Ministry of Culture, Republic of China (Taiwan) Translation Grant Program
Application Guidelines

I. The Ministry of Culture (hereinafter referred to as “the Ministry”) has formulated these guidelines to encourage the publication of translations of Taiwan’s literature, including fiction, non-fiction, picture books and comics, and help Taiwan’s publishing industry explore non-Chinese international markets.

II. Applicant eligibility: Foreign publishers (legal persons) legally registered in accordance with the laws and regulations of their respective countries.

III. Conditions:
1. Works translated shall be original, published works (for example, fiction, non-fiction, picture books, and comics but not anthologies) by Taiwanese writers (Republic of China nationals) in traditional Chinese characters.
2. Priority is given to works to be translated and published for the first time in a non-Chinese language market.
3. Applicants are not limited to submitting only one project for funding in each application year; however, an applicant may only receive funding for up to three projects in any given round of applications.
4. Projects receiving funding shall have already obtained authorization for translation, and be published within two years starting from the year after application year (published before the end of October).

IV. Funding items and amount
1. Funds may cover licensing fees going to the rights holder of the original work, translation fees, and promotional fees (limited to an economy-class airline ticket for authors who are citizens of the Republic of China traveling abroad to attend promotional activities), and book production fees.
2. The maximum funding available for any given project is NT$600,000 (including income tax and remittance charges).
3. Priority consideration will be given to those works that have not yet been published in a language other than Chinese, as well as winners of a Golden Tripod Award, Golden Comic Award, or Taiwan Literature Golden Award (list appended.)

V. Application period: Twice every year. The MOC reserves the right to change the application periods, and will announce said changes separately.
1. April 1 through April 30; and
2. October 1 through October 31.

VI. Announcement of successful applications: Winners will be announced within three months of the end of the application period.

VII. Application method: Please visit the Ministry’s “Books From Taiwan” website (http://booksfromtaiwan.tw/), and use the online application system. Applications are to include:
1. A completed application form (format to be announced separately), and budget (format to be announced separately), completed in traditional
Chinese or English.
2. The following documents uploaded in PDF format
i. License agreement, with license fee given (in New Taiwan dollars); and
ii. Proof of applicant’s business registration in the relevant country.

VIII. Review process:
1. The Ministry will first conduct a review of submitted materials. Where applications are incomplete, but the situation can be remedied, the Ministry will inform applicants of an extended deadline for submitting any missing documentation. Applications will not be processed in cases where applicants subsequently fail to submit documentation or have submitted insufficient documentation. Applicants will be granted only one opportunity to remedy incomplete applications.
2. The Ministry shall invite experts and scholars to form a panel to review all content and determine the amount to be granted for each award. Two-thirds of all panel members shall form a quorum; over one-half of those present must voice approval for a project to be selected.
3. Panel members are not to be employees of the Ministry, but shall be remunerated for their reviews and related work in accordance with related regulations. Members of the panel shall recuse themselves when the provisions of Articles 32 and 33 of the Administrative Procedure Act apply.
4. The panel shall evaluate the scope and reasonableness of each proposed
project, including budget, publisher’s niche and influence, as well as past experience with marketing Taiwan’s authors and their works.
5. Once a final decision has been made, the Ministry will send written notice to funding recipients as well as make a public announcement.

IX. Remittances and audits:
1. Funds shall be remitted in two stages, with each stage accounting for 50 percent of the total sum. Recipients, after signing a contract with the Ministry, shall submit a formal receipt (format to be announced separately) for stage one remittance before the deadline set by the Ministry. For stage two, recipients shall submit another receipt, invoice (for items listed as “promotional fees,” applicants shall append the e-ticket, boarding pass, and proof of purchase of economy-class airline ticket(s) for authors who are citizens of the Republic of China traveling abroad to attend promotional activities), list of total expenditure for the project (format to be announced separately), and proof of publication of the translation. Submission of these items shall be made no later than the end of November of the year in which the translation is published. Proof of publication shall take the form of electronic files in PDF format on CD/DVD (including cover, table of contents, and copyright page; and, where promotional fees apply, photos with captions depicting the events attended abroad by Republic of China authors), as well as 10 hard copies of the published work. Remittance will be made after the Ministry has reviewed submitted materials.
2. Funding includes tax and remittance charges; the Ministry will deduct income tax and remittance fees in accordance with related regulations.

X. Notes:
1. Recipients shall list all expenditures as well as funding and subsidies received from other government agencies of Taiwan. In cases of misrepresentation or falsification, the Ministry shall cancel funding, and shall require repayment in full of funds already remitted. Recipients to whom the preceding applies will be excluded from applying for further Ministry funding for a period of three years.
2. Recipients shall authorize the Ministry to use the publication for non-profit purposes on the Ministry’s website(s). (Format of Authorization Agreement will be announced separately.)
3. Published translations shall specify that the work is “Sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Republic of China (Taiwan)” on the copyright page or in another prominent part of the book. The Ministry reserves the right to reduce the approved grant by 10% if the recipient fails to comply with this stipulation.
4. Funding shall be used toward the designated ends and may not be otherwise directed.
5. Funding recipients shall warrant that any project submitted to the Ministry does not infringe upon the rights of third parties. Where a third party’s rights are infringed upon, applicants shall bear responsibility. Where this situation applies, the Ministry will require repayment of funds remitted,
and the recipient shall be prohibited from applying for related Ministry subsidies for the following three years.
6. Recipients shall notify the Ministry on paper of any decision to forfeit eligibility. The Ministry will then determine whether to notify an alternative applicant. Depending on the progress of the project, the Ministry may require part or all of any funds already remitted to be returned.
7. Recipients shall submit a written explanation for any modification to the project to the Ministry for approval. For applicants seeking to postpone a deadline, an application shall be submitted to the Ministry in advance for written approval. A postponement may be granted only once.
8. For a project’s final accounting, all receipts for expenditures are to conform to the Central Government Guidelines on Handling Receipts for Expenditures. Further, the purpose of expenditures, and the actual amount spent, is to be listed. Where two or more agencies are funding (granting) an applicant, the amount given (granted) by each agency is to be listed.
9. Applicants are to act in good faith and report only genuine expenses they have borne. Where information provided is found to be false, the applicant shall bear the responsibility.

XI. The Ministry will provide further explanation concerning related procedures if and when questions arise.