Susan Bernofsky's Blog, page 12

2018 Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize Shortlist Announced

The American Literary Translators Association has just announced the shortlist for the 2018 Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize for the translation into English of a work of literature from an Asian language. This year’s judges for the $5000 award include Robert Hueckstedt, Sora Kim-Russell, and Juliet Winters Carpenter.

This is the first year that translations of prose works have been eligible for this prize; it used to be reserved for poetry translated from an Asian language. I expect there’ll be some discussion of the change and the reasons for it at this year’s ALTA conference. Only two of the books on the short list are works of poetry. In my experience, translation prizes open to both poetry and prose works tend to go to works of prose.

Here are the finalists for this year’s award (in alphabetical order by title):

Darkening Mirror by Wang Jiaxin, translated from the Chinese by Diana Shi and George O’Connell (Tebot Bach)

Devils in Daylight by Junichiro Tanizaki, translated from the Japanese by J. Keith Vincent (New Directions)

The Maids by Junichiro Tanizaki, translated from the Japanese by Michael P. Cronin (New Directions)

Notes of a Crocodile, by Qiu Miaojin, translated from the Chinese by Bonnie Huie (New York Review Books)

Sonic Peace, by Kiriu Minashita, translated from the Japanese by Eric E. Hyett and Spencer Thurlow (Phoneme Media)

For more information about the award and the shortlisted books, please visit the ALTA website. The winning translation will be announced during ALTA’s annual conference, ALTA41: Performance, Props, and Platforms, to be held in Bloomington, IN from Oct. 31 – Nov. 3. Hope to see you there!

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Register Now for “Translation Now” Symposium at Boston University

There’s still time to sign up to attend the big translation symposium at Boston University – “Translation Now: Conversations on the Art of Literary Translation” – that’ll be taking place on Sept. 28 – 29. Organized to mark the 40th anniversary of the Boston University Literary Translation Seminar, the event will feature a keynote by Rosanna Warren, who ran the seminar for many years, as well as two days of stellar-sounding panels. You’ll find the complete program and participant bio notes on the BU Translation Seminar website. Register ASAP if you’re able to attend (n.B. it’s free of charge!) so you can get access to the readings that will be used during the symposium.

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2018 National Translation Award Shortlists Announced

The longlists for the 2018 National Translation Award that were announced back in July have just been followed up by shortlists! The NTA in Poetry and Prose is given out each year by the The American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) at its annual convention. This year’s judges are Kareem James Abu-Zeid, Jennifer Feeley, and Sawako Nakayasu for poetry, and Esther Allen, Tess Lewis, and Jeremy Tiang for prose. Each prize comes with a purse of $2,500. The awards will be announced at the ALTA Conference in Bloomington, IN (Oct. 31 – Nov. 3).

Behold the shortlists:

The 2018 NTA Shortlist in Poetry (in alphabetical order by title):

Directions for Use by Ana Ristović, translated from the Serbian by Steven Teref and Maja Teref

(Zephyr Press)

Hackers by Aase Berg, translated from the Swedish by Johannes Göransson

(Black Ocean)

I Remember Nightfall by Marosa di Giorgio, translated from the Spanish by Jeannine Marie Pitas

(Ugly Duckling Presse)

The Odyssey by Homer, translated from the Greek by Emily Wilson

(W. W. Norton & Company)

Sonic Peace by Kiriu Minashita, translated from the Japanese by Spencer Thurlow and Eric Hyett

(Phoneme Media)

Third-Millennium Heart by Ursula Andkjær Olsen, translated from the Danish by Katrine Øgaard Jensen

(Action Books)

The 2018 NTA Shortlist in Prose (in alphabetical order by title):

Compass by Mathias Énard, translated from the French by Charlotte Mandell

(New Directions)

Dandelions by Yasunari Kawabata, translated from the Japanese by Michael Emmerich

(New Directions)

Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag, translated from the Kannada by Srinath Perur

(Penguin Books)

The Impossible Fairy Tale by Han Yujoo, translated from the Korean by Janet Hong

(Graywolf Press)

Old Rendering Plant by Wolfgang Hilbig, translated from the German by Isabel Fargo Cole

(Two Lines Press)

Swallowing Mercury by Wioletta Greg, translated from the Polish by Eliza Marciniak

(Transit Books)

For more information on the shortlisted books and the NTA, visit the ALTA website. To enjoy the excitement of the prize ceremony, register now for the ALTA Conference!

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NEA Announces 2019 Translation Fellowships

I’m sure I’m not the only one who was worried that the National Endowment for the Arts wouldn’t survive the chopping block frenzy in Washington, D.C., but it looks as if they’ve survived to endow another year. And they’ve just announced the new crop of Translation Fellowship recipients. They’re even giving out more money this year than last: $325,ooo, the same amount as in 2017 (the total had sunk to $300,ooo last year). (I’m still knocking on wood though, since NEA grant announcements are always provisional until Congress approves the next year’s budget.) Of this year’s 25 grantees, one (Jennifer Feeley, who’ll be translating a semi-autobiographical multi-genre work by the Hong Kong writer Xi Xi) was selected to receive an award at the $25,000 level; the rest of the grants are $12,500 each.

Here’s the complete list of 2019 awardees:

Kaveh Bassiri

Eric M. B. Becker

Ian Boyden

Sean Gasper Bye

Rachel Careau

Peter Covino

Anna Deeny Morales

Katrina Dodson

Jennifer Feeley

Edward Gauvin

Elizabeth Harris

Stefania Heim

Thomas J. Kitson

Karen Kovacik

Christina E. Kramer

Oksana Maksymchuk

Lynn E. Palermo

Kerri A. Pierce

Kristina Reardon

Lola Rogers

Samah Selim

Antony Shugaar

Lytton Smith

Marcela Sulak

Rose Waldman

Congratulations to all this year’s NEA Translation Fellowship recipients!

For more information on each of these translators and their projects, visit the NEA website.

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Academy of American Poets 2018 Translation Prizes Announced

The Academy of American Poets has announced the recipients of its translation prizes for 2018.

The Raiziss/De Palchi Book Prize – a $10,000 prize given for the translation into English of a significant work of modern Italian poetry – has gone to Anthony Molino for his translation of The Diary of Kaspar Hauser by Paolo Febbraro (Negative Capability Press, 2017). The judges were Maria Luisa Ardizzone, Giorgio Mobili, and Michael Palma.

The Harold Morton Landon Translation Award – a $1,000 prize that recognizes a published translation of poetry from any language into English – has gone to David Larsen for his translation of Names of the Lion by Ibn Khālawayh (Wave Books, 2017). This year’s judge was Ammiel Alcalay.

And the inaugural Ambroggio Prize – a $1,000 publication prize for a book-length poetry manuscript originally written in Spanish and with an English translation – has gone to Raquel Salas Rