American Literary Translators Association
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The American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) is an organization in the United States dedicated to
literary translation Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transl ...
. ALTA promotes literary translation through its annual conference, which draws hundreds of translators and literary professionals from around the world; the National Translation Awards in Poetry and Prose, an annual $5,000 prize (divvied $2,500 each) for the best book-length translation into English of poetry and prose; the Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize, which awards $6,000 each year for the best book-length translation of an Asian work into English; the Italian Prose in Translation Award (IPTA), which awards $5,000 each year for the best book-length translation of a work of Italian prose into English; and the ALTA Travel Fellowships, which are $1,000 prizes awarded annually to 4-6 emerging translators for travel to the annual conference. Starting in 2016, in addition to the ALTA Travel Fellowships, one fellowship, the Peter K. Jansen Memorial Fellowship, is awarded to an emerging translator of color or translator from a stateless or diaspora language.


History

The American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) was co-founded by Rainer Schulte and A. Leslie Willson in 1978 at
The University of Texas at Dallas The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD or UT Dallas) is a public research university in Richardson, Texas. It is one of the largest public universities in the Dallas area and the northernmost institution of the University of Texas system. It wa ...
. ALTA's own scholarly journal, ''Translation Review'', was also founded in 1978 and has been published regularly ever since. The ALTA Annual Conference has convened every year since 1978 in various locations throughout North America. From 1978 until 2014, ALTA was administratively housed at the University of Texas at Dallas. From 2014 to 2018, ALTA functioned as an independent, non-profit arts organization. In 2018, ALTA affiliated with College of Humanities at the University of Arizona, with ALTA relocating to UA in January 2019.


Annual conference

The annual ALTA conference is a four-day gathering of professional literary translators, translation students and scholars, publishers of literature in translation, and others interested in the study, practice, and promotion of literary translation. Conference events include: panel presentations on a wide range of topics related to literary translation; roundtable discussions of issues relevant to literary translators, scholars, and publishers; bilingual readings of recently published translations or translations in progress (The Annual Alexis Levitin Bilingual Reading Series); and interactive workshops on translating specific texts. In addition, each conference features keynote presentations by invited speakers; readings by the ALTA Fellows; a book exhibit of recently published literature in translation; announcements of the National Translation Awards in Poetry and Prose, the Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize, and the Italian Prose in Translation Award; a multilingual performance of poetry recitation known as Declamación; special events such as film screenings or play stagings; and abundant opportunities for connections among translators, students, scholars, and publishers dedicated to fostering literary translation. In recent years, ALTA conference organizers have selected a conference theme to guide panel, workshop, and roundtable proposals in the direction of a broadly defined aspect of literary translation studies. Themes may address geographies, genres, literary elements, or other angles for approaching literary translation theory and practice.


Recent conferences

* September 29-October 18, 2020 (virtual conference)
ALTA43: "In Between"
* November 7-November 10, 2019 in
Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

ALTA42: "Sight and Sound"
featuring a keynote by Peter Cook and Kenny Lerner, Flying Words Project * October 31-November 3, 2018 in
Bloomington, Indiana Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Indiana, Monroe County in the central region of the U.S. state of Indiana. It is the List of municipalities in Indiana, seventh-largest city in Indiana and the fourth-largest outside ...

