Extending the reach of the Filipino imagination: Literature in translation

As the Philippines gears up as the Guest of Honour country at the 77th Frankfurter Buchmesse in 2025, the PhlGoH2025 — an interagency collaboration between the National Book Development Board (NBDB), the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the Department of Foreign Aairs (DFA), and the Oce of Senate Loren Legarda — enhances the program for the subsidy to foreign publishers to translate Philippine books to foreign languages.

The Translation Subsidy Program, which includes a separate Program for Philippine publishers is a central component of the Philippine participation as Guest of Honour at the Frankfurter Buchmesse in 2025.

The goals of this program are: (1) to introduce a significant number of Philippine books to international publishing markets; (2) to further cultural exchange between our diaspora communities and their host countries, and; (3) to make Philippine books globally competitive as the country positions itself as an emerging content capital in Southeast Asia.

The National Book Development Board (NBDB) is actively working to address this situation through its Translation Subsidy Program.

Eligible are foreign publishers who have bought translation rights of a published book from Philippine publishers. Foreign publishers may be micro, small, medium, and large enterprises/business entities duly registered outside of the Philippines and are legally engaged in an economic activity.

The work to be translated must be published in the Philippines and written in any Philippine language. It must not already have a translation in the language the applicant is applying for.

Eligibility will be based on:

• the Relevance/Importance of the work to be translated
• the Feasibility/Production Schedule
• the Production Scale/Distribution
• the Applicant’s experience in translation projects and rights negotiations

The grant will be opening anew in 2025, while the current 2024 Translation Grant is already in its third cycle and is accepting applications until November 30, 2024. The grantees will be announced on December 30, 2024.

For more details on how to apply, visit the NBDB Translation Guidelines.