The British Centre for Literary Translation
Introducing the workshop strands for BCLT ONLINE Summer School 2026
Call for Papers: Creative Translation in the Age of AI
Catch Up: The Sebald Lecture 2025 with Elif Shafak
More information here
American Literary Translators Association : 13 Emerging Translators mentorships available in 2026
Last chance to apply !
Deadline to apply: November 30, 2025
The mentorship program allows an emerging translator to establish and develop a close working relationship with an experienced translator on a literary translation project chosen by the emerging translator.
The program consists of several language-specific and non-language-specific mentorships that change annually. All mentors and mentees meet in a video conference at the beginning of the mentorship and continue their work one-on-one in person, over video, or by phone for the nine-month duration. Each year’s cohort participates in a reading at the annual ALTA Conference. Mentees receive complimentary conference registration and a $1,500 stipend to cover travel to the conference location and on-site accommodations.
TWO LINES PRESS AND CALICO SUBMISSIONS OPEN
The 2026 Stevns Translation Prize is now open to emerging translators of Vietnamese.
Two Lines Press and Peirene Press are excited to announce Bảo Tàng Lông [Museum of Hair] by Maik Cây as the selection for the 2026 Stevns Prize, which is open to translators of Vietnamese who have not yet published a full-length literary translation.
Founded in 2018 with the generous backing of Martha Stevns, the Stevns Translation Prize’s mission is to offer opportunities to new voices in the field. This year’s winner will receive a $6400 / £4800 contract to translate the novel, which will be published by both Two Lines Press in North America and Peirene Press in the UK. The prize package also includes a translation retreat in an 18th-century mill house in the foothills of the French Pyrenees, a six-month mentorship with an established literary translator, and up to $1,000 in travel expenses.
Entrants are asked to submit a translation of a selected sample of the novel and a 500-word translator’s note. The 2026 Stevns Translation Prize will be judged by established literary translator Nguyễn An Lý (Chinatown and Elevator in Sài Gòn by Thuận and Water: A Chronicle by Nguyễn Ngọc Tư), who will also be this year’s mentor, along with translator and author Vi Khi Nao and one final judge to be announced.
Submissions are now open and will close on February 1, 2026. The shortlist and winner will be announced in early March 2026.
In Translation: A Book Club
In Translation: A Book Club is a literary journey exploring how stories move between languages, cultures, and communities. Each book in the series is read and discussed in two versions—the original language and its English translation—creating a space for bilingual and multilingual readers to come together through the art of translation.
Through this program, we celebrate translation as a creative act of mediation, inviting participants to think deeply about language, storytelling, and cultural exchange. This initiative is proudly hosted by the Think+DO Tank Foundation.
Temporada de huracanes / Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor
Join us in Sydney for the first session of In Translation: A Book Club, where we explore Temporada de huracanes (Hurricane Season), a powerful and unforgettable novel by Mexican author Fernanda Melchor (1982) and its English translation by Sophie Hughes.
Both sessions to be facilitated by Rosario Lázaro Igoa. (Limited capacity to 20 people each session)
Session 1: Saturday 15 November 2025, 3–5 pm
Think+DO Tank Foundation Community House, 2/40 Harris Street, Fairfield
Session 2: Saturday 6 December 2025, 3–5 pm
Pauline McLeod Room, Marrickville Library, 313–319 Marrickville Road
Translation Fund for Translation – Creative Australia
Applications close: Tuesday 11 November 2025, 3pm AEDT
Here is a great opportunity for international publishers to get support to translate Australian works by living authors of creative writing, and Australian publishers to translate non-English works into English by Australian translators.
Publishers may browse The AALITRA Database of Literary Translators for translation projects.
Email for more information.
“This Changes Everything”: Elizabeth Bryer and Sarah Timmer Harvey on literary translation
In the wake of winning the 2025 NSW Translation Prize, Elizabeth Bryer converses with fellow translator Sarah Timmer Harvey on the impact of material conditions on one’s practice and on translation as a radical and radically personal act.
