The ALTA Conference Committee invites proposals for roundtables and seminars for ALTA’s 44th annual conference. ALTA44: Inflection Points will take place both virtually and in-person in 2021, with an online weekend on October 15-17, and an in-person weekend on November 11-13 in Tucson, AZ. You can read an announcement from the Board, staff and the 2021 Conference Committee about our conference format.

Here is a selection from the conference theme description and call for participation:

We are at a threshold. While ecosystems, public health, our political institutions, small businesses, and colleges have teetered on the tipping point of catastrophe, we have remained on our doorsteps, isolating from others to flatten the curve. As we begin to emerge from this moment of crisis, the ALTA44 theme “Inflection Points” allows us to reflect on how the field of literature in translation might take new turns, rather than return to an unsustainable normal at a time when change must occur. While translations have flatlined at 3% of the total literature published in the U.S. for decades, a dynamic response at this moment might allow us to turn the tide on the significance of translation in a world still yet to be written. Is this a moment to change the trajectory of what is considered “growth,” “success,” and “value” in the field? Is this a moment to reconceive what the ideal trajectory of translation and translated literature might be?

We invite roundtables and seminars that address the theme “Inflection Points,” broadly conceived, including topics such as: translating catastrophe (environmental, climate, economic, social, political), translating at a time of crisis, the sustainability of translation, translating for change.

Read more about this year’s theme and official call for participation on our conference web page.

We know that the ability to converse with fellow conference-goers is an important hallmark of the ALTA conference. This year, we’re debuting something new in the form of roundtables and seminars (in place of panels), to allow for extended discussion and exploration of a wide variety of topics among all conference participants. Roundtable and Seminar decisions will be sent out in mid-July. If your roundtable or seminar is accepted, it will automatically be programmed! What you submit will be your final lineup and description.

Seminar and roundtable proposals (virtual and in-person) can be submitted through June 21, 2021. See our guidelines and submit here.

Pitch sessions and workshops will take place online in September and October.

The annual tradition of the Alexis Levitin Bilingual Reading Series will continue (virtually and in-person). Readings will not be by application this year, instead they will be first-come, first-served, with signups taking place at registration.

Registration for the conference will open in July; more information is forthcoming. As always, all conference participants must register for the conference. 

Get answers to your conference questions on our ALTA44 FAQ page.