ALTA is excited to bring back another round of the popular Multilingual Translation Workshops this summer!
Register here by July 25 to take part in Multilingual Translation Workshops held virtually over Zoom from August 21-26.
Multilingual translation workshops are small groups of translators who meet with an established translator (the workshop leader) to discuss and receive feedback on a brief excerpt of their work in translation. Participants need not all share the same source language(s), and you may submit texts translated from a language other than the one(s) your workshop leader is an expert in.
From emerging translators looking to workshop their first translation, to established translators looking for help on a tricky passage, these workshops are for everyone!
Each workshop lasts 105 minutes in Zoom, and offers a collaborative experience between one workshop leader and 6 participants who circulate their work in advance. You are welcome to register for more than one workshop!
Leaders for the spring workshops include Lisa Hofmann-Kuroda, Daniel Hahn, Antonia Lloyd-Jones, Esther Allen, Bill Johnston, Jenna Tang, Annie Fisher, Soje, Mira Rosenthal, Curtis Bauer, Sawad Hussain, and Sibelan Forrester.
Workshop slots are first-come, first-served, and are $60 apiece. Registration for these workshops closes July 25, so secure your slot soon! Translation excerpts must be submitted by August 3.
ALTA members receive a20% discount on multilingual workshops. If you’d like to receive this discount for these workshops, join today!
Plus: The Building Our Future: A Weekend of Virtual Workshops for Emerging BIPOC Translators (Saturday, August 26 and Sunday, August 27: 9 AM – 12 PM PT) is a free, weekend-long virtual program meant to empower literary translators of color offered in collaboration with the Asian American Writers Workshop (AAWW). This workshop is by application only; follow this link for more information and to find out how to apply. Please write to equity@literarytranslators.org by July 14 to apply.
[Tucson, AZ]—The American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) has been approved for a $30,000 Grants for Arts Projects award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to support ALTA’s fall conference, ALTA46: The Place of Translation, and the Emerging Translator Mentorship Program. ALTA’s project is among 1,130 projects across the country, totaling more than $31 million, that were selected during this second round of Grants for Arts Projects fiscal year 2023 funding.
“The National Endowment for the Arts is pleased to support a wide range of projects, including ALTA’s fall conference and mentorship program, demonstrating the many ways the arts enrich our lives and contribute to healthy and thriving communities,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “These organizations play an important role in advancing the creative vitality of our nation and helping to ensure that all people can benefit from arts, culture, and design.”
“We are proud to receive funding from the NEA to support emerging translators and provide a way for our community to gather together and celebrate their work,” said ALTA Executive Director Elisabeth Jaquette. “This is the largest Grants for Arts Projects award that ALTA has ever received from the NEA, and we are especially grateful to receive such substantial support. This crucial funding will help us uplift our current cohort of eight emerging translator mentees. It will also enable us to offer a full-scale, in-person conference this fall in ALTA’s hometown of Tucson, Arizona.”
ALTA’s annual conference is the only one in the United States dedicated exclusively to literary translation. It brings together between 500-650 professional literary translators, editors, educators, students, publishers, and literary arts professionals to discuss the art, practice, and publication of works of literary translation into English. This year’s program will take place from November 8-11 in Tucson, AZ, and will include panels, roundtables, readings, and special events. This grant also supports ALTA’s Emerging Translator Mentorship Program, which facilitates a close working relationship between an experienced translator and an emerging translator. This year’s program features eight mentees whose work spans the globe.
For more information on other projects included in the NEA grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.
The winners of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award are in! After another year of record-breaking number of submissions, Prof. Chokri Al Saadi was awarded for his outstanding translation into Arabic of John R. Searle’s Expression and Meaning: Studies in the Theory of Speech Acts. Al Saadi will be awarded alongside the other winners at a ceremony at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair on 23rd May.
Want to take part in a translation workshop, but can’t take off the time for a residential one? The Kenyon Review has you covered! Apply now to take part in their summer online translation workshop, which will take place June 18-24. With workshop leaders Kaiama L. Glover, Daniel Saldaña París, and ALTA Program Manager Kelsi Vanada, you won’t want to miss this!
