Des de 1922, defensem la llibertat d'expressió i els drets lingüístics, salvaguardem el patrimoni literari català i promovem el diàleg intercultural.
Since 2006, PEN Català has coordinated the Writers In Refuge Programme. This programme, with its roots in the Shelter Cities programme which was promoted by the International Parliament of Writers, aims to host a writer who is threatened, persecuted or at risk of being imprisoned as a consequence of their writing.
PEN Català promotes literary translation to overcome the linguistic barrier that prevents understanding between people and cultures. It works for both the promotion of Catalan literature in the world and to support the translation of universal literary works into Catalan. It is within this framework that the digital magazine Visat is published.
PEN is committed to the respect of all languages, and the protection and promotion of minority languages. PEN's central and guiding principles on linguistic rights are laid out in the Girona Manifesto, promoted by PEN Català.
PEN Català monitors human rights violations against writers, editors, translators and journalists around the world and organises campaigns to support them.
You can become a full member if you are a writer in any field, journalist, editor or translator and share the founding values of PEN.
If you are not a writer and want to join the defense of languages and freedom of expression, you can be part of the Circle of Friends of PEN.
Help us continue to defend language and freedom of expression.
Sí! El nostre web s'adapta a dispositius mòbils, però encara està en desenvolupament. Per veure-la ara correctament, consulta-la des d'una mida de pantalla major de 1100px ; )
The Assembly of Delegates, meeting at the 81st PEN International Congress in October 2015, adopted the Quebec Declaration on Literary Translation and Translators, sponsored by PEN International’s Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee and spearheaded by PEN Quebec.
The Quebec Declaration is founded on the principles set out in a series of documents that include the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (1886-1979), the Universal Copyright Convention (1952) and the Recommendation on the Legal Protection of Translators and Translations and the Practical Means to improve the Status of Translators (1976). Louis Jolicoeur of Quebec’s Laval University, Sherry Simon of Concordia University in Montreal, and Émile Martel, President of PEN’s Quebec Centre, were charged with preparing the initial draft of the Declaration, with contributions from Esther Allen of Baruch College at City University of New York, Hugh Hazelton of Concordia University in Montreal, and Fabio Scotto of the University of Bergamo.
The initial draft was submitted to the PEN Centres that form part of the Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee, which is chaired by Simona Škrabec. Their respective representatives were given the opportunity to debate all aspects of the declaration before agreeing on a final text in French, English and Spanish at two separate Committee meetings. The first was held in Barcelona in April 2015, while the second took place during the 81st PEN Congress held in the city of Quebec in October 2015. More than fifty delegates from across the globe took part in the debate, offering an in-depth knowledge of the literary and linguistic realities of the countries and regions to which they belonged.
This wide-ranging consultation process resulted in a text containing a six-point summary of the principles and objectives that PEN International intends to promote in the area of literary translation. These principles include the importance of translation in promoting the dignity of all cultures and languages, the need to draw attention to the conditions required in order to engage in this activity and, above all, the importance of defending the people who make communication possible – literary translators.
The Quebec Declaration was unanimously approved by the PEN International Assembly on 15 October 2015. The French, English and Spanish text was finalised during the course of the Quebec Congress, and all the other translations are the result of the work carried out by the PEN Centres and their supporters. Our aim is to ensure that the Declaration can be read in the highest possible number of languages and we hope that other institutions and organisations will adopt its principles and help us to defend and disseminate them. The Quebec Declaration forms part of PEN International’s broad strategy to promote literary creativity and collaboration between cultures.
The Quebec Declaration on Literary Translation and Translators