ALTA41: Performance, Props, and Platforms
featuring a keynote by
Caridad Svich Caridad Svich ( ; born July 30, 1963) is a playwright, songwriter/lyricist, translator, and editor who was born in the United States to Cuban-Argentine-Spanish-Croatian parents. Biography A member of the New York's New Dramatists, she earned her B ...
* October 5–8, 2017 in
Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
: "Reflections/Refractions," featuring keynotes by
Lydia Davis Lydia Davis (born July 15, 1947) is an American short story writer, novelist, essayist, and translator from French and other languages, who often writes short (one or two pages long) short stories. Davis has produced several new translations of ...
and
Tim Parks Timothy Harold Parks (born 19 December 1954) is a British novelist, translator, author and professor of literature. Career He is the author of eighteen novels (notably ''Europa'', which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1997). His first ...
* October 6–9, 2016 in
Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
: "Translation & Crossings," featuring a keynote by Don Mee Choi * October 28–31, 2015 in
Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...
: "Translation & Traffic," featuring a keynote by
Jerome Rothenberg Jerome Rothenberg (born December 11, 1931) is an American poet, translator and anthologist, noted for his work in the fields of ethnopoetics and performance poetry. Early life and education Jerome Rothenberg was born and raised in New York ...
* November 12–15, 2014 in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
: "Politics & Translation," featuring a keynote by
Christopher Merrill Christopher Merrill (born February 24, 1957) is an American poet, essayist, journalist and translator. Currently, he serves as director of the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa. He led the initiative that resulted in the s ...
* October 16–19, 2013 in
Bloomington, Indiana Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Indiana, Monroe County in the central region of the U.S. state of Indiana. It is the List of municipalities in Indiana, seventh-largest city in Indiana and the fourth-largest outside ...
: "The Nexus of Translation," featuring keynotes by
Maureen Freely Maureen Deidre Freely FRSL (born July 1952) is an American journalist, novelist, professor, and translator. She has worked on the Warwick Writing Programme since 1996. Biography Born in Neptune, New Jersey, she is the daughter of author John ...
,
Karen Kovacik Karen Kovacik is a former poet laureate of the American state of Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest cit ...
, and
Cole Swensen Cole Swensen (born 1955, in Kentfield, California) is an American poet, translator, editor, copywriter, and professor. Swensen was awarded a 2006 Guggenheim Fellowship and is the author of more than ten poetry collections and as many translation ...
* October 3–6, 2012 in
Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...
: "The Translation of Humor, or, the Humor of Translation," featuring a keynote by
David Bellos David Bellos (born 1945) is an English-born translator and biographer. Bellos is Meredith Howland Pyne Professor of French Literature and Professor of Comparative Literature at Princeton University in the United States. He was director of Princeton ...
* November 16–19, 2011 in
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...
: "Translating Voices: Where the Great Plains Meet the World," featuring keynotes by
Paul Vangelisti Paul Vangelisti (born 1945) is a United States poet and broadcaster. He graduated from the University of San Francisco in 1967 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Philosophy. He attended Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, for a year as a researc ...
and
Douglas Hofstadter Douglas Richard Hofstadter (born February 15, 1945) is an American scholar of cognitive science, physics, and comparative literature whose research includes concepts such as the sense of self in relation to the external world, consciousness, an ...
* October 20–24, 2010 in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
: "Drama in Translation," featuring keynotes by Phyllis Zatlin and
Lawrence Venuti Lawrence Venuti (born 1953) is an American translation theorist, translation historian, and a translator from Italian language, Italian, French language, French, and Catalan language, Catalan. Career Born in Philadelphia, Venuti graduated from Te ...


Awards


National Translation Award

The
National Translation Award The National Translation Award is awarded annually by the American Literary Translators Association for literary translators who have made an outstanding contribution to literature in English by masterfully recreating the artistic force of a book of ...
(NTA) in Poetry and Prose is awarded annually for the book-length translations of fiction, poetry, drama, or creative non-fiction that, in the estimation of the panel of judges, represents the most valuable contribution to the field of literary translation each in poetry and prose made during the previous year. The original work may have been written in any language, but in order to be eligible for the NTA, the translation must be into English, and the book must have been published during the preceding calendar year. The prize awarded annually to the winning translator is worth $2,500 each in Poetry and Prose. In addition to honoring individual translators for their work, the NTA celebrates the craft of literary translation and strives to increase its visibility and broaden its market. The winner is announced each year at the ALTA Annual Conference.


