The following resolution was passed with unanimous support by the FIT Open Congress:

IN DEFENCE OF TRANSLATORS RIGHTS

The 15th Congress of the International Federation of Translators (FIT), held in Mons, August 1999, condemns the action of Piper Verlag (part of the Swedish conglomerate, Bonnier) in removing Karin Krieger's translations of the Italian writer, Baricco, from the bookshops of Germany. This action sets a dangerous precedent in depriving the translator of the right to proper remuneration for her work. It rides roughshod over her rights as a creative artist who has produced a quality translation for German readers. It is quite simply an act of cultural vandalism. The FIT Congress demands that the European Ministers of Culture speak out against this attack on basic democratic rights and on the professional standards of literary translators, and, by extension, of all book translators.

The FIT Literary Translation Committee, August 4 1999

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