General
The Goldschmidt Programme for German- and French-speaking literary translators
The next Goldschmidt programme edition will take place from the 11th of February until the 16th of April 2021.
The Georges-Arthur Goldschmidt Programme gives up-and-coming German- and French-speaking translators the chance to get to know publishing companies. This bursary programme is organised jointly by Frankfurter Buchmesse, the Franco-German Youth Office (DFJW), the society for promoting French literature abroad (BIEF) and Pro Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council. Participants receive a monthly grant of 900 EUR.
What to expect from the Goldschmidt Programme:
Leading lights behind the programme

Isabelle Liber
After studying German and French Linguistics and Literature at Strasbourg University and completing an MA in Publishing at the Sorbonne in Paris, Isabelle Liber published her first translation from German with Actes Sud in 2002. She was a member of the Goldschmidt Programme in 2005.
After studying German and French Linguistics and Literature at Strasbourg University and completing an MA in Publishing at the Sorbonne in Paris, Isabelle Liber published her first translation from German with Actes Sud in 2002. She was a member of the Goldschmidt Programme in 2005.
Her translation work has been growing steadily over the last years and includes novels, short stories, art books, non-fiction and YA.

Andreas Jandl
Andreas Jandl, born in 1975, studied theatre, English and Roman languages and literature in Berlin, London and Montréal. He earned a master's degree in theatre studies at the Université du Québec in Montréal in 2000 and initially worked in theatre, e.g., in 2001 as dramaturg of the reading series "drame!" at the Maxim Gorki Theater in Berlin and later as personal assistant to the festival director of the International Schiller Days at the National Theater in Mannheim.
Andreas Jandl, born in 1975, studied theatre, English and Roman languages and literature in Berlin, London and Montréal. He earned a master's degree in theatre studies at the Université du Québec in Montréal in 2000 and initially worked in theatre, e.g., in 2001 as dramaturg of the reading series "drame!" at the Maxim Gorki Theater in Berlin and later as personal assistant to the festival director of the International Schiller Days at the National Theater in Mannheim.
Until 2006, he then organized German-French exchange programmes for young literary translators, booksellers, and publishing house clerks for the Bureau International de l'Edition Française (BIEF) in Paris. Since 2006 he has worked as a freelance translator from English and French, and in 2017 received the Christoph Martin Wieland Translation Prize for the translation of J.A. Baker's The Peregrine Falcon (Matthes & Seitz Berlin, 2014, together with Frank Sievers).

Georges-Arthur Goldschmidt
The scholarship programme is organised jointly by Frankfurter Buchmesse, the Franco-German Youth Office (DFJW), the society for promoting French literature abroad (BIEF) and Pro Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council.
The scholarship programme is organised jointly by Frankfurter Buchmesse, the Franco-German Youth Office (DFJW), the society for promoting French literature abroad (BIEF) and Pro Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council.
Georges-Arthur Goldschmidt has been a patron of the German-French literary translation programme named after him since 2007. Born on 2 May 1928 in Reinbek near Hamburg, he and his older brother were taken into exile in France in 1938 to escape Nazi persecution. Goldschmidt became a French citizen and French became his language. It wasn’t long before he made a name for himself as a translator of German literature. In addition to his work as a translator, Goldschmidt writes numerous essays and autobiographical pieces.
Your translation project
Applicants must choose a French work as their compulsory translation project and focus during workshops. The aim of the Goldschmidt Programme is to promote a literary exchange between German-speaking and French-speaking countries. The following aspects must therefore be taken into account when selecting the project:
The conditions
- The translation rights have not yet been sold in Germany.
- The selected author does not yet have a permanent German translator.
- The work has been published by a professional French-language publisher.
- The selected work should either have been released in the current year or be a rediscovery.
FAQ
Who can apply?
Young literary translators from France, Germany and Switzerland.
What are the conditions for participation?
- Age limit: 30 years old (in exceptional cases: 35)
- University degree and/or a literary translation already published
- Availability for the entire duration of the programme (February to April)
- Participants are responsible for obtaining adequate insurance for the duration of the programme.
When is the application deadline?
The deadline for applications has passed.
This is what former participants say about the programme
Translation is a skill you have to acquire. When working in teams of two or at the plenum in Wannsee and Arles, we saw our texts improve. Translation is an important profession – you discover this when you come into contact with publishers from France and Germany. The Goldschmidt programme is a first small step towards becoming a literary translator. But it's an important one.
Spending two months surrounded by interested, appreciative, talented and committed people who share their own passion for language and literature is one of the most enriching experiences of my life.
Benefit from the renowned programme
If you want to expand your network and expand your expertise, you should apply for the renowned Goldschmidt Programme.
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