Comments Requested about Translations

Ecosal-UK is applying for grants to help develop a UK Salt Network.
Can you send us your opinion about a particular for some of the work? - transaltions.

One application is designed as a community collaboration, pooling information about salt making and cultural associations of salt in a particular region of England. The completed work will be published in a free to download multi-touch, enhanced i-book, 250 pages.

We requested funds to translate the completed i-book into foreign languages - specifically Portuguese, Spanish, French and German (apologise to other countries not included in this list). This would enable a specific engagement with the Traditional Salt Route of the Atlantic and the European Route of Industrial Heritage.

Feedback about the application suggested that "having a number of translated books could affect the value for money your project offers, as (our) funding should be used to support projects where the primary recipients are based in the UK."

Naturally the project partners we will be working with are all based in England.

• The completed work will produce an i-book in English that will promote the salt heritage of many sites covering multiple periods and different methods of production. 
• It will include audio, video 3d graphics, photo galleries and widgets commonly found in i-books and will also include hyperlinks to web sites that will promote the sites, museums and businesses who worked on the collaboration. 
• In producing the book participants who have not used i-books before will receive training in how they work and how they are made. 
• Groups and individuals will be encouraged to continue working together with Ecosal-UK to sustain a Salt Network that can be extended to other regions in the UK.
• Ecosal-UK and the UK Salt Network will work to make links with overseas salt museums and salt sites.

Can you send some comments about :-

1. Should translations of our salt heritage i-book be seen as 'value for money' by the funding body?

2. Does translated material primarily benefit the foreign reader?

or, 

3. Does translated material primarily benefit the originating body, through making its information available to a wider audience?

4. Should there be more British heritage books translated into foreign languages?

5. Do British based projects assume everyone will read their material in English?
6. Do overseas readers mind reading British publications in English?
7. If you provide translation of your works, how do you pay for them?
8. How might I get funding to translate this type of publication. Or perhaps just use web based translations despite their limitations with technical details?

Please post your reply in the comments box below for all to read, 

or email andrew.fielding (at) ecosal-uk.org.uk 

10th April 2017