International Translation Day 2025
For the Book Institute, translators of Polish literature are an extremely important group due to their mission. For years, we have supported their activities, conducting extensive activities aimed at strengthening the presence of Polish literature in the international arena. Below are the most important of these activities.
Sample Translations ©Poland, through which you can apply for funding for a 20-page sample translation of a Polish literary work. This is an excellent way to generate interest in Polish books from foreign publishers.
The ©Poland Translation Programme is addressed to foreign and Polish publishers interested in publishing Polish books in other languages. We contribute to the costs of publishing fiction and non-fiction, works of the broadly defined humanities, both ancient and contemporary, historical works, literature for children and young adults, and comics.
Since the Program’s inception, we have supported the publication of nearly 3,500 books!
The Translators’ Collegium is a residency program for those involved in translating Polish literature. It is a unique opportunity for both established translators and those just beginning their translation journey and wishing to engage in international literary exchange.
Recruitment for next year’s edition is now open; the deadline for applications is October 19th.
The Book Institute is also the founder and co-founder of two awards:
The Transatlantyk Award is granted by the Book Institute to outstanding ambassadors of Polish literature abroad. Recipients include translators, publishers, critics, and cultural activists who have contributed to increasing the presence of Polish literature in their home country. This year, the Transatlantyk Award was presented for the twentieth time. In 2025, Xavier Farré joined the distinguished group of laureates.
The Found in Translation Award recognizes the most important translation of a Polish book into English in a given year. It was established in 2008 in cooperation with the Polish Cultural Institute in London and the Polish Cultural Institute in New York. The award is given annually to the author(s) of the best translation of Polish literature into English published in book form in the previous calendar year. In 2025, the winner was Mira Rosenthal for her translation of Tomasz Różycki’s collection of poems titled ‘Letters’.
One of the Institute’s most important initiatives in supporting translators and cultural exchange is the World Congress of Polish Literature Translators, held every four years. The event brings together translators of Polish literature from around the world – primarily from Europe, but also from North and South America, Asia, and Australia. The next Congress will take place in July 2026.
The Book Institute also offers scholarships for translators:
The Anders Bodegård Scholarship, funded in honor of the outstanding translator of Polish and French literature into Swedish. Anders Bodegård has translated poetry by Wisława Szymborska, Adam Zagajewski, and Ewa Lipska, prose by Witold Gombrowicz and Paweł Huelle, and reportage by Ryszard Kapuściński.
The scholarship in his name is intended for a translator specializing in translating Polish literature into Swedish or French. Maryla Laurent was the 2025 Bodegård Scholarship recipient.
The 2026 application period is open; applications can be submitted by October 19th to: collegium@instytutksiazki.pl.
The Albrecht Lempp Scholarship, funded in honor of the distinguished promoter of Polish literature in Germany and its translator. Albrecht Lempp served for many years as director of the Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation and made a significant contribution to the development of Polish-German relations.
The scholarship is intended for writers from Poland and Germany, as well as for German translators of Polish literature and Polish translators of German-language literature. It is funded by the Book Institute, the Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation, and the Literarisches Colloquium Berlin. In 2025, the scholarship recipients were Aleksandra Tarnowska and Katharina Bendixen.
Information about the 2026 application period will appear on our channels soon.
Later this year, we will launch the Adam Wodnicki Scholarship, funded in honor of the distinguished visual artist, translator of French literature, and writer. It is intended for translators translating from French into Polish or translating books on art from any language into Polish.