Pro Helvetia has been working to promote Switzerland’s minority language writers by providing opportunities for translations to introduce writers working in Romansh to an audience beyond Swiss borders. Of the current 900-plus members of the Swiss Authors Association (ADS), just under 9% can live from writing. Yet only sales in excess of 6,000 books begin to have an impact on a writer's bank balance. And to sell that many copies, an author must also have a readership outside Switzerland: the Swiss market is simply too small. Established publishers' networks put Swiss-German authors in a better position, but things are not that easy for them either. It is extremely difficult for Romansh writers. It does not matter how good an author is or how well-known he or she is in Romansh-speaking regions, Switzerland's minority language numbers fewer than 70,000 speakers, and what's more is divided into different dialects. Sales of 700 books count as a major success – and that doesn't even cover the printing costs. Prizes, readings and book events don't help matters much either. Writing Romansh is still a leisure pursuit. Something changed this year though, when author Leo Tuor was awarded a work grant from Pro Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council. For a time at least, he will be the first-ever professional Romansh writer. Before him Flurin Spescha was the only Romansh-speaking author to live from writing, but his output was mainly in German. An author may, however, find some solace in recognition: Thanks to translations – which Pro Helvetia promotes in its function as intermediary between the different language regions – the rest of Switzerland has access to works originally in Romansh. Last year, for instance, readers in German-speaking Switzerland could immerse themselves in the eerie ancestral world of a Surselvan village brought to life by Tuor in "Onna Maria Tumera oder die Vorfahren" (original title "Onna Maria ni ils antenats", Onna Maria or The Ancestors). And in April, Unterengadin writer Ruth Plouda received the Prix Littéraire Lipp Suisse 2005, a Swiss literary accolade. With her book "Sco scha nüglia nu füss" (As If Nothing Happened), recently published in French under the title "Comme si de rien n’était", she won over an eminent jury in Geneva. These are just two examples of how translations can specifically help Romansh authors to find readers in other language regions. For more information, CLICK HERE