The Canada Council for the Arts is delighted to confirm the excellent news that the Department of Canadian Heritage has chosen the Canada Council to administer the new National Translation Program for Book Publishing. This program is designed to increase the availability of Canadian-authored books in both official languages, delivering on the commitment that the Canadian government announced in June 2008, in the Roadmap for Canada’s Linguistic Duality.
For 2009-10, the Department of Canadian Heritage has transferred $750,000 to the Canada Council’s Book Publishing Support: Translation Grants program. The additional funds will enable the Department, working in partnership with the Canada Council, to more effectively meet its objective of giving readers more access to Canadian-authored books in Canada’s two official languages.
In accepting these additional funds, the Canada Council, in partnership with Canadian publishers, commits to strengthening the connections between Canadian communities by increasing the number of literary works by Canadian authors translated from French to English and English to French.
The new funds will allow the Canada Council to support significantly more translation projects. In addition, the following important changes will be made, retroactive to 1 April 2009:
Increases in per word rates
- $0.25 for poetry (up from $0.20)
- $0.20 for drama (up from $0.16)
- $0.18 for fiction, literary non-fiction and children’s books (up from $0.14)
Increase in maximum grant amount
The maximum grant available for any one translation is $25,000 (up from $20,000).
Elimination of print run maximum
Previously, a work was not eligible for grant support if the planned print run of the translated version was more than 5,000 copies in the first 12 months following publication. This restriction has been eliminated.
Increase in maximum number of grant-supported translation projects
Publishers can now have a maximum of eight translation projects (that is, eight supported by this program) in progress at any one time
These changes will remain in place as long as the Department of Canadian Heritage continues to fund the National Translation Program for Book Publishing. All other program requirements remain the same (for example, the criteria for applicant and title eligibility).
Note to current applicants who want to compensate translators at the new rate: If you submitted an application after 1 April 2009 but before the date of this announcement and the translation has not already been published, please submit a letter showing the new rate and total fee for the translator proposed in your application. The letter must be signed by both you and the translator. This will allow the Canada Council to adjust the amount of the grant, if your application is successful.
If your application is successful, in addition to acknowledging the support you have received from the Canada Council for the Arts, you must also recognize the Department of Canadian Heritage. The following text must be included in the translated work and in all promotional material related to the grant supported work.
We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada, through the National Translation Program for Book Publishing, for our translation activities.
Please use this exact wording.
The Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canada Council for the Arts encourage eligible Canadian publishers to take advantage of this additional investment (and the resulting changes to the Book Publishing Support: Translation Grants program) to undertake new translation projects that will contribute to mutual understanding between official language groups. The program guidelines and application form are posted on the Canada Council website at: www.canadacouncil.ca/grants/writing/ex127227344686875000.htm.
For more information, contact Catherine Montgomery, Program Officer in the Canada Council Writing and Publishing Section. Telephone 1-800-263-5588 (toll-free), ext. 5574, or by email at catherine.montgomery@canadacouncil.ca.