11th Australia-Spain Research Forum: “Artificial Intelligence: Friend or Foe?
The association Spanish Researchers in Australia-Pacific (SRAP) organises annually the “Australia-Spain Research Forum”, a multidisciplinary conference aimed at the wider community, to highlight Australia-Spain research and present broad research and cultural topics which are of special interest to the Australian and Spanish societies. SRAP promotes and supports networking between Australia-Pacific and Spanish research institutes and universities.
24th October 2025, Australian Museum Sydney
How translations sells: 3 U.S. eras of International Bestsellers
Join SALT at the South Asia Institute in on Monday, November 10, 2025 from 6:30-8:30pm for “Translating South Asia: An Evening in Chicago.”
An Evening with SALT
This event will feature readings from International Booker Prize winning translator Daisy Rockwell, PEN/Heim Translation Grant winner Shabnam Nadiya, Sahitya Akademi winner Srinath Perur, and others sharing their work from Bangla, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Telugu, and Urdu.
General Admission: $5. Student Admission: Free!
Get tickets here
Arts Minister standing firm on existing Copyright laws
Check John Potts’ article on the Federal Arts Minister not bowing under big Tech’s pressure to weaken AI laws in Australia.
Melbourne City of Literature Office
By signing up to the MCLO <info@cityofliterature.com.au>, you will get advanced notice about their announcements, including many national and international residency programmes aimed at writers and translators.
The 38th AUSIT National Conference
20–22 November 2025
ABSTRACTS EXTENDED Now closing 14 July 2025, 11:59 pm AEST (UTC + 10)
The Kambri Centre, Australian National University, Canberra, ACTl l lFocusing on Engagement:with government, clients, language communities, colleagues
More Information/Submission Portal 38th AUSIT National Conference
Contact us
New Poetry in Translation Prize from Giramondo Publishing, Fitzcarraldo Editions & New Directions.
📅 Submissions: 15 July – 15 August
💰 $5,000 advance (shared between poet & translator)
📖 Simultaneous publication in Australia/NZ, North America & UK/Ireland
🏆 Winner announced January 2026
Open to living poets worldwide writing in any language other than English.Enquiries: publicity@giramondopublishing.com
Australia’s Multilingual Literary Landscape
The September 2024 issue of the Journal of Literary Multilingualism focusses on Australia’s Multilingual Literary landscape and includes articles that will interest Literary translators.
Table of contents and open access to articles here.
The Journal of Literary Multilingualism explores works written in non-native languages, blending multiple languages, or switching between them. It examines a wide range of literary practices from around the world, all shaped by multilingual and multicultural contexts.
Report now available on the European Conference on Literary translation in Strasbourg, France, 2-4 October 2024
The European Conference on Literary Translations, organised by CEATL, took place at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. 80 speakers from 28 countries, 5 panels, 7 workshops and various presentations: this one-of-a-kind event brought together for the first time all parties involved in literary translation:translators, writers, publishers, booksellers, librarians, training establishments, residencies, book festivals and fairs, and all the organisations supporting literary translation in Europe.
The Conference was followed on-site by 350 participants from 38 countries and on-line by 1,500 spectators registered in 73 countries. Some of the themes:
- Good practices
- Networks and support systems for literary translation
- Training
- Inclusion and diversity
- Linguistic equality, minority languages
- Gathering data on literary translation markets
- Visibility
- Artificial intelligence
- Censorship, self-censorship, freedom of speech…
The Report in downloadable .pdf form and 15 videos, in the language of your choice (French, English, German), are available on the CEATL website.
So much to offer to Literary translators! Check the latest Newsletter of the National Centre For Writing, Norwich (UK)
The National Centre for Writing offers a vibrant, year-round programme of innovative events and collaborations that engage writers, literary translators and readers of all ages, in person and online.
Upcoming Grant Deadline for Publishers and Translators: May 31, 2025
PEN Translates x SALT: This award helps publishers to meet the costs of translating new works into English while ensuring translators are acknowledged and paid properly for their work.
