Accepting applications for emerging translators working from Polish into English.

          The ALTA Emerging Translator Mentorship Program is designed to establish and facilitate a close working relationship between an experienced translator and an emerging translator on a project selected by the emerging translator. The mentorship duration is one year. The emerging translator is expected to choose a project that can be completed in that time, and they will only be advised on that particular project. ALTA's Emerging Translator Mentorship Program was founded by former ALTA board member Allison M. Charette.
          All mentors and mentees meet via video conference at the beginning of their mentorship in February, and continue their work through individual meetings either in person, over Zoom, or by phone. A minimum of six meetings is expected during the first nine months. The mentorship will feature a presentation of the mentee’s work in a reading at the annual ALTA conference in the fall.
          ALTA's mentees also have the option to take part in our "First Look" program, which allows participating publishers to be the first to read excerpts of the translations mentees have worked on throughout their mentorship, for possible publication. The $1500 travel stipend covers ALTA conference registration, as well as travel to the conference location and on-site accommodations. Please note that each of our program funders may have different stipulations regarding travel funding.

          The program is open to emerging translators at no cost to them. An emerging translator is someone who has published no more than one full-length work of translation. While ALTA’s Mentorship Program is open to all applicants, we especially encourage applications from translators of color, translators with disabilities, LGBTQ+ translators, and those who don't have an MA, an MFA, or some other equivalent type of training, such as a mentorship from the National Centre for Writing’s Emerging Translator Mentorships (UK). Though English is the target language, the emerging translator need not live in the United States. The selected mentee’s proposed project will be worked on based on availability (applicants are not expected to secure rights for their proposal).

This program is distinct from the ALTA Travel Fellowships. Previous years' Fellows are welcome to apply for a Mentorship. Applicants may apply to both programs in the same year, but only may only receive one award.
          While applicants are encouraged to apply simultaneously to multiple mentorship programs (such as those offered by the National Centre for Writing, LTAC/QWF, etc), please note that successful applicants will only be allowed to pursue one mentorship at a given time. In other words, applicants selected for more than one mentorship will need to choose one to accept. This allows our programs to support the greatest number of emerging translators.

          For more information, please see our website for details, as well as introductions to former mentees and their accomplishments.

          Applications will be accepted through November 30, 2024 at 11:59pm PT. The selected mentees will be announced in February 2025.

Please use this form to apply to the mentorship in Polish with Bill Johnston.

Applications must be submitted online through our submission platform, and must include:
 

• Your CV (please note that a CV is different from a resume—a CV provides a full, comprehensive history of your academic and work experience, your publication history, and any past training in relevant fields)
• A project proposal of no more than 1000 words. Projects must be reasonably expected to be completed within the scope of the mentorship. Proposals should include::

1. The author's name and project title clearly stated in the first paragraph
2. Information about the original author
3. Information about the importance of the source text
4. How the emerging translator would benefit from mentorship 

• A sample translation of 8-10 pages from the proposed project (double-spaced if prose), along with the corresponding source text IN ONE DOCUMENT. 

 This mentorship is being offered by ALTA in partnership with the Polish Cultural Institute New York.

The timeline for the mentorship program application process is:
            September 3, 2024: Submissions open
            November 30, 2024: Submissions close
            Late January, 2025: Selected mentees notified
            Early February, 2025: Selected mentees announced
            Early February, 2025: Mentorship program begins with a virtual meeting
            Fall 2025: Mentorship program reading at the ALTA47 conference (November 5-8, 2025 in Tucson, Arizona)

             December 2025-January 2026: First Look Program

About the Mentor
 Bill Johnston received the 2019 National Translation Award in Poetry for his rendering of Adam Mickiewicz’s epic narrative poem in rhyming couplets Pan Tadeusz (Archipelago Books, 2018). He translates from Polish and French; his recent translations have included work by Julia Fiedorczuk, Charles Ferdinand Ramuz, and Jeanne Benameur. His numerous honors include the PEN Translation Prize, the Best Translated Book Award, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. He teaches literary translation at Indiana University, where he is currently serving as Michael Henry Heim Chair in Central and East European Letters.

              -------------- Please contact ALTA's Program Director Kelsi Vanada with any questions: kelsi@literarytranslators.org.

