Open call for literary translation residencies
Translation in Motion Program June 2021 – December 2021
in Arles (France), Belgrade (Serbia), Cetinje (Montenegro), Gotland (Sweden), Skopje (North Macedonia), Sofia (Bulgaria), Tirana (Albania), Ventspils (Latvia) and Norwich (UK)
The Translation in Motion consortium of translation residencies invites applications by literary translators working from or into the languages of the countries of the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia).
Application deadline: April 30 2021
Translation in Motion is a programme that aims to enrich and intensify the flow of translated literature in contemporary Europe, and specifically between the Western Balkans countries and the EU member states.
Recognizing that literary translators are influential and driven ambassadors of cultural dialogue, this programme will provide international mobility and professional development.
The residencies offer translators time for focused creative work on a literary translation project, the opportunity to immerse themselves in the source language of their translation and carry out research, and to raise their visibility by networking with the local literary sector and presenting their work to local audiences.
Eligibility
The residencies are offered by a range of host organizations. We welcome proposals from literary translators working from or into the languages of the countries of the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia). Depending on the language combination and host organization, eligible translators should be citizens of any EU country or any country of the Western Balkans.
More specifically:
- in Arles (France): for translators from Western Balkan countries translating from French language (more information is available here)
- in Belgrade (Serbia): for translators from EU member countries translating from Serbian language (more information is available here)
- in Cetinje (Montenegro): for translators from EU member countries translating from Montenegrin (more information is available here)
- in Gotland (Sweden): for translators from Western Balkan countries translating from Scandinavian languages (more information is available here)
- Skopje (North Macedonia): for translators from EU member countries translating from Macedonian language (more information is available here)
- Sofia (Bulgaria): for translators from Western Balkan countries translating from Bulgarian (more information is available here)
- Tirana (Albania): for translators from EU member countries translating from Albanian language (more information is available here)
- Ventspils (Latvia): for translators from Western Balkan countries translating from Latvian language (more information is available here)
- Norwich (UK): for translators from Western Balkan countries translating from English (more information is available here)
General conditions
During their residency, translators are expected to work intensively on the literary translation project with which they applied for the programme, to take part in events or activities of the host organization, and to network with colleagues and with other residents.
The host organizations offer free accommodation in the residency center, a travel grant and a monthly fellowship to cover living expenses.
To find out more about the specific conditions for each residency, please consult the website of the relevant host organization.
Application & Selection
Applications for residency stays taking place between May and December 2021 period are to be submitted by April 30 2021.
Candidates are invited to send a letter of interest outlining their reasons for applying for the residency, a description of their literary translation project and a CV to the relevant residency host.
Full details of the application process can be found on each residency host website.
The Steering Committee of the Translation in Motion consortium will make the selection, with results announced by May 17 2021.
In the light of COVID-19, all residency dates are provisional and will depend on the lifting of restrictions on international travel and local lockdowns. Each residency host will ensure that COVID-secure measures are in place, according to the relevant government guidelines.
LEILA – Arabic Literature in European Languages: Residency Call
LEILA – the reverse acronym for Arabic Literature in European Languages is founded on a common desire to promote the translation and circulation of the new Arabic-speaking literary scene in Europe.
“Layla” (“night”) is a word charged in Arabic with a very positive connotation: a feminine first name of pre-Islamic origin, “Leïla” means “the beginning of vertigo and the intoxication of love”. This name also refers to the Thousand and One Nights (in Arabic, “Alf layla wa-layla”), one of the first literary corpus translated from Arabic, which circulated in Europe as early as the 12th century. Finally, LEILA convokes in the imaginary “Majnûn Layla”, a popular love story of pre-Islamic origin, a work of the universal that dialogues through its poems with all the cultures of the Middle East and Central Asia.
The LEILA project will take place over three years, with three key-actions:
- To structure a network of actors and organizations in the field of Euro-Arab literature and publishing
- To promote the “discoverability” of the new Arabic-speaking literary scene in Europe
- To strengthen the capacities and visibility of the new European
As a project partner, ATLAS will be hosting two highlights of the project. In June 2021 a forum about translation from Arabic in European languages will be held in Arles . Ten translators will join forces during a one week residency at the International College of Literary Translators (CITL) at the Espace Van Gogh, to map the existing editorial landscapes for texts translated from Arabic to European languages, and to share best practices about the discoverability of new texts, their promotion and translation. A second residency will happen in 2023, allowing to share the work accomplished since 2021, the new authors who have been discovered, and the tools put in place to facilitate the rise of new voices from the Arab world to be translated.
The call for projects for the first residency, which will be hosted in Arles from 14th to 18th June 2021, is open until the 30th April 2021.
The residency form is available here.
Sofia Literature and Translation House welcomes applications for its residency program for 2021
Sofia Literature and Translation House reopens its international residency program hoping that in 2021 international mobility will be possible again.
The program welcomes applications from writers and professional literary translators of Bulgarian literature from all over the world to work on their projects in Sofia, to establish new contacts with colleagues and to meet new audiences.
Writers and literary translators are invited to submit their letters of interest no later than March 31 2021.
More information can be found here.