Recent winners

* 2020 Prose:
Jordan Stump Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan River ...
for '' The Cheffe: A Cook's Novel'' by
Marie NDiaye Marie NDiaye (born 4 June 1967) is a French novelist, playwright and screenwriter. She published her first novel, ''Quant au riche avenir'', when she was 17. She won the Prix Goncourt in 2009. Her play ''Papa doit manger'' is the sole play by a ...
, translated from the French * 2020 Poetry:
Jake Levine Jake may refer to: Name * Jake (given name), including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name * Katrin Jäke (born c. 1975), German swimmer * Jake (gamer), American ''Overwatch'' player and coach Animals * Jake (rescue dog), a ...
,
Soeun Seo Weeekly ( ko, 위클리) is a South Korean girl group under IST Entertainment (formerly Play M Entertainment). The group is Play M Entertainment's second girl group in 10 years, after Apink. The group consists of six members: Lee Soo-jin, Monday ...
, and Hedgie Choi for ''Hysteria'' by
Kim Yideum Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese fo ...
, translated from the Korean * 2019 Prose:
Karen Emmerich Karen may refer to: * Karen (name), a given name and surname * Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding woman displaying certain behaviors People * Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand ** Karen languages or Karenic l ...
for '' What's Left of the Night'' by
Ersi Sotiropoulos Ersi Sotiropoulos is a Greek writer. She was born in Patras and now lives in Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four ...
, translated from the Greek * 2019 Poetry:
Bill Johnston (translator) Bill Johnston (born 1960) is a prolific Polish language literary translator and professor of comparative literature at Indiana University. His work has helped to expose English-speaking readers to classic and contemporary Polish poetry and fiction ...
for '' Pan Tadeusz: The Last Foray in Lithuania'' by
Adam Mickiewicz Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (; 24 December 179826 November 1855) was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator and political activist. He is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. A principal figure in Polish Ro ...
, translated from the Polish * 2018 Prose:
Charlotte Mandell Charlotte Mandell (born 1968) is an American literary translator. She has translated many works of poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rh ...
for ''
Compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...
'' by
Mathias Enard Mathias, a given name and a surname which is a variant of Matthew (name), may refer to: Places * Mathias, West Virginia * Mathias Township, Michigan People with the given name or surname ''Mathias'' In music * Mathias Eick, Norwegian Jazz Musicia ...
, translated from the French * 2018 Poetry: Katrine Øgaard Jensen for ''Third-Millennium Heart'' by Ursula Andkjær Olsen, translated from the Danish * 2017 Prose:
Esther Allen Esther Allen (born June 29, 1962) is a writer, professor, and translator of French-language and Spanish-language literature into English. She is on the faculties of Baruch College (Department of Modern Languages & Comparative Literature) and the ...
for '' Zama'' by
Antonio di Benedetto Antonio di Benedetto (2 November 1922 – 10 October 1986) was an Argentine novelist, short story writer and journalist. Career Di Benedetto began writing and publishing stories in his adolescence, inspired by the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky an ...
, translated from the Spanish * 2017 Poetry:
Daniel Borzutzky Daniel Borzutzky is a Chicago-based poet and translator. His collection ''The Performance of Becoming Human'' won the 2016 National Book Award. The son of Chilean immigrants, Borzutzky's work often addresses immigration, worker exploitation, pol ...
for ''Valdivia'' by Galo Ghigliotto, translated from the Spanish * 2016 Prose: Elizabeth Harris for ''Tristano Dies: A Life'' by
Antonio Tabucchi Antonio Tabucchi (; 24 September 1943 – 25 March 2012) was an Italian writer and academic who taught Portuguese language and literature at the University of Siena, Italy. Deeply in love with Portugal, he was an expert, critic and translator of ...
, translated from the Italian * 2016 Poetry:
Hilary Kaplan Hilary or Hillary may refer to: * Hillary Clinton, American politician * Hillary Coast, Antarctica * Hilary (name), or Hilarie or Hillary, a given name and surname * Hilary term, the spring term at the Universities of Oxford and Dublin * ''Hikari ...
