First prepared by the PEN Translation Committee in 1981, A Translator's Model Contract remains the heart of the fourth edition of A Handbook for Literary Translators. Praised by translators and publishers alike, the contract has helped clarify negotiations and provided both parties with an additional element of protection. The current edition builds on the past efforts of the Translation Committee to bring the Handbook in line with changes in the publishing industry.

Some of these changes are technological: The advent of the Internet and the growth of the World Wide Web have made it possible for information to be disseminated in radically different ways to a global audience. Thus this new edition of the Handbook is now available here for all to access.Those who would like a more traditional, print version of the Handbook can mail their request to PEN with a stamped, self-addressed envelope. A copy will be mailed to them.

Other changes are contractual: Since writing that involves translation is generally more complex, legally as well as creatively, than other types of writing, this revised edition seeks to address recent developments in publishing and copyright law as well.

As in the past the committee urges translators to seek royalties wherever they can, particularly in those rare and exceptional cases where a translated work is expected to have the potential of selling in comparatively large numbers. In work-for-hire arrangements, often immediately more financially rewarding, translators are urged to negotiate vigorously for subsidiary rights income, bonus payments, and reversion of rights.

The task set before literary translators more than ever is to assert their professional stature and demonstrate to editors, publishers, and authors that their literary accomplishments deserve recognition and acclaim equal to those of other writers.

PEN Translation Committee
New York City
June 1999

The Responsibilities of Translation