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Promoting Canada's diverse linguistic heritage through translation is crucial to the health of its publishing landscape. Moreover, translation plays a significant role not only in facilitating cultural understanding, but in helping a title find new readers and markets at home and abroad.

Where can Canadian publishers obtain funding for the translation of Canadian titles? In the second installment of our translation series, we have gathered a targeted list of grants, awards, and other resources that may help facilitate translations within Canada.

Grants

• Canada Council for the Arts
  • Arts Across Canada has a translation component. It is intended for the translation of Canadian literary or dramatic works into French, English, an Aboriginal (First Nations, Inuit or Métis) language, American Sign Language (ASL), Langue des signes québécoise (LSQ), or any other regional Canadian or Indigenous sign language, for Canadian publication. https://canadacouncil.ca/funding/grants/arts-across-canada/translation
• Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences
  • The Awards to Scholarly Publications Program (ASPP) awards five Translation Grants of $30,000 annually to fund Canadian scholarly publications in the humanities and social sciences. federationhss.ca/en/programs-policy/scholarly-book-awards
• SODEC
  • The Aide à l’exportation et au rayonnement culturel supplement is intended to help Québecois cultural products—including books—to markets outside Québec. https://sodec.gouv.qc.ca/domaines-dintervention/livre/aide-a-lexportation-2/aide-a-lexportation/
• Peterson Literary Fund
  • The Translation-in-Progress Grant is awarded biennially to translations of literary works that promote a better understanding of Ukraine or the Ukrainian people or are deemed to be of significant interest to the global Ukrainian community. These works should be translated from Ukranian into other languages or vice-versa. https://www.petersonliteraryfund.com/translation-in-progress-grant

Awards

• Governor General Literary Award
  • The Translation (French to English or English to French) category of the GG Awards is given to works of outstanding literary and artistic merit. The prize is split between the translator and the publishing house. https://canadacouncil.ca/funding/prizes/governor-generals-literary-awards/guidelines-governor-generals-literary-awards
• ATTLC-LTAC
  • The John Glassco Translation Prize is a cash award and one-year membership awarded to an emerging literary translator for their first book-length translation. https://www.attlc-ltac.org/en/john-glassco-prize/
• Peterson Literary Fund
  • The Translated Book Award is awarded biennially to completed translations of literary works that promote a better understanding of Ukraine or the Ukrainian people or are deemed to be of significant interest to the global Ukrainian community. These works should be translated from Ukranian into English or French, or vice-versa. https://www.petersonliteraryfund.com/translated-book-award

Further Resources

• Canada Council for the Arts
  • Consult the "Guide to Getting a Grant" for tips and advice to help you in the application process, as well as information about your responsibilities if you receive a grant and your options if your application was unsuccessful. https://canadacouncil.ca/funding/grants/guide
• Literary Translators’ Association of Canada (LTAC)
  • The LTAC maintains a searchable directory of its full and honorary members, who have all completed at least the equivalent of one book-length literary translation. https://www.attlc-ltac.org/en/directory/
  • They also provide an extensive resource section for translators. https://www.attlc-ltac.org/en/toolbox/#
• Association of Canadian Publishers (ACP)
  • The ACP maintains the Book Publishing Freelancers from Diverse Communities Database, which includes translators. https://publishers.ca/diverse-freelancers-database/