The ALTA Conference Committee invites proposals for panels and workshops for ALTA47: "Voices in Translation," from October 25-28, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Read about this year’s theme and official call for participation on our ALTA47 web page. 

The deadline to propose a session is June 17, 2024

We know that the ability to converse with fellow conference-goers is an important hallmark of ALTA programming. You may propose two different kinds of sessions: 5-person panels, or workshops organized by 1 or 2 workshop leaders (and open to anyone to attend). Please continue reading for more information about the distinction. You are also encouraged to check out the ALTA conference archive to see sessions that have been programmed in the past.

propose a session for alta47

Panel and workshop decisions will be sent out in mid-July, 2024. You will be able to edit what you submitted until June 17, 2024, through the link in the Google form confirmation you receive by email. If your panel or workshop is accepted, it will automatically be programmed! No changes can be made after June 17. However, sessions may be proposed with incomplete lineups, and ALTA members will be allowed to reach out to organizers to put themselves forward to join as moderators, panelists, or workshop leaders. We're offering this option in an effort to make proposing a session 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, moderators, workshop leaders and participants, and readers) must purchase a registration to take part in ALTA47. 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 Director 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/workshop participants, though special petitions for virtual presentations in cases of last-minute emergency will be considered.

ALTA is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion in our community and programming and to modeling those values as we support and advocate for translators. We are interested in sessions that explicitly engage with these values, and that support inclusive participation across lines of race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, nationality, age, and religion.

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.

In accordance with ALTA conference policy, we ask that participants not read papers. Rather, participants prepare talking points and examples based in the practice of literary translation.

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

Panels at ALTA47

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 workshop);
• 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 October 26 and 28, 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 ALTA47 sessions. If you would like to request A/V equipment, please be prepared to share your requests in the form. Be sure to specify your needs (projector and screen, etc). ALTA will not be able to meet all requests. Please only request A/V if it is integral to your session (that is, your session relies heavily on the visual). Please note that you may NOT bring your own A/V equipment, per our contract with the Hyatt; and
• Acknowledgment of registration: by proposing a panel for ALTA47, you understand that you and your fellow presenters must all purchase ALTA47 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_.

Workshops at ALTA47

Workshops gather small groups of translators to meet for 75 minutes and explore a topic in-depth. They are typically more interactive or "hands on" than panels, and workshop leaders may invite participants to bring texts to workshop. Workshops are led by 1 or 2 leaders. Any number of attendees may join in, with no need to register their interest ahead of time.

Workshops are spaces for discussion, collaboration, and creative thinking. Examples of past workshops include:

Russian Translation Workshop (ALTA42)
The focus this year will be on the translation of dialogue appearing in both poetry and prose. Participants may submit copies in advance of exemplary problem passages in the original Russian and in translation, for workshop discussion around the table of knotty problems solved or unsolved. Russian chocolate will be available to fuel the discussion, as is traditional to this annual workshop.

Difficult Passages: An Interactive Workshop (ALTA42)
We all know those times: despite our best efforts, the passage stares up at us from the page, obstinate, defiant, bitterly resisting our efforts to render it into the target language. We do translate it, in the end, somehow, because we must—but how? Bring to this workshop a stubborn, thorny, “untranslatable” short passage (a word, a phrase, a sentence, a bit of dialogue, a couplet…) and share it with a roomful of translators who have struggled in the same situation. We will discuss possible solutions to each dilemma (including yours) and also share general approaches to “untranslatable” passages. Please bring a dozen or so copies of your passage (strips of paper rather than whole pages will save trees) labeled with your name and the name of the original author and work.

Workshop 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, phone number, and 400-character bios for your organizer (NOTE the organizer must be a current ALTA member in order to propose a workshop, and organizers may only propose ONE panel or workshop);
• Leader Information: names, email addresses, phone numbers, and 400-character bios for the one or two workshop leaders (the organizer may be one of the leaders); *NOTE that if you are proposing an incomplete workshop (see above) you need not include a second leader name;
• Description: a description (800 characters or fewer) of the workshop's subject and goals, which will be used in the call for participants and on the event page;
• Scheduling requests: share any known conflicts for your moderator(s) between October 26 and 28, 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 ALTA47 sessions. If you would like to request A/V equipment, please do so here. Be sure to specify your needs (projector and screen, etc). ALTA will not be able to meet all requests. Please only request A/V if it is integral to your session (that is, your session relies heavily on the visual). Please note that you may NOT bring your own A/V equipment, per our contract with the Hyatt; and
• Acknowledgment of registration: by proposing a workshop for ALTA47, you understand that you and your fellow workshop leader (if applicable) must all purchase ALTA47 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_.

propose a session for alta47

The deadline to propose a session is June 17, 2024