Open to publishers anywhere outside South Asia. Grants for new books in translation from any language of South Asia.
Translation Nation: Literary Translators and Poets in Conversation
FREE event on Saturday 10 May 2025 at the State Library of NSW (or online via Zoom).
This is an event to promote the importance of Australian translators and poets on the national and international cultural scene. Join us and our special guests, Chris Andrews, Toby Fitch and Stephanie Smee to discuss about their translations and adaptations of French texts into English and to find out more about their books and our research project.
This event is part of the Translation Nation Project: Literary Translation as Cultural Mediation in Australia (Paul Gibbard, Valentina Gosetti, Alistair Rolls)
A UK collective licence for works used to train AI: a model for Australian authors?
A UK collective licence for works used to train AI: a model for Australian authors?
The Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) – which is directed by the Publishers’ Licensing Services (PLS) and the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS), representing publishers and authors – will develop a licence, set to be the first of its kind in the UK. It will allow copyright holders “who are not in a position to negotiate direct licensing agreements with AI developers”, says ALCS CEO Barbara Hayes, to be paid for the use of their works.
Read this article for more.
Call for Applications: Poets’ Residency at ZKM Karlsruhe
The Hertzlab at ZKM (Center for Art and Media) in Karlsruhe (UNESCO City of Media Arts) in collaboration with Heidelberg UNESCO City of Literature Office cordially invites poets from UNESCO Cities of Literature worldwide to apply for its new residency program during September 1, 2025 – November 30, 2025.
The Wheeler Centre’s Hot Desk Fellowships Open for submission
Applications for 2025 Hot Desk Fellowships will be open from Tuesday 14 January and close at 5pm AEDT on Monday 24 February 2024
The Wheeler Centre’s Hot Desk Fellowships are back for 2025 – this year made possible by the generous support of the Faculty of Arts, University of Melbourne, the Readings Foundation and the Just Pretending theatre group.
The Wheeler Centre will offer 22 writers a fellowship, including a stipend of $1250 and a dedicated workspace in the building over a ten-week period. Hot Desk Fellows have the opportunity to meet, network and work with The Wheeler Centre’s resident organisations including Writers Victoria, Emerging Writers’ Festival, Australian Poetry, Express Media and Melbourne Writers Festival.
Hot Desk Fellowships introduce emerging writers and their work to the public. All fellows and their projects will be featured on The Wheeler Centre’s website, as well as appearing at special Hot Desk editions of The Next Big Thing, the Centre’s much-loved reading series.
Applications for 2025 Hot Desk Fellowships are currently open.Successful applicants will be announced at the end of April via The Wheeler Centre website.
Words Without Borders Announces Third Annual Momentum Grant for Early-Career Translators
Submissions due by 11:59 p.m. EST February 28, 2025
Winner announced July 2025
Words Without Borders announces the third annual Momentum Grant for Early-Career Translators, judged by Julia Sanches. This grant aims to support early-career translators seeking to bring international work into the English-language marketplace. An excerpt of the winning sample translation will be published in Words Without Borders, and the recipient will receive $3,000, funded by the Malecha Family Foundation.
Symposium – British Centre For Literary Translation
Directionality in Translation: Theory & Practice
When: Thursday 27 March 2025, 1.30pm-7.30pm
Where: University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
The long-held assumption that translators should/would only translate into their “mother tongue” has been challenged time and time again, both by the work of researchers questioning the assumptions behind it and by the sheer existence of translators with a diverse array of language ties and directionalities. In some contexts, this assumption is now considered outdated. Yet in others, it still informs publishing and funding decisions.
In this half-day symposium, we bring together researchers, translators and publishers for a series of interactive discussions on Directionality in Literary Translation.