for ''Rilke Shake'' by
Angélica Freitas Angélica Freitas (born April 8, 1973) is a Brazilian poet and translator. Biography Freitas was born in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, in 1973. She graduated in journalism at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), living for some ti ...
, translated from the Portuguese * 2015 Prose: William M. Hutchins for ''New Waw, Saharan Oasis'' by
Ibrahim Kuni Ibrāhīm al-Kōnī (sometimes translated as Ibrāhīm Kūnī) ( ar, ابراهيم الكوني) is a Libyan writer and is considered to be one of the most prolific Arab novelists. Biography Born in 1948 in the Fezzan Region, Ghadamis City, ...
, translated from the Arabic * 2015 Poetry:
Pierre Joris Pierre Joris (born July 14, 1946) is a Luxembourg-American poet, essayist, translator, and anthologist. He has moved between Europe, North Africa & the US for 55 years, publishing over 80 books of poetry, essays, translations & anthologies — mo ...
for ''Breathturn into Timestead'' by
Paul Celan Paul Celan (; ; 23 November 1920 – c. 20 April 1970) was a Romanian-born German-language poet and translator. He was born as Paul Antschel to a Jewish family in Cernăuți (German: Czernowitz), in the then Kingdom of Romania (now Chernivtsi, U ...
, translated from the French * 2014:
Eugene Ostashevsky Eugene Ostashevsky (born 1968) is a Russian-American writer, poet, translator and professor at New York University. Early life and education Ostashevsky was born in Leningrad. He immigrated with his parents to the United States when he was 11 ye ...
and Matvei Yankelevich for ''An Invitation for Me to Think'' by Alexander Vvedensky, translated from the Russian * 2013:
Philip Boehm Philip Boehm (born 1958) is an American playwright, theater director and literary translator. Born in Texas, he was educated at Wesleyan University, Washington University in St. Louis, and the State Academy of Theater in Warsaw, Poland. Boehm ...
for ''
The Hunger Angel ''The Hunger Angel'' (german: Atemschaukel; 2009) is a novel by Herta Müller. An English translation by Philip Boehm was published in 2012. Summary It is a depiction of the persecution of ethnic Germans in Romania by the Stalinist regime of t ...
'' by
Herta Müller Herta Müller (; born 17 August 1953) is a Romanian-born German novelist, poet, essayist and recipient of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Literature. Born in Nițchidorf (german: Nitzkydorf, link=no), Timiș County in Romania, her native language is G ...
, translated from the German * 2012:
Sinan Antoon Sinan Antoon ( ar, سنان أنطون), is an Iraqi poet, novelist, scholar, and literary translator. He has been described as "one of the most acclaimed authors of the Arab world." He is an associate professor at the Gallatin School of Individ ...
for ''In the Presence of Absence'' by
Mahmoud Darwish Mahmoud Darwish ( ar, محمود درويش, Maḥmūd Darwīsh, 13 March 1941 – 9 August 2008) was a Palestinian poet and author who was regarded as the Palestinian national poet. He won numerous awards for his works. Darwish used Palestine ...
, translated from the Arabic * 2011: Lisa Rose Bradford for ''Between Words: Juan Gelman's Public Letter'' by
Juan Gelman Juan Gelman (3 May 1930 – 14 January 2014) was an Argentine poet. He published more than twenty books of poetry between 1956 and his death in early 2014. He was a naturalized citizen of Mexico, country where he arrived as a political exile of th ...
, translated from the Spanish * 2010:
Alex Zucker Alex Zucker (born September 1, 1964) is an American literary translator. Life and career Zucker was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey. From ages 4 to 17, he lived in East Lansing, Michigan. He attended college at University of Massachusetts Amh ...
for ''All This Belongs to Me'' by
Petra Hůlová Petra Hůlová (born 12 July 1979) is a Czech writer. Early life and education Hůlová was born in Prague. She holds a degree in culturology from Charles University in Prague. She lived in Mongolia for one year as an exchange student after h ...
, translated from the Czech For a more complete list of past winners, see the main
National Translation Award The National Translation Award is awarded annually by the American Literary Translators Association for literary translators who have made an outstanding contribution to literature in English by masterfully recreating the artistic force of a book of ...
page.


Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize

In 2009, ALTA announced a $6,000 translation award named in honor of
Lucien Stryk Lucien Stryk (April 7, 1924 - January 24, 2013) was an American poet, translator of Buddhist literature and Zen poetry, and former English professor at Northern Illinois University (NIU). Biography Stryk was born in Poland on April 7, 1924, and ...
(1924-2013), acclaimed Zen poet and translator of Japanese and Chinese Zen poetry. The Lucien Stryk Prize is awarded annually to the translator of a book-length translation of Asian poetry, or source texts from Zen Buddhism. Eligible translations may be from Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Kannada, Korean, Sanskrit, Tamil, Thai, or Vietnamese into English. The Lucien Stryk Prize is intended for translations of contemporary works, but retranslations or first-time translations of older works may also be considered. The inaugural Lucien Stryk Prize was awarded in 2010. The winner is announced each year at the ALTA Annual Conference.


Recent winners

*2020:
Jake Levine Jake may refer to: Name * Jake (given name), including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name * Katrin Jäke (born c. 1975), German swimmer * Jake (gamer), American ''Overwatch'' player and coach Animals * Jake (rescue dog), a ...
,
Soeun Seo Weeekly ( ko, 위클리) is a South Korean girl group under IST Entertainment (formerly Play M Entertainment). The group is Play M Entertainment's second girl group in 10 years, after Apink. The group consists of six members: Lee Soo-jin, Monday ...
, and Hedgie Choi for ''Hysteria'' by
Kim Yideum Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese fo ...
, translated from the Korean *2019: Don Mee Choi for ''Autobiography of Death'' by
Kim Hyesoon Kim Hyesoon () is a South Korean poet. Life Kim Hyesoon was born in Uljin County, North Gyeongsang Province. She was raised by her grandmother and had tuberculous pleurisy as a child. She received her Ph.D. in Korean literature from Konkuk U ...
, translated from the Korean *2018: Bonnie Huie for ''Notes of a Crocodile'' by
Qiu Miaojin Qiu Miaojin (; 29 May 1969 – 25 June 1995), also romanized as Chiu Miao-chin, was a Taiwanese people, Taiwanese queer novelist. Qiu's fictional works are "frequently cited as classics", and her unapologetically lesbian sensibility has had ...
, translated from the Chinese * 2017: Jennifer Feeley for ''Not Written Words'' by
Xi Xi Hsi Hsi/Sai Sai/Xi Xi (; 7 October 1937 – 18 December 2022) was the pseudonym of the Hongkongers, Hong Kong author and poet Cheung Yin, "Ellen"/ (). She was born in Shanghai, and moved to Hong Kong 1949, at the age of twelve. She was formerly ...
, translated from the Chinese * 2016: Sawako Nakayasu for ''The Collected Poems of Chika Sagawa'' by Chika Sagawa, translated from the Japanese * 2015: Eleanor Goodman for ''Something Crosses My Mind'' by Wang Xiaoni, translated from the Chinese * 2014: Jonathan Chaves for ''Every Rock a Universe: The Yellow Mountains and Chinese Travel Writing'' including ''A Record of Comprehending the Essentials of the Yellow Mountains'' by Wang Hongdu, translated from the Chinese * 2013: Lucas Klein for ''Notes on the Mosquito'' by Chuan Xi, translated from the Chinese * 2012: Don Mee Choi for ''All the Garbage of the World, Unite!'' by
Kim Hyesoon Kim Hyesoon () is a South Korean poet. Life Kim Hyesoon was born in Uljin County, North Gyeongsang Province. She was raised by her grandmother and had tuberculous pleurisy as a child. She received her Ph.D. in Korean literature from Konkuk U ...
, translated from the Korean * 2011: Charles Egan for ''Clouds Thick, Whereabouts Unknown: Poems by Zen Monks of China'', translated from the Chinese * 2010:
Red Pine ''Pinus resinosa'', known as red pine (also Norway pine in Minnesota), is a pine native to North America. Description Red pine is a coniferous evergreen tree characterized by tall, straight growth. It usually ranges from in height and in trun ...
(Bill Porter) for ''In Such Hard Times: The Poetry of Wei Ying-wu'' by Wei Ying-wu, translated from the Chinese


Italian Prose in Translation Award (IPTA)

The Italian Prose in Translation Award (IPTA), which was inaugurated in 2015, recognizes the importance of contemporary Italian prose (fiction and literary non-fiction) and promotes the translation of Italian works into English. This $5,000 prize will be awarded annually to a translator of a recent work of Italian prose (fiction or literary non-fiction). The winning translators and books are featured at the annual ALTA conference. Both translators and publishers are invited to submit titles. The winner is announced each year at the ALTA Annual Conference.