Accepting applications for emerging translators working on translating Poetry from Hong Kong into English.

        The ALTA Emerging Translator Mentorship Program is designed to establish and facilitate a close working relationship between an experienced translator and an emerging translator on a project selected by the emerging translator. The mentorship duration is one year. The emerging translator is expected to choose a project that can be completed in that time, and they will only be advised on that particular project. ALTA's Emerging Translator Mentorship Program was founded by former ALTA board member Allison M. Charette.
        All mentors and mentees meet via video conference at the beginning of their mentorship in February, and continue their work through individual meetings either in person, over Zoom, or by phone. A minimum of six meetings is expected during the first nine months. The mentorship will feature a presentation of the mentee’s work in a reading at the annual ALTA conference in the fall.

        ALTA's mentees also have the option to take part in our "First Look" program, which allows participating publishers to be the first to read excerpts of the translations mentees have worked on throughout their mentorship, for possible publication. The $1500 travel stipend covers travel to the conference location and on-site accommodations. ALTA conference registration is also covered for both mentors and mentees. Please note that each of our program funders may have different stipulations regarding travel funding.

        The program is open to emerging translators at no cost to them. An emerging translator is someone who has published no more than one full-length work of translation. While ALTA’s Mentorship Program is open to all applicants, we especially encourage applications from translators of color, translators with disabilities, LGBTQ+ translators, and those who don't have an MA, an MFA, or some other equivalent type of training, such as a mentorship from the National Centre for Writing’s Emerging Translator Mentorships (UK). Though English is the target language, the emerging translator need not live in the United States. The selected mentee’s proposed project will be worked on based on availability (applicants are not expected to secure rights for their proposal).

This program is distinct from the ALTA Travel Fellowships. Previous years' Fellows are welcome to apply for a Mentorship. Applicants may apply to both programs in the same year, but only may only receive one award.
        While applicants are encouraged to apply simultaneously to multiple mentorship programs (such as those offered by the National Centre for Writing, LTAC/QWF, etc), please note that successful applicants will only be allowed to pursue one mentorship at a given time. In other words, applicants selected for more than one mentorship will need to choose one to accept. This allows our programs to support the greatest number of emerging translators.

        For more information, please see our website for details, as well as introductions to former mentees and their accomplishments.

        Applications will be accepted through November 30, 2024 at 11:59pm PT. The selected mentees will be announced in February 2025.

Please use this form to apply to the mentorship in Poetry from Hong Kong with May Huang.

        Applications must be submitted online through our submission platform, and must include:
 

• Your CV (please note that a CV is different from a resume—a CV provides a full, comprehensive history of your academic and work experience, your publication history, and any past training in relevant fields)
• A project proposal of no more than 1000 words. Projects must be reasonably expected to be completed within the scope of the mentorship. Proposals should include: 

1. The author's name and project title clearly stated in the first paragraph
2. Information about the original author
3. Information about the importance of the source text
4. How the emerging translator would benefit from mentorship

• A sample translation of 8-10 pages from the proposed project (double-spaced), along with the corresponding source text IN ONE DOCUMENT. 

This mentorship is being offered by ALTA in partnership with the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Global.

The timeline for the mentorship program application process is:
           September 3, 2024: Submissions open
           November 30, 2024: Submissions close
           Late January, 2025: Selected mentees notified
           Early February, 2025: Selected mentees announced
           Early February, 2025: Mentorship program begins with a virtual meeting
           Fall 2025: Mentorship program reading at the ALTA48 conference (November 5-8, 2025 in Tucson, Arizona)

            December 2025-January 2026: First Look Program

About the Mentor
May Huang is a translator and writer from Hong Kong. Her translation of Derek Chung's A Cha Chaan Teng That Does Not Exist was published in 2023 by Zephyr Press. Her writing and translations have appeared in Words Without Borders, World Literature Today, Circumference, Electric Literature, The Massachusetts Review, and elsewhere. May was a mentee in ALTA's 2020 Emerging Translator Mentorship Program, during which she was mentored by Jennifer Feeley and translated the majority of A Cha Chaan Teng That Does Not Exist. Outside of translation, May swing dances, constructs crossword puzzles, and works in communications.

           -------------- Please contact ALTA's Program Director Kelsi Vanada with any questions: kelsi@literarytranslators.org.