Poetry Translation: The Sebald Lecture 2024
Sebald Lecture 2024: Rowan Williams
In April 1994 George Steiner gave BCLT’s inaugural St Jerome Lecture, “An Exact Art”, in the Sainsbury Centre at UEA. Thirty years on, what has since become the annual W.G. Sebald Lecture was given by Rowan Williams at the British Library Knowledge Centre in London on 2 December 2024. Best known as former Archbishop of Canterbury (2002-12), Rowan Williams is also a noted poet and translator of poetry from several languages. He gave a sparkling lecture on poetry translation which was very warmly received, followed by audience questions and a book signing. It was a joy to be back in person for the first time since 2019, and there were several hundred audience members joining us online, too.
Watch the lecture here (scroll down page).
The 2024 American Association for Italian Studies (AAIS) Translation Award
Submission Deadline: December 1, 2024
The American Association for Italian Studies has launched a new translation award, recognizing excellence in translating Italian works into English. This award highlights the crucial role of translators in making Italian culture accessible to a global audience and celebrates their contributions to cross-cultural understanding.
The 2024 AAIS Translation Award will honor translations of book-length works in two main categories:
- Scholarly Works: Translations of academic books encompassing a wide range of cultural areas, including but not limited to visual arts, film and media studies, cultural studies, history, and politics.
- Literary Texts: Translations of literary works across all genres, including novels, short stories, theater, poetry, and more.
For more information on eligibility, submission guidelines, and deadlines, please visit the award’s official webpage.
Translation and Migration: A Symposium
Tue, 26 Nov 2024, 10am – 6pm AEDT
CO.AS.IT.Carlton, Australia
You are warmly invited to an engaging multidisciplinary event at which speakers will address a diverse range of topics, approaches and methodologies related to the broad theme of translation and migration. Each of the presenters will speak on a specific aspect relating to their research expertise. Their contributions will be followed by Q&A sessions with the audience.
The discussion will highlight the value of interdisciplinary perspectives on diversity and inclusion to address critical societal issues like media accessibility, intersectionality, LGBTQI+ rights, and racism. The event will also feature an insightful panel on transcultural creative practices, with practitioners and academics and will conclude with a celebration of the publication of The Routledge Handbook of Translation and Migration. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore cutting-edge research and collaboration!
Webinar: The Other Moving Pieces in Literary Translation: Agents, Editors, and Funders
The British Center for Literary Translation
Saturday 23rd November 2024, 3-4pm (GMT)[check Time converter], Online
How does a work of literature from one language and culture become a book in another language and culture stocked at your local bookshop? Join publisher Marigold Atkey from Daunt Books, associate agent Safae El-Ouahabi from RCW Literary Agency and translator Julia Sanches as they discuss how the Anglophone book-sausage is made.
Webinar: Publishers Panel – How do I speak to a publisher?
The British Center for Literary Translation: CLT Publishers Panel – How do I speak to a publisher?
Friday 22nd November 2024, 3-4pm (GMT)[check Time converter], Online
This panel aims to answer the question that all emerging translators have when starting out, ‘How do I speak to a publisher?’ We will explore how publishers interact with literary translators, from initial contact to pitching, samples, readers reports and beyond. This panel is chaired by Arunava Sinha, with Susan Harris (Words without Borders), Cian Mc Court (Verso Books) and Gabriella Page-Fort (HarperOne Group).
Webinar on Literary Translation
23 October 2024, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm AEDT
Join this webinar organised by AUSIT NAT for a stimulating discussion with a distinguished panel of translators from across the globe, who have successfully navigated the competitive field of literary translation. From how to build relationships with authors and publishers to tips on honing your translation skills, this conversation will offer invaluable guidance to help you succeed as a literary translator.
