In Other Words

In Other Words was an initiative to encourage the translation and UK publication of outstanding children's literature from around the world that ran from 2017-2018.

In Other Words continues to support UK publishers find and acquire children's books in translation, as well as to help international publishers pitch their books to English language editors. This includes toolkits or resources to download, written by top industry experts in the UK.

Find the publisher's toolkits

Each year, eight titles were selected by the judges from between 200 to 400 submissions from around the world. The shortlists showcased outstanding books for children age 6-12 picked for their literary merit as well as commercial potential. All shortlisted titles were partially translated (available to read by viewing the titles below) and World English Language Rights were available to buy. A marketing bursary of £1500 was available from BookTrust to support the UK publication of each of the shortlisted titles.

Of the titles, five were acquired by UK publishers for translation and UK publication:

• A Good Day for Climbing Trees by Jaco Jacobs, illustrated by Jim Tierney and translated by Kobus Geldenhuys (Rock the Boat, Oneworld)
• Elise and the Second-Hand Dog by Bjarne Reuter, illustrated by Kirsten Raagaard, translated by Sian Mackie (Wacky Bee Books)
• The Raven's Children by Yulia Yakovleva, translated by Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp (Puffin Books)
• Alaska by Anna Woltz, translated by Laura Watkinson (Rock the Boat, Oneworld)
• Red Stars by Davide Morosinotto, translated by Denise Muir (Pushkin Press)