Translation Fund for Literature

Who can apply:

• international publishers may apply for a contribution towards the translation of Australian works of creative writing, and a contribution towards promotion of the translated work. The work you are proposing to translate must be authored by an Australian citizen or an Australian permanent resident
• Australian publishers may apply to support the translation and promotion of foreign language works, provided the translator is an Australian citizen or permanent resident.

Who can’t apply:

• applicants who have already submitted two applications to this closing date
• applicants who do not hold the rights of the work to be translated
• indie (self-published) authors
• applicants who have not provided the required support material – the translator’s CV and a signed copy of the rights agreement
• applicants who have an overdue grant report
• applicants who owe money to Creative Australia.

Your application must comply with the following protocols. We may contact you to request further information during the assessment process, or if successful, as a condition of your funding.

Protocols for using First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts
All applications involving First Nations artists, communities or subject matter must adhere to these Protocols, providing evidence of this in their application and support material. More information on the First Nations Protocols is available here.

Commonwealth Child Safe Framework
All successful applicants are required to comply with all Australian law relating to employing or engaging people who work or volunteer with children, including working with children checks and mandatory reporting. Successful organisations who provide services directly to children, or whose funded activities involve contact with children, will additionally be required to implement the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.

Applications will be considered by Creative Australia in consultation with industry advisors.

Applications will be assessed against two criteria.

1. Quality

Assessors will consider:

• the quality of the work submitted for translation
• why this work is the right fit for your list
• the track record of the translator.

2. Viability

Assessors will consider the publisher’s ability to market and promote the translated work.

The types of questions we ask in the application form include:

• a title for your application
• a description of your proposed activities that comprises:
  • a brief description of the literary title
  • why you consider that this work or author is right for your list
  • a description of your publishing house, if relevant
  • the language of the proposed edition
  • how many copies of the book will be printed (minimum print run of 500 copies)
  • how and where the book will be distributed and promoted
  • for Australian publishers: whether you have published any other translated works, listing comparable titles.
• An outline of how the funds will be spent that comprises:
  • the retail price of the book
  • the amount the author/rights holder will be paid.

You must submit support material with your application. Creative Australia and industry advisors will review this support material to gain a better sense of your project.

Your application will only be eligible if it includes the following essential support material:

• the translator’s CV, listing their relevant experience
• a copy of the signed rights agreement. If your agreement is in a language other than English, please also provide a brief summary in English.

The following support material may also be included with your application:

• evidence of other titles in your catalogue, or previous books published.

Our preferred method of receiving support material is via URLs (weblinks).

You can provide up to three URLs that link to content that is relevant to your proposal.

If you cannot supply support material via URLs, you may upload support material to your application as written material (Word and PDF).