CMI Translation Guidelines

Do you want to translate our materials?

Please read the information below as well as our Translation F.A.Q. and our Steps for Translators.

All of the products that CMI sells are copyrighted and you will need permission before translating them for any purpose. Because we are keen to see our materials translated and distributed around the world, we have a Translations Coordinator who maintains a database of Translation Projects and arranges permission forms for new projects. One reason for this is to ensure that people are not using time to translate something which is already happening, for example. In the table below, you will see who is the publisher for some of our major titles. Usually the publisher manages the rights for a publication so please contact the organization listed for permission to translate and/or reproduce these titles.

If the title you are interested in is not listed above, please contact our Translations Coordinator to find out who manages the rights for it. Also see the ‘Copyright’ section below for more details.

Once you have contacted us for permission to translate something, you will be asked to complete a questionnaire. Approval will then depend upon your willingness to comply with our policies and procedures. For example, we require all translation contacts to organize at least 2 independent, native-tongue proofers. After the project has been approved, we will require you to sign an Agreement. For more information about the kinds of translation projects we coordinate and the Agreements that we use, please see below.

Articles

Please ask CMI for permission before translating any of our articles (eg. from Creation magazine, the Journal of Creation or from CreationOnTheWeb.com). Please do not use images from our articles without consulting us on the copyright ownership of the images. For approved article Translation Projects, usually the Website Articles Agreement will be used unless you wish to mass-produce the articles or publish them in another magazine. In this case, a Translation Agreement for Incorporation may be required. Once you have translated and arranged proofing of an article, please use our electronic template to paste the translated text and send back to us.

Tracts, Booklets and Pamphlets

Please ask CMI for permission before translating any of our tracts, booklets or pamphlets. If your project is approved, we will require you to sign our standard Translation Agreement. Please contact our Translations Coordinator for more information.

Books

Please ask CMI for permission before translating any of our books. If your project is approved, we will require you to sign our standard Translation Agreement. If you are a publisher wishing to publish an item that has been translated previously by another group, we may require you to sign a Reproduction Agreement. Please contact our Translation Coordinator for more information.

Videos and DVDs

Audio dubbing

Audio dubbing onto video or DVD productions is a challenging and expensive task. Translating the English transcript into another language for subtitles is more feasible. See 'Subtitles' below.

Subtitles

With DVD technology, it is now possible to include subtitles in multiple languages. CMI prefers to accept subtitles as text in the necessary format from a translator. This can potentially be included in future DVDs as they are produced by CMI.

Copyright

When you contact our Translations Coordinator, the copyright for the item you wish to translate will be checked. This includes checking whether CMI is the sole copyright owner of the product and whether there are any images or other media embedded in the product, which may not by freely reproduced because of someone else’s copyright or other restrictions. Please note that in some cases, you will need to source your own pictures for publication. The purpose of CMI’s policy on copyright assignment is to ensure that the translated text can be used to its full potential.

CMI reserves the right to use the Translated Work(s) on its own website, and to have the capacity to grant permission to others to make use of it/them. For example, in the past, situations have arisen in which the translators have not made the best use of the work once translated, and other organizations would have been able to reach more people with the information within that particular language group. Our copyright policy (including asking for the copyright to be assigned to us—see below) is not for the purpose of gaining unfair advantage over the Translator; it is merely intended to prevent the possibility that the message in the Translated Work should ever be, in effect, ‘embargoed’ in that particular language. It also means that we have automatic permission to reprint should it ever become unavailable in that language.

About the Translation Agreements

1. When permission to translate is granted, the conditions will be that: CMI will be sent the electronic text of the finished product immediately for use on its website and/or other ministry uses. The copyright in the Translated Work, if not already held by CMI, is assigned to CMI to avoid its use being restricted. This permits its inclusion on the CMI website, for example. You, 'the Translator' arrange for the Translated Work to be proof-read by at least two persons who speak the language of translation fluently, one of whom must speak English fluently and one of whom must be familiar with scientific terms and preferably have some kind of scientific qualifications. The Translated Work will incorporate certain information in English letters including a sole copyright notice for Creation Ministries International Ltd. Permission to reproduce any images will be discussed separately with the Translation Coordinator via email or ordinary mail.
2. Permission to reproduce and/or sell the translated work may also be granted in the Translation Agreements, along with the following conditions: Nothing in the way of additional text or images shall be added to any such reproduction without the written permission of CMI. For each lot of reproductions (e.g. each subsequent printing) separate prior written permission must be sought. If the items are to be subsequently sold, the above permission for each reprint/reproduced batch needs to include permission and conditions for sale. The purpose of the stringent quality control procedures in the Translation Agreements is to protect CMI, the Translator/s and creation ministries in general. The creation message in all its aspects is vital, and the need for accuracy is obvious so as not to discredit the creation movement as a whole and CMI in particular within the language group in question. Also, part of CMI’s ability to outreach effectively has been because we have strenuously avoided being (or appearing to be) linked to any items or issues outside of our Statement of Faith (the areas we believe the Lord has called us to) nor to any political movements or denominational bodies or the like. We want to extend that same prudent caution to all situations in which this important message is translated into another language. We are fallible, and make our share of mistakes, but once something has passed our stringent checking procedures in the English language, then even the addition of an inappropriate cartoon might undermine the message and/or cause offence to large numbers of people, even if done in all innocence.

The above is only an overview of the contents of the Translation Agreements. Please contact the Translations Coordinator for more information or to have an Example Agreement emailed to you. Thank you for your interest in CMI's translation projects.

If you speak a language other than English and you have a heart for this ministry, we look forward to hearing from you.

Please also read our Translation F.A.Q. and our Steps for translators.

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