Accepting applications for emerging translators working with literature from Taiwan 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 of the mentorship. 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, 2025 at 11:59pm PT. The selected mentees will be announced in February 2026.

Please use this form to apply to the mentorship in literature from Taiwan with Lin King.
              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. Prose, poetry, hybrid work, and drama are all welcome.

This mentorship is being offered by ALTA in partnership with the Taiwan Academy of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles.

The timeline for the mentorship program application process is:
               September 2, 2025: Submissions open
               November 30, 2025: Submissions close
               Late January, 2026: Selected mentees notified
               Early February, 2026: Selected mentees announced
               Early February, 2026: Mentorship program begins with a virtual meeting
               Fall 2026: Mentorship program reading at the ALTA49 conference (October 21-24, 2026 in Portland, Oregon)

  December 2026-January 2027: First Look Program

About the Mentor
Lin King 金翎 is a writer and translator based in Taipei and New York. Translations include the graphic novel series The Boy from Clearwater by Yu Pei-Yun and Zhou Jian-Xin (Levine Querido) and the novel Taiwan Travelogue by Yang Shuang-Zi (Graywolf), which won the 2024 National Book Award in Translated Literature. Forthcoming publications include A Perfect Day to Put Your Head in the Oven by Lee Chia-Ying (Doubleday UK, Riverhead US). Her own fiction has appeared in One Story, Boston Review, and Joyland, among others, and her debut novel is forthcoming from Henry Holt.

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

Accepting applications for emerging translators working from Sinhala 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. SALT-funded mentees receive an additional $1,000 travel stipend to attend the London Bookfair from March 10-12, 2026. Receipt of travel stipends ($1,500 for the ALTA conference and $1,000 for the London Bookfair) is contingent upon travel to and participation in these events. Confirmation of your intention to travel will be due to ALTA in advance. (ALTA understands that actual travel plans may be subject to visa restrictions or other factors.)

                 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, 2025 at 11:59pm PT. The selected mentees will be announced in February 2026.

Please use this form to apply to the mentorship in Sinhala with Liyanage Amarakeerthi.

                 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 SALT Project.

The timeline for the mentorship program application process is:
               September 2, 2025: Submissions open
               November 30, 2025: Submissions close
               Late January, 2026: Selected mentees notified
               Early February, 2026: Selected mentees announced
               Early February, 2026: Mentorship program begins with a virtual meeting
               Fall 2026: Mentorship program reading at the ALTA49 conference (October 21-24, 2026 in Portland, Oregon)

               December 2026 - January 2027: First Look Program

About the Mentor
Liyanage Amarakeerthi is a fiction writer, a translator, a poet, and a critic. He has published six novels, nine collections of stories, three collections of poems, and numerous scholarly books. He has won the national literary award for his novels, short stories, translations and scholarly work. He also won the golden book award for two of his books in 2013 and 2016. Amarakeerthi is a professor of Sinhala, University of Peradeniya. He obtained his BA in Sinhala from the University of Colombo in 1994. Having entered the University of Wisconsin in 1998 on a Fulbright Fellowship, he completed his MA (2000) and PhD (2004) in Comparative Literary Studies with a focus on South Asian literature, Literary Theory, and Postcolonial Studies.

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