Presenters: Sandra Tamele, Richard Coomes, Lilit Žekulin Thwaites and Edwige Renée Dro
Writers/Translators Art Omi 2025 Residencies Call
Applications are now open for 2025 sessions of the Art Omi: Architecture, Art Omi: Artists, and Art Omi: Writers residency programs! Deadline: Oct 15, 2024
Through a competitive jury process, residents are invited to attend Art Omi’s residencies at no cost to themselves, apart from travel. Residents have the time and space to hone their own craft while making connections with artists from around the globe and living in a vibrant community. Abundant, catered meals and comfortable, beautiful lodgings are provided on Art Omi’s bucolic campus located in New York’s Hudson Valley, two hours north of New York City. Art Omi is home to the Sculpture & Architecture Park situated amidst 120 acres of fields and forests and offers Architecture and Artists residents dedicated studio space in our Studio Barn.
📚 Art Omi: Writers hosts authors and translators for two weeks to one month throughout the spring and autumn. The program’s strong international emphasis provides exposure for global literary voices and reflects the spirit of cultural exchange that is essential to Art Omi’s mission.
The deadline to apply is Tuesday, October 15, 2024 by 11:59 PM EST.
Between Cork and France: Ireland’s First Chair of Poetry John Montague in French translation
Melbourne Irish Studies Seminar Series
When: Wednesday 11 September 2024, 4.30pm – 5.30pm
Speaker: Dr Elizabeth R Pearce, School of Languages and Linguistics, University of Melbourne
More details: Montague in translation (isaa
Living in Translation: Chris Andrews and Tiffany Tsao in conversation with Yumna Kassab, UWS Writing and Society Research Centre, Friday 27 September 2024, 11am – 12:30pm
To coincide with International Translation Day, this edition of the Writing Society and Research Centre seminars will be an in-depth conversation with the eminent translators Tiffany Tsao and Chris Andrews. RSVP to Suzanne Gapps, s.gapps@westernsydney.edu.au
VENUE: Parramatta City Campus,
CHRIS ANDREWS translates books of prose fiction and writes poems.
TIFFANY TSAO is a novelist and a translator of Indonesian fiction and poetry into English.
YUMNA KASSAB is a writer from Western Sydney. A complete list of her writings can be found here.
NCW Emerging Translator Mentorship 2024-2025
Receive six months of translation mentoring, guidance and support. Application deadline 26 August 2024
Don’t miss your chance to join the NCW next cohort of emerging literary translators into EnglishThe Emerging Translator Mentorships are a six-month programme of guidance and support, open to translators who have published no more than one full-length work of translation in English. We particularly welcome applications for all mentorships from those groups which are currently under-represented in the literary translation community.Mentees receive six months of mentoring, a £800 stipend to cover expenses, a tailored programme of online industry events with workshops and talks and a day trip to London Book Fair.
Apply here.
Best of Mariano Coreno. Event in Italian and in English
The Dante Alighieri Society and COASIT invite you to an evening of poetry in Italian and in English.
Tuesday 6 June 2023, 6,30-9pm
COASIT, 199 Faraday Street, Carlton 3053
This event celebrates the book launch of Best of Mariano Coreno, Italian Poet in Australia.
A selection of new poems and the most loved poems from six of his books will be presented, all with new English poetry translations by Jack Taylor with the participation of the poet.
Jack Taylor presents the English part of the book.
With Kavisha Mazzella, AM, singer, and Benedetta Ferrara.
Readings by Rosaria Mazzarotta.
Leeuwarden writer-in-residence programme is now open for applications (2023)
The period of residency being offered is from 20 March to 15 April 2023.
- The guest writer will receive an allowance of €2,000 and reimbursement of €35 a day for expenses.
- The rental costs of the apartment in Leeuwarden will be covered by Leeuwarden UNESCO City of Literature. Travel costs are at the guest writer’s expense.
- During the residency, you will have a buddy, a fellow writer/poet from Leeuwarden. They will be your first point of contact and will help you find your way around the city and the Frisian literary and cultural sector.
You will reside in a centrally located, fully furnished, luxury apartment. The apartment has air conditioning, wifi, private bathroom and kitchen. A washing machine is at your disposal and the apartment is cleaned weekly.
The deadline to apply is February 20, 2023.
aalitra.org.au 
You must be logged in to post a comment.