Translation Subsidies

CNL SUBSIDIES FOR THE TRANSLATION OF FRENCH WORKS INTO FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Once a publisher has acquired the translation rights to a work and a contract has been signed, the publisher can apply to the Centre National du Livre for a translation grant. 
This subsidy is intended to support the costs of translating French works of Literature and Human Sciences into foreign languages. The complete application must be sent to our Foreign Rights team and will be forwarded to the Centre National du Livre. The CNL committee will decide on the application and, where appropriate, on the amount of financial support.

All foreign languages are eligible. The publisher must hold the rights to the work and the rights contract must be valid.
Translation award amounts are calculated on the basis of the translator’s (or translators’) fees, to the exclusion of all the other costs related to the fabrication and/or the promotion of the work. The award amount is intended to cover 30-60% of the translation costs. This amount may be reduced if the translator’s remuneration is less than 10% of the amount upon which the award amount was calculated.

The application dossier
For all requests, the publisher must submit:
•    The completed ad hoc application form
•    A copy of the licence agreement signed by both parties
•    A copy of the translation contract signed between the foreign publisher and the translator, as well as a translation in French of the principal points of the contract: title of the work and the name of the author, submission deadline for the translation, the translator’s remuneration amount, and the date the contract was signed
•    The translator’s CV and list of publications
•    A translation sample accompanied by the corresponding French text, or 6-page spreads for comic books or graphic novels. The translation sample must constitute 10% or more of the work, at the discretion of the CNL (major projects, works of poetry, etc.).
•    The catalogue and a presentation in French of the foreign publisher
•    A letter of intention (in French) from the foreign publisher, indicating that the work is listed in its catalogue and in its editorial policy, as well as the pertinence of distributing the work in the intended country

Application deadlines
The commissions meet 3 times a year. Your application must be submitted to Pauline Perrignon or Christiaan van Raaijen by:
•    15 October for the January-February session
•    10 February for the May-June session
•    1st June for the October session
If your application is not complete, we will not be able to process it.

Payment methods
The awards are made in one payment, for which the publisher must submit:
•    a copy of the translated work bearing mention of CNL aid
•    a proof of payment signed by the translator
•    An attestation in French from the publisher, indicating the number of books printed

Award funds are sent to Grasset and transferred to the successful applicant from our account department.

The CNL reserves the right to withhold aid if the project receives another form of public financial support after the CNL commission’s decision is made.
Awarded funds must be liquidated within 24 months after the date the commission meets.
All information about the application (eligibility, attribution and assessment criterions, etc) :

Centre national du livre
Hôtel d’Avejan
53 rue de Verneuil
75007 Paris