Recent winners

* 2022: Anna Chiafele and Lisa Pike for ''Penelope'' by Silvana La Spina * 2021: Stephen Twilley for ''Diary of a Foreigner in Paris'' by
Curzio Malaparte Curzio Malaparte (; 9 June 1898 – 19 July 1957), born Kurt Erich Suckert, was an Italian writer, filmmaker, war correspondent and diplomat. Malaparte is best known outside Italy due to his works ''Kaputt'' (1944) and ''La pelle'' (1949). The f ...
* 2020: Frederika Randall for ''I Am God'' by Giacomo Sartori * 2019: Simon Carnell and Erica Segre for ''The Eight Mountains'' by Paolo Cognetti * 2018: Elizabeth Harris for ''For Isabel, a Mandala'' by
Antonio Tabucchi Antonio Tabucchi (; 24 September 1943 – 25 March 2012) was an Italian writer and academic who taught Portuguese language and literature at the University of Siena, Italy. Deeply in love with Portugal, he was an expert, critic and translator of ...
* 2017:
Matthew Holden Matthew Holden Jr. is an American political scientist. Biography He attended public school in Mississippi and Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 1950 and received a B.A. degree in political science from Roosevelt Uni ...
for ''We Want Everything'' by
Nanni Balestrini Nanni Balestrini (2 July 1935 – 19 May 2019) was an Italian experimental poet, author and visual artist of the Neoavanguardia movement. Context Nanni Balestrini is associated with the Italian writers' movement Neoavanguardia. He wrote for th ...
* 2016: Ann Goldstein for ''The Story of the Lost Child'' by
Elena Ferrante Elena Ferrante () is a pseudonymous Italian novelist. Ferrante's books, originally published in Italian, have been translated into many languages. Her four-book series of ''Neapolitan Novels'' are her most widely known works. ''Time'' magazine ...
* 2015:
Anne Milano Appel Anne Milano Appel is an American translator of Italian literature. She obtained a doctorate in Romance languages from Rutgers University in 1970. She has translated, among others, works by Claudio Magris, Paolo Giordano, Giovanni Arpino and Goliar ...
for ''Blindly'' by
Claudio Magris Claudio Magris (born 10 April 1939) is an Italian scholar, translator and writer. He was a senator for Friuli-Venezia Giulia from 1994 to 1996. Life Magris graduated from the University of Turin, where he studied German studies, and has been a ...


The Cliff Becker Book Prize in Translation

The Cliff Becker Book Prize in Translation was given to an unpublished book-length manuscript of poetry in translation and includes a $1,000 prize and publication by White Pine Press. The prize was suspended in 2019, and has reverted to the publisher White Pine Press.


Winners

* 2019: Cole Heinowitz for ''Bleeding From All 5 Senses'' by
Mario Santiago Papasquiaro Mario Santiago Papasquiaro is the pen name of José Alfredo Zendejas Pineda (Mexico City, December 25, 1953–1998), Mexico, Mexican poet and co-founder of the Infrarealism, infrarrealista poetry movement. Biography Papasquiaro was born in 1953 ...
* 2018: Anne O. Fisher and Derek Mong for ''The Joyous Science: Selected Poems of Maxim Amelin'' * 2017: Chloe Hill for ''Purifications or the Sign of Retaliation'' by Myriam Fraga


ALTA Travel Fellowships

ALTA Travel Fellowships are awards of $1,000 each that are designed to help early-career translators cover the travel and lodging expenses associated with attending the ALTA Annual Conference. Each year, four to six winners are selected through a competitive application process, and ALTA Fellows give a public reading of their work at the conference. ALTA Fellows are typically first-time ALTA conference attendees and, although they may have a few published translations, they must be relatively early in their translation careers.


