The American Literary Translators Association is delighted to open up panel, workshop, and roundtable submissions for ALTA42: Sight and Sound! ALTA42 will take place this year from November 7-10 in Rochester, NY. The conference description and call for papers is as follows:

Words are not simply containers for meaning. As translators, we know that we cannot separate the sense of words from their musicality, from the way they look on the page, from the way they are spoken or signed, or from the cultural and historical contexts in which they appear. The theme for ALTA42 allows us to attend to the visual, aural, oral, gestural, kinetic, and performative aspects of language and literature that shape translation practice. We invite panels, readings, roundtables, and workshops that address the theme “Sight and Sound,” broadly conceived.

These forums might consider topics such as: translating rhythm, rhyme, and repetition; translating form; translating ekphrasis and synesthesia; translating dramatic and spoken word texts; translating visual spectacle in theatre; translating screenplays; translating graphic novels and illustrated texts; translating oral literatures; translating lyrics; translating to, from, and between sign languages; empowering language through translation, regardless of language modality.

We also welcome topics that approach the theme of “Sight and Sound” conceptually, culturally, or politically: the translator as performer; the translator as camera; promoting translation’s visibility in the wider literary field; advocating against the silencing of certain groups in the translation community; and supporting certain authors, literatures, or cultures in their efforts to be seen or heard in translation.

The theme “Sight and Sound” resonates with our ALTA42 conference venue of Rochester, New York, home to Eastman Kodak, the Eastman School of Music, the National Technical Institute of the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology, the Rochester School for the Deaf, Writers & Books, and the Visual Studies Workshop.

In accordance with ALTA conference policy, we ask that participants not read papers at panels, roundtables, or workshops. Rather, participants prepare talking points and examples based in the practice of literary translation. See other proposal guidelines here, and be sure to submit a proposal by April 15. Please note: only ALTA members can propose sessions, so make sure you’ve joined or renewed!