Purpose

By promoting top-quality translations of materials written in Korean, the LTI Korea Translation Grant Program is designed to contribute to the globalization of Korean culture, by making significant Korean texts available to international readers and thereby enabling the development of greater understanding across cultures.

How the Program Works

Grants Awarded for the Translation of Designated Texts

LTI Korea compiles a 'List of Books Recommended for Translation' to assist international translators for whom the selection of the best Korean texts for translation may be difficult; the process of awarding grants for the translation of works from this list also aims to lessen the burden on translators of having to gain written consent from copyright holders for the translation of texts.

Works can be recommended for addition to the list by anyone, including writers, translators and publishing companies. Recommendations can be made for works in the fields of: literature, humanities and social sciences, and children's books.

Works identified as suitable for translation are selected twice a year after being evaluated by the Book Selection Committee. Selected works are then added to the list of books recommended for translation.

Link: List of Books Recommended for Translation & online recommendation of works to be translated

Grants for the Translation of Other Texts

LTI Korea intends to introduce a new system in addition to the existing one, whereby translators may freely choose a text and apply for a grant for the translation of this chosen work. In this instance the Book Selection Committee will evaluate the potential interest of the selected text along with the screening of the translation grant application. It is planned that this system will be implemented from April 2013, Further details will be released in due course.

Grant Requirements

Candidates must display their ability to translate well into a foreign language. Candidates who have previously received a translation grant must have submitted their translated text along with the report on the completion of the translation and a written introduction to the text before they are able to apply for a further translation grant.

Target Language

All languages

Translation Grant Amount

Literature, Humanities and Social Sciences Texts: 16 million KRW (amount adjusted according to the length of the original text)

Children's book: grant amount calculated according to the length of the original text

Number of Grant Applications that can be Made

Literature or Humanities and Social Sciences: 1 application

Children's books: maximum 3 applications

※Children's books and literature or humanities and social sciences applications cannot be made at the same time.
※For literature and humanities and social sciences applications, multiple applications are not permitted even for co-translators.

How to Apply

Applications can be made online or by postal mail (from April 2013 only online applications will be accepted)

Complete the Translation Grant application on the LTI Korea Homepage (log in required) www.klti.or.kr

Post your application to: Translation Grant Committee, LTI Korea, Yeongdong-daero 112-gil 32, Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea (135-873)

※ Applications are not accepted by email.

Application Periods and Announcement of Selected Grant Recipients

Applications may be sent at any time and will be reviewed on a rolling basis as follows:

- Applications submitted by March 31st / Announcement at the end of May
- Application submitted by June 30th / Announcement at the end of August
- Applications submitted by September 30th / Announcement at the end of November
- Applications submitted by December 31st / Announcement at the end of February the following year

Application Screening Method and Evaluation Criteria

Screening Method: applications are screened by a panel of experts (with Korean and international members)

Evaluation Criteria: understanding of the work to be translated, equivalence with the original text, degree of readability and completeness of the manuscript.

Time for Completion of the Translation

1 year

※ In the event of unavoidable circumstances, permission may be granted for a 6-month extension to the translation period, a maximum of two extensions may be given.

Grant Payment

Payment is made in 2 installments (50% on the signing of the translation grant contract, 50% once the translation has been submitted and passed the evaluation process)

In the case of texts written by writers who are exclusively managed by KL Management Company, once the text has been designated for translation and a publishing contract has been completed the translation grant fee may be paid in one installment. (Works exclusively managed by KL Management can be found in the 'List of Books Recommended for Translation'.)

Application Documents

Translation Grant application form

Co-translator's resume (not required if not working with a co-translator)

Translation proposal (plan and schedule)

3 copies of the translated manuscript

- They must not be marked with personal information
- Starting from the first page of the original text, 20-30 A4 pages of translation should be submitted
-In the case of poetry, beginning with the first poem and continuing in order 15 poems should be submitted
- Line spacing standard: 25 lines per page, Hangul-HWP file text size 11, MS-Word file text size 12

3 copies of the section of the original text that corresponds to the translation submitted

Agreement to the Collection of Personal Information (link to form)

※ Please note

If you are submitting online, you will need to upload the documents on the application page, excluding the Translation Grant application form and the form of Agreement to the Collection of Personal Information. In this case, it is only necessary to submit one copy of the sample translation and the corresponding original text.

If you are applying by postal mail, you can download the relevant forms from the Translation Grant section of the LTI Korea website (www.klti.or.kr).

Application materials will not be returned and incomplete applications will not be accepted. In the event of documents arriving after the deadline, the application will automatically be submitted for consideration in the following season.

Translators who have previously received a translation grant are ineligible to apply for a further grant until they have submitted the previous completed translation manuscript.

When resubmitting a failed translation grant application, the translation sample submitted must be twice the length of the previous sample.

Translation grant applications for the same text can be made a maximum of three times.

We do not offer translation grants for secondary translation.
E.g.) Retranslation of the English version of Please Look After Mom into other languages is not applicable for a translation grant.

If you are chosen as a translation grant recipient, you are required to co-operate with the LTI Korea after you have submitted your manuscript with regard to the evaluation and publishing of the translated text.