Barbara Cassin Prize
The Alsace Inter-University House for the Social Sciences and Humanities (MISHA) and the University of Strasbourg Institute for Advanced Study (USIAS) have joined forces to establish a new prize for the translation into English of French research in the social sciences and humanities (SSH). The prize is named after the renowned philosopher and academician Barbara Cassin (more information below).
The prize aims to increase the visibility and international impact of outstanding monographs published in French by researchers based in Strasbourg. It will also serve to highlight the work of translators in the humanities and social sciences, and in particular the work of human translators.
Image - Jean Miélot, translator of Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy,
15th century, by Jean le Tavernier (Wikimedia Commons)
The prize
This prize, for a value of between 5 000 € and 10 000 €, is intended for Strasbourg-based scientists in the social sciences and humanities. It also promotes the work of human translators in SSH.
The quality of the book and of the translation project will be assessed by a selection panel composed equally of members from both USIAS and the MISHA’s scientific committee.
Applications must be submitted by 30 September 2025. The prize ceremony will take place on 12 December 2025.
Selection criteria
- Scientific excellence of the work
- Potential to generate international interest, contribute to contemporary research questions and methodologies, and/or produce a disruptive effect
- Relevance beyond the disciplinary field due to the synthetic, interdisciplinary or panoramic dimension of the work
- Quality of the translation project, assessed on the basis of the translator's past experience and their CV
- Reputation of the publishing house and the existence of a communication plan to promote the book, its author and its translator. The publishing house must be of high calibre and have significant international outreach and impact. Open access publication would be an advantage.
The work must have been published in French within the five years preceding the application.
Instructions for applicants
Applications must be submitted using the online application form. The form must be completed and submitted in one go, as it cannot be saved as a draft (this preview of the form can be downloaded for reference). Please use templates where provided and submit in pdf format, including the name of the applicant in the file name to facilitate identification.
Documents to be included in the application:
- The book in question and any related press kit
- The author's detailed CV, including information on the impact of their previous research (template)
- The translator's CV, demonstrating that they are a professional specialising in human translation (template)
- A detailed quote from the translator
- A contract, or formal letter of intent or equivalent, from the English-language publisher and any communication and promotion plan for the work
The full conditions for the prize are available (in French).
About the name of the prize: Barbara Cassin
The prize is named in honour of Barbara Cassin. A philosopher, philologist and Hellenist, Barbara Cassin works on the power of words and the force of language from both a historical and practical perspective, and on the question of translation as a ‘skill’ to navigate cultural differences. To her, each language offers a different perspective on the world. Her research has enabled her to question the foundations of rational thought and the mechanisms behind the effectiveness of discourse.
She is the author of L'éloge de la traduction. Compliquer l'universel (Fayard, 2016) and edited the Vocabulaire européen des philosophies (Seuil-Le Robert, 2004), better known by its subtitle, Dictionnaire des intraduisibles (Dictionary of Untranslatables). This monumental work examines over 1,500 words from philosophical language and illustrates the complexity of their translation into some 15 other languages; the work itself has also been, or is in the process of being, translated, or rather reinvented, into a dozen other languages, including Anglo-American, Ukrainian, Russian, Arabic and Wolof.
After studying philosophy at Sorbonne University (Paris, France) and beginning her career as a teacher and translator, Barbara Cassin joined the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in 1984. In 2012, she received the Grand Prize for Philosophy from the French Academy for her entire body of work, and was named as Knight of French National Order of the Legion of Honour in 2014. In 2018, Barbara Cassin received France's highest scientific distinction, the CNRS Gold Medal. In the same year, she was elected to the French Academy, taking up seat 36. She thus became the ninth woman to enter the Academy and join its ranks as one of the ‘Immortals’.
Image - Institut de France