[Image description: A banner with The Kenyon Review logo at the top, followed by information regarding the Summer Online Translation Workshopsoffered by Kenyon Review, which will be held June 18–24. Applications due May 1. To the right, three images of the translation workshop leaders: Kaiama L. Glover, Kelsi Vanada, and Daniel Saldaña París.]
[Image description: An Arizona-road-sign-inspired logo with the words, “Write the World | A Day of Translation.” Left: the ALTA logo, right: “Join ALTA online! May 23, 2023”]
ALTA is excited to present Write the World: A Day of Translation! Connect with translators and translation enthusiasts from across the globe. Get ready for this day of virtual panels on topics related to literary translation on May 23, 2023!
Registration opens this Friday, April 14. Registration will be $15, which will grant you access to all the events of the day.
ALTA members get 20% off registration for Write the World. Members will receive their discount promo code via email on the morning of Friday, April 14. If you’re not an ALTA member but would like to receive this discount, join ALTA or renew your membership today.
The schedule for Write the World: A Day of Translation is below. For more information and to read the participant bios, visit this page.
The Power of Literary Awards to Expand Readership, sponsored by the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, 9:00 – 10:15AM PT
Literary awards have long been successful in celebrating and promoting authors, but is that true when it comes to works in translation? In 2006, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award was established to bring recognition to outstanding Arabic writing and promote the translation and reading of Arabic literature around the world. In this panel discussion, the US publicist for the Sheikh Zayed Book Award and one of this year’s Literature category finalists, writer and editor Reem Bassiouney, and representatives from the National Book Critics Circle and National Book Foundation will discuss the creation and impact of these awards on global and personal levels. The discussion will be moderated by journalist Olivia Snaije.
Moderator: Olivia Snaije
Panelists: Reem Bassiouney, Anna Dobben, Adam Dalva, Erin Cox
Partnering for Success: Translators & Agents in the Publishing Industry, 11:00 AM – 12:15PM PT
Translators are essential in bringing diverse stories and voices to readers around the world. However, selling translations can be challenging without understanding how agents and editors function within the publishing industry. What is the role of literary agents? Should translators seek out partnerships with literary agents? If so, what is the best way for translators and agents to connect and work together? In this session, a translator, agent, and publisher will discuss the various ways in which an agent can help translators navigate the business side of publishing, such as pitching projects, negotiating contracts, and marketing translations, along with building relationships with publishers.
Social Media Branding and Marketing for Literary Translators, 1:00 – 2:15PM PT
Social media can be a powerful and useful tool for literary translators to make ourselves and our work seen, particularly for emerging translators or those who are based in countries and regions away from the traditional hubs of Anglophone publishing. Creating a social media account is easy, but the choice of platform(s) to start with can be daunting. Is one platform better than the others to help you achieve your goals? Who do we want to reach out to – editors, publishers, readers? What should we post and is there really a golden time or day for maximum engagement? Anton Hur, Matthew Sciarappa, Sawad Hussain and moderator Yuki Tejima will share their experience and know-how in this panel comprising literary translators, book bloggers and social media experts in publishing.
Moderator: Yuki Tejima
Panelists: Anton Hur, Matthew Sciarappa, Sawad Hussain
Publishing Translations: A Conversation Between Translators & Editors, 3:00 – 4:15PM PT
Before introducing our translations to the world, what does a professional relationship between translators and editors look like? What is it like to edit works in translation, and communicate intentionality that comes from considerations of style, the original language, and more? Are there differences when publishing translation as books, as shorter pieces in a literary magazine, or when translators write essays about languages? We have invited three editors (some of whom are also translators themselves) who have experiences working with translators––from publishing houses to literary magazines. We will explore elements of building a healthy relationship between both, and what it is like to introduce essays about translation, and translations themselves, to wider audiences.
ALTA Blog 