Building Our Future

On Friday, there will be an official opening session for the Building Our Future program at 2:45pm ET. Afterward, Madhu H. Kaza will lead the first workshop from 3:00-5:00pm ET. The workshop will be followed by a short break and then a business talk at 5:30pm led by Julia Sanches, who will offer a one-hour introduction to a career in literary translation.

On Saturday, Cindy Juyoung Ok will lead the second workshop from 3:00-5:00pm ET. The second workshop will be followed by a virtual happy hour with the opportunity to mingle and chat with fellow translators, workshop leaders, and representatives from the American Literary Translators Association and the Equity Advocates Committee.

In each workshop, instructors will lead a generative session for part of the time and workshop participant samples for the remaining time.

To apply, please submit a 1-page literary translation sample (non-genre-specific) in a standard format (12-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced, 1-inch margins), from any language into English and a 1-page personal statement in a standard format (12-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced, 1-inch margins), as attachments in an email to Requires JavaScript (opens in new tab).

• For the 1-page literary translation sample, please do not send more than 1 double-spaced page of your translation. For poetry, we leave formatting up to you, as that will likely be determined by the formatting of the original poem(s). However, if you’re unsure about the formatting, it is recommended that you use double spacing and a 12-point serif font such as Times New Roman.

• For the 1-page personal statement: The guiding question for evaluating applications is “Which applicant would benefit most from the Building Our Future program?” Applications will be assessed based on the demonstrated literary merit and potential of the sample translation, in addition to the stated program eligibility requirements.

• This workshop is exclusively for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) translators. If you are not BIPOC, we kindly ask that you cede space to your BIPOC colleagues. We strive for inclusivity and diversity in our applicants. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds, regardless of ethnicity, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, ability, status, educational level or professional experience, including those with prior training or experience in non-literary translation. Applicants must identify as BIPOC to apply, and we especially encourage applications from translators with disabilities and LGBTQ+ translators, as well as applications from folks who have not had access to traditional publishing opportunities or institutional spaces (e.g., MFA programs), have never published a translation, have only very recently started translating, or have never tried literary translation but read/speak a non-English language.

• Applications were accepted until Sunday, May 3, and are now closed. Applicants will be notified of decisions by Thursday, May 21.

Please only apply if you will be able to attend both the Friday and Saturday sessions.

Please note: By submitting your application to participate in this workshop, you pledge that the materials you provide were produced by you alone and without the use of AI. If those reading the materials find that an applicant used AI in any way in their statements or translations, the application will be disqualified.