Soros Network Translation Project

Since it was launched in 1995, the Translation Project aimed to ensure the availability in local languages of at least the minimum of basic academic texts needed to renew higher education and to sustain informed public discussion of social and political issues. A parallel aim of the project was to assist the up-growing private publishing in the countries in transition. Translation Project has been a major program of the Soros Foundations Network for the last 9 years – surely the only one of its kind in the region. It had supported the translation of more than 2,200 titles, had contributed to the development of social sciences and humanities as well as the transformation of high education and the raise of independent private publishing in Central and Eastern Europe, and the countries of the former Societ Union. Due to the project’s publications certain issues, traditions and concepts that enable local students, scholars and activists to think about their societies have been introduced for the first time into local languages.

In year 2002, the Next Page Foundation conducted a survey of the Translation Project’s impact in three countries: Bulgaria, Lithuania and Ukraine. Read a summary of the studies.

The project is managed by local Soros/Open Society Foundations, and overviewed by the Next Page Foundation on behalf of OSI - Budapest.

Since the begginning of 2004, Translation Project ceased to exist in most countries of the network and is currently operating only in Albania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Macedonia and Ukraine. For details please contact publishing staff of the local Soros Foundation or partner organization.

Find a list of the titles supported in 2003. A comprehensive and fully up-dated database of previously supported titles will be available soon.