TOLEDO - Translators for cultural exchange
Translators play a crucial role in international cultural exchange. Their work broadens horizons and deepens our understanding of other cultures. Developing translation culture enriches and enlivens our knowledge of the world, literature, and language.
The TOLEDO program supports literary translators in their work as active ambassadors between cultures and languages. Funding supports three primary goals:
- Mobility: Individual grants for translators to spend time at European translation centers, giving them the opportunity to work intensively, surrounded by the culture and language from which they translate.
- Networking: Projects that encourage exchange between translators, and with other members of the literary scene.
- Visibility: Events that make the cultural vocabulary of translators accessible to a wide audience.
TOLEDO takes up the long tradition of European translation culture which in the middle ages shaped places like the Castilian city that gives the program its name. Over time, the legends entwined around Toledo have given the name almost mythical overtones: as a symbol of tolerance and a place of cooperative work, where bridges were built between scholarship and religions, West and East. The TOLEDO program targets the translators of today who engage in sometimes politically volatile cultural interactions, and who breathe new life into the “dream of Toledo.”
TOLEDO is a program of the Robert Bosch Foundation and the Deutscher Übersetzerfonds.
The Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH is one of Europe’s largest foundations associated with a private company. In its charitable work, it addresses social issues at an early stage and develops exemplary solutions. For this purpose, it plans and implements its own projects. Additionally, it supports third-party initiatives that have similar goals.
The Robert Bosch Stiftung is active in the areas of health, science, society, education, and international relations.
Moreover, in the coming years, the Foundation will increasingly direct its activities on three focus areas:
- Migration, Integration, and Inclusion
- Social Cohesion in Germany and Europe
- Sustainable Living Spaces
Since it was established in 1964, the Robert Bosch Stiftung has invested around 1.6 billion euros in charitable work.
The Deutscher Übersetzerfonds, founded in 1997 supports the work of literary translators into German through grants, programs offered through an “Academy for the Art of Translation,” and thematic projects with public relevance. The Deutscher Übersetzerfonds is supported by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, the Cultural Foundation of the German Federal States, and the Foreign Office.
