian Literature Centre and the Traducta translation grants of the Estonian Cultural Endowment (Eesti Kultuurkapital). The statutes of the Traducta program, including the selection criteria, express an instrumental view on translation that is partly in conflict with the findings of modern translation studies. The data on the awards of the Traducta program not only confirm that the publishing of a translation often depends on the additional financial support for the program, but also highlight the significant differences between different target language areas, in a complex interplay of economic factors with elements of cultural image-building and geographical proximity.