Recent winners

* 2020: Karen Hung Curtis (Peter K. Jansen Memorial Travel Fellow, Hong Kong Chinese), Dong Li (Peter K. Jansen Memorial Travel Fellow, Mandarin Chinese), Shoshana Akabas (Hebrew), Alex Karsavin (Russian), Jamie Lauer (Spanish), Kristen Renee Miller (French), Laura Nagle (French, Irish & Spanish), Ena Selimović (Bosnian, Croatian & Serbian), Öykü Tekten (Turkish) * 2019: Salazar Monárrez (Peter K. Jansen Memorial Travel Fellow, Spanish & ASL), Maia Evrona (Yiddish), Caroline Grace Froh (German), Anni Liu (Mandarin), Gnaomi Siemens (Old English, Old Scots & Sumerian) * 2018: Mariam Rahmani (Peter K. Jansen Memorial Travel Fellow, Persian), Elina Alter (Russian and German), Lizzie Buehler (Korean), Aaron Robertson (Italian), Brian Sneeden (Greek), Maggie Zebracka (Polish) * 2017: Aaron Coleman (Peter K. Jansen Memorial Travel Fellow, Spanish),
Bonnie Chau Bonnie Chau is an American author of short stories. Her debut collection of short stories, ''All Roads Lead to Blood'', received the 2040 Books Prize. Life and career Chau was born and raised in Orange County, California. She credits the South ...
(Chinese and French), Ellen Jones (Spanish), Zoë Sandford (Arabic and French), Timea Sipos (Hungarian), David Smith (Norwegian) * 2016: Bruna Dantas Lobato (Peter K. Jansen Memorial Travel Fellow, Brazilian Portuguese), Monika Cassel (German), Nicholas Glastonbury (Turkish), Haider Shahbaz (Urdu), and Kelsi Vanada (Spanish) * 2015: Claire Eder (French), Anne Greeott (Italian & Spanish), Audrey Hall (Spanish), Christiana Hills (French), and Canaan Morse (Chinese) * 2014: Megan Berkobien (Catalan), Tenzin Dickie (Tibetan), Alice Guthrie (Arabic), Sara Nović (Croatian), Christopher Tamigi (Italian), and Annie Tucker (Bahasa Indonesia) * 2013: Andrew Barrett, Meghan Flaherty, Adam Z. Levy, Matthew Lundin, and Emma Ramadan * 2012: Alexandra Berlina, Joshua Daniel Edwin, Janet Ha, Hai-Dang Phan, and Claire Van Winkle * 2011: Nora Delaney, Tara FitzGerald, Yardenne Greenspan, and Nikki Settelmeyer * 2010: Dustin Lovett, Lucas Millheim, Juliana Nalerio, Thomas Pruiksma, and Yoshihisa Tomonaga * 2009: Meg Arenberg, Oksana Jackim, Robin Myers, and Rabbi Jeremy Schwartz * 2008: Peter Bull, Peter Golub, Jordan Pleasant, and Andrea Rosenberg


Publications


''Translation Review''

''Translation Review'', founded in 1978, is a twice-yearly print publication that highlights the theoretical, critical, and practical aspects surrounding the study, craft, and teaching of literary translation. Each issue of ''Translation Review'' may include interviews with translators, essays on the theory and practice of translation, articles on teaching literary works in translation and/or literary translation practice at colleges and universities, profiles of publishers and reports on emerging trends in the publishing of literary translations, and reviews of translations that focus specifically on translation-related aspects.


''ALTA Guides to Literary Translation''

The ''ALTA Guides to Literary Translation'' are brochures offering practical information, professional advice, and useful resources for literary translators at various points in their careers. As of 2014, there are five ''ALTA Guides to Literary Translation'', each available as a PDF downloadable from the (archived) ALTA website: * ''The Making of a Literary Translator'' introduces new and unpublished translators to the basics of translation and provides tips for developing translation skills. * ''Breaking into Print'' guides translators through the process of selecting a text and an appropriate publication venue and discusses obstacles particular to publishing literary translations. * ''The Proposal for a Book-Length Translation'' is an aid for navigating the proposal process, from initial query through to publication, with special information about how to research and/or obtain English-language publication rights. * ''Promoting Your Literary Translation'' offers tools for promoting and marketing a published translation. * ''The Literary Translator and the Internet'' is a basic guide to help literary translators make the most of the various modes and resources of the internet to in order to share and promote their craft.


ALTA Newsletter

ALTA monthly e-newsletter provides information about upcoming conferences, grants, prizes, calls for papers, member news, and other items of interest.


See also

*
International Federation of Translators The Fédération Internationale des Traducteurs (English: International Federation of Translators) is an international grouping of associations of translators, interpreters and terminologists. More than 100 professional associations are affiliate ...
*
National Translation Award The National Translation Award is awarded annually by the American Literary Translators Association for literary translators who have made an outstanding contribution to literature in English by masterfully recreating the artistic force of a book of ...
* Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize


References

{{Reflist


External links


ALTA Homepage
Translation associations of the United States Literary translators