The New India Foundation (NIF) has announced the third round of its Translation Fellowships 2025, aimed at nurturing India’s rich multilingual intellectual legacy by supporting the translation of significant non-fiction works from Indian languages into English. With an aim to foster cultural accessibility, historical understanding, and scholarly exchange, this fellowship is a significant opportunity for translators to bring forgotten or underrepresented knowledge-based texts to a broader audience.
This initiative is particularly vital in a country as linguistically diverse as India, where regional histories, philosophies, political thought, and cultural narratives remain locked within language barriers. By enabling the translation of non-fiction texts originally published from 1850 onwards, NIF seeks to democratize access to intellectual works that have shaped India’s modern journey.
Each selected translator will receive a fellowship grant of ₹6,00,000, disbursed in stages against the submission of translation milestones. The fellowship is open to translations from ten Indian languages—Assamese, Bangla, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Malayalam, Odia, Tamil, and Urdu—and is genre-agnostic, welcoming a broad range of non-fiction categories including history, politics, sociology, memoirs, scientific writing, and philosophy.
Eligibility Criteria
The Translation Fellowships 2025 come with inclusive eligibility norms:
- The proposed translation must be from non-fiction texts originally published in any of the eligible Indian languages from 1850 onwards.
- No restrictions are placed on the translator’s nationality, academic background, or age, allowing both experienced and emerging translators to apply.
- The source material’s ideological orientation or genre is unrestricted, as long as the work contributes meaningfully to India’s knowledge systems.
Documents Required
Applicants must submit a comprehensive application package including:
- A sample translation (up to 5,000 words)
- Corresponding original source excerpt
- A detailed translation proposal (up to 5,000 words)
- Bibliographic details of the source text (title, publisher, year, and previous translations, if any)
- CV or resume
Fellowship Benefits
The NIF Translation Fellowship offers more than just financial aid. Selected fellows gain:
- A grant of ₹6,00,000
- Mentorship and expert guidance from a panel of seasoned language and translation scholars
- Publication and promotional support through the foundation’s established networks
- A chance to contribute to India’s cultural preservation and expand academic literature in English
Application Deadline
Applications for the Translation Fellowships 2025 must be submitted by 31st December 2025. This fellowship is an exceptional opportunity for translators committed to making India’s diverse intellectual traditions more accessible and globally appreciated.
By supporting these translations, the New India Foundation continues its mission to deepen the collective understanding of India’s multifaceted cultural and historical narratives, for more details and apply CLICK HERE
