Translation Prize

The Wieland Translation Prize is awarded biannually for an outstanding translation into German. It is advertised and awarded by the Freundeskreis zur Förderung literarischer und wissenschaftlicher Übersetzungen e. V. The prize includes an award of €12,000 that is provided by the Ministry of Science, Research, and Art in the state of Baden-Württemberg. The award ceremony is organized by the Christoph Martin Wieland Foundation in Biberach.

Wieland and his translations

Wieland was one of the first writers who translated Shakespeare’s dramas into German. There had only been three translated dramas before Wieland started his work. In 1761 the first performance of a Shakespearean drama in German spoken states was staged: The actors of the “Evangelische Komödiantengesellschaft” (Protestant Society of Comedians) staged Der Sturm (The Tempest) in the Komödienhaus (House of Comedies) in Biberach. The performance was directed and translated by Christoph Martin Wieland. Based on the success of this performance, Wieland took on the ambitious project of translating 22 dramas by Shakespeare. Wieland’s translations gave rise to the popularisation of Shakespeare`s and English culture. As a consequence of these translations a range of new terms (neologisms) were introduced into the German Language that have had a lasting impact on the language.


For more information about call for proposals, prize winner and honorific speeches please visit our German website.