ALTA-Sponsored Events

T145. Debunking Myths Around Getting Started in Translation, Sponsored by ALTA
Moderator: Amanda L. Andrei, Presenters: Diana Arterian, KB Thors, Elisa Wouk Almino, Sawako Nakayasu
Room 405, Level Two, Los Angeles Convention Center

What is literary translation? How does one begin? For the uninitiated, the monolingual, and the curious, translation can feel dauntingly niche. Yet it is a vital and enriching practice with the potential to connect people across the globe. In this panel, we will share our journeys of translating prose, poetry, and drama, from finding that first text to publication. We will debunk myths surrounding the craft and provide insights into how to responsibly and ethically begin translating.

T238. On Translating Environmental Literature, Sponsored by ALTA
Moderator: Kathleen Maris Paltrineri, Presenters: Johanna Domokos, Eirill Falck, Jennifer Kwon Dobbs, Saskia Vogel
Room 410, Level Two, Los Angeles Convention Center

This panel brings together four translators to discuss the translation of environmental literature. We are interested in exploring the range of tasks and challenges that come with translating environmental literature—from needing specific ecological vocabularies to unpacking theoretical frameworks, and from exploring craft and formal demands to contextualizing works within their sociopolitical histories, including Indigenous rights movements.

Offsite Translator Meetup with ALTA
Native Son LA, 832 S. Olive St Los Angeles, CA 90014

Join ALTA for an informal translator meetup at Native Son LA, 0.7 miles from the Convention Center. Food and drink available for purchase.

Access info: Native Son LA is street level, that is all one level. We have an ADA height both for easy access for a wheelchair, along with a bar top side as well. Both bathrooms also have a large stall to be accessible for everyone.

Contact: Kelsi Vanada
Organization: American Literary Translators Association (ALTA)

F160. The Translator’s Note: Bridging Linguistic & Cultural Chasms, Sponsored by ALTA
Moderator: Blas Falconer, Presenters: Sandra Alcosser, Nancy Naomi Carlson, Wayne Miller, Armen Davoudian
Room 514, Level Two, Los Angeles Convention Center

The Translator’s Note is an indispensable companion to poetry in translation, acquainting readers with new poets, helping editors to evaluate poems, positioning a poet’s significance within a literary landscape, defining challenges in a particular piece, and more. Translating from Albanian, French, Persian, Portuguese, and Spanish, our panelists will address how the Translator’s Note bridges linguistic and cultural chasms while fostering an understanding and appreciation for diverse voices.

F205. Poetry at Large: The Joys & Perils of Translating Long Poems, Sponsored by ALTA
Moderator: Derick Mattern, Presenters: Edith Adams, Conor Bracken, Katherine M. Hedeen, Mira Rosenthal
Room 405, Level Two, Los Angeles Convention Center

From Paterson to Omeros, from The Descent of Alette to Drafts, American poetry readers are all too familiar with long poems and their critical weight. Although long poems in translation have long been neglected in English, publishers have lately shown a resurgence of interest. This panel assembles a group of translators to discuss the joys and perils of their own work amid a recent slate of book-length poetic projects appearing for the first time in English.

S240. The Intersection of Language: Translating from the Diaspora, Sponsored by ALTA
Moderator: Wendy Chen, Presenters: Yilin Wang, Stine An, Jack Jung
Room 513, Level Two, Los Angeles Convention Center

What does it mean to be a translator situated in the diaspora, and how does this shape one’s relationship with heritage languages, source literatures, and the act of translation? Join three translators working with Asian languages to discuss their translingual creative practices. They will reflect on how their positionality in the diaspora affects their translation decisions, discuss how their translations and writings intersect, and explore the benefits and joys of working across languages.