please note: the Proposal deadline was june 20, 2023 at 11:59pm PT

The ALTA Conference Committee invites proposals for panels and roundtables for ALTA46: "The Place of Translation," from November 8-11, 2023 in Tucson, Arizona. Read about this year’s theme and official call for participation on our ALTA46 web page. 

We know that the ability to converse with fellow conference-goers is an important hallmark of ALTA programming. This year, you'll be able to propose either 5-person panels, as well as roundtables organized by 2-3 organizers (and involving 12-13 participants who sign up to participate). Please continue reading for more information about the distinction. You are also encouraged to check out the ALTA conference archive to see panels and roundtables that have been programmed in the past.

Panel and roundtable decisions will be sent out in mid-July, 2023. You will be able to edit what you submitted until June 20, 2023, through the link in the Google form confirmation you receive by email. If your panel or roundtable is accepted, it will automatically be programmed! No changes can be made after June 20. However, panels may be proposed with incomplete lineups, and ALTA members will be allowed to reach out to organizers to put themselves forward to join as panelists. We're offering this option in an effort to make proposing a panel more equitable, and more possible for those who are newer to our organization or may not have an extensive network of contacts. 

As always, all participants (panelists, roundtable participants, and readers) must purchase a registration to take part in ALTA46. Presenter registrations help ALTA cover the cost of putting on our programming. If you are interested in our discounted registration options through our lottery and our work exchange program, please plan ahead, as the deadlines are in the summer. For more information and to register, click here.

Please note that sessions with a limited focus on a press, publication, or organization tend not to be competitive and should seek a featured sponsorship instead. Please contact Program Manager Kelsi Vanada at kelsi@literarytranslators.org to discuss these opportunities.

We ask that each person organize only one session, but you may also be a presenter on a session other than the one you organize. You may also read in our Bilingual Reading series AND present in a session or sessions. There is no limit to the number of proposals a person can be part of. 

Per our Terms and Conditions, we are generally unable to include remote panel/roundtable participants, though special petitions for virtual presentations in cases of last-minute emergency will be considered.

For those seeking conference funding from an institution, please note that roundtable participation has equivalent status to presenting on an ALTA panel, and should be considered of equal merit.

We welcome everyone to our conference and are committed to making our programming and events accessible and to making arrangements that allow all attendees to participate in the conversation. Please view our Accessibility web page for more information. It will be updated frequently.

Questions may be sent to ALTA Program Manager Kelsi Vanada at kelsi@literarytranslators.org.

Panels at ALTA46

Panels involve between 3-5 presenters sharing about a topic. A proposal that’s all about getting interesting people with interesting ideas together in a room, talking with each other and letting the discussion evolve organically, will be more successful than a proposal that sets itself forward as a chance for panelists to share about their own research or projects. ALTA sessions are meant to spark thoughtful, lively discussion between panelists and audience. To that end, participants are asked not to read papers during their session. ALTA values sessions involving audience interaction, so plan on devoting a significant portion, or at least 15 minutes, of the 75-minute block to Q&A.

Panel Proposals must include the following:

(Please have these elements ready at the time of proposal)

• Title: 70 characters or fewer;
• Organizer Information: name, email address, and 400-character bio for panel organizer (NOTE the panel organizer must be a current ALTA member in order to propose a panel, and organizers may only propose ONE panel or roundtable);
• Participant Information*: names, email addresses, phone numbers, and 400-character bios for the moderator and panelists (the organizer may be one of the participants); *NOTE that if you are proposing an incomplete panel (see above) you need not include participant names;
• Description: a final description (800 characters or fewer) of the panels, which will be used on the event page;
• Scheduling requests: share any known conflicts for any of your panelists between November 9 and 11, 9:00am to 5:00pm. We will make every effort to accommodate your requests, but we can make no guarantees;
• A/V requests: Audiovisual equipment will be limited for ALTA46 sessions. If you would like to request A/V equipment, please do so here. Be sure to specify (projector and screen, etc). We will consider all requests but acknowledge that we will not be able to meet them all; and
• Acknowledgment of registration: by proposing a panel for ALTA46, you understand that you and your fellow panelists must all purchase ALTA46 registration.

NOTE: For guidelines regarding writing your bio, please navigate to this page. Google Forms do not allow italics, so you may choose to designate titles by placing an underscore before and after as a signal to organizers, like this: _What's Left of the Night_.

Roundtables at ALTA46

Roundtables gather small groups of translators to meet for 75 minutes and explore a topic in-depth. Roundtables meet once for 75 minutes.

Roundtables are proposed and led by 2 or 3 organizers. 12 to 13 participants per roundtable will sign up, first-come first-served, to become part of their roundtable of choice. Organizers are expected to propose themes/topics that will allow for a diverse group of translators at different career stages to be part of the conversation. If desired, organizers may circulate texts to the participants in advance of the roundtable.

Roundtables aim to foster considered exchange, discussion and debate around one central theme, issue, or question. Roundtables allow for extended discussion and exploration of a wide variety of topics, such as: a promising new pedagogical strategy, different editing practices, methods for disseminating translations, or an issue in the field. Please read the following descriptions and examples carefully:

Roundtables are conversational. They are spaces for discussion, collaboration, and creative thinking, and aim to give all participants equal seats at the table. As such, organizers are strongly encouraged to structure their roundtables around highly engaging forms of exchange. For example, the ALTA43 session “Translation in Education: The Classroom & Beyond” might be a good fit for the roundtable model. Organizers would phrase the title of the roundtable as a question: “What are best practices for introducing students to literary translation at the elementary and high school levels?” Then, in the roundtable, organizers might invite participants to share examples from their own experience and research, as the group strives to arrive at an answer–or answers–to the question posed by the theme.

Roundtables may also be more instructional. For example, the ALTA43 session “Softening the Blow: Translating Racialized Language” might be a good fit for the roundtable model. Organizers with knowledge of the subject would prepare brief theoretical texts or practical examples for participants to read in advance of the roundtable. From the common ground of these shared readings and examples, organizers would lead participants into a greater understanding of how translators can navigate moments of othering in the source text, and how to approach translating texts that participate in racism. 

Roundtable Proposals must include:

(Please have these elements ready at the time of proposal)

• Title (70 characters or fewer);
• Organizer Information: names, email addresses, phone numbers, and 400-character bios for your two or three organizers (NOTE at least one organizer must be a current ALTA member in order to propose a roundtable or seminar, and organizers may only propose ONE panel or roundtable);
• Description: a description (800 characters or fewer) of the roundtable’s subject and goals, which will be used in the call for participants and on the event page;
• Format: a description (250 characters or fewer) of the roundtable’s format, which will appear in the call for participants. For example, roundtable organizers may choose to circulate brief texts in advance for participants to read, or may ask each participant to come prepared with one example to share orally, or to bring a brief excerpt of a text in their translation;
• Scheduling requests: share any known conflicts for any of your organizers between November 9 and 11, 9:00am to 5:00pm. We will make every effort to accommodate your requests, but we can make no guarantees; 
• A/V requests: Audiovisual equipment will be limited for ALTA46 sessions. If you would like to request A/V equipment, please do so here. Be sure to specify (projector and screen, etc). We will consider all requests but acknowledge that we will not be able to meet them all; and
• Acknowledgment of registration: by proposing a panel for ALTA46, you understand that you and your fellow organizers must all purchase ALTA46 registration.

NOTE: For guidelines regarding writing your bio, please navigate to this page. Google Forms do not allow italics, so you may choose to designate titles by placing an underscore before and after as a signal to organizers, like this: _What's Left of the Night_.

Proposals have closed. The deadline was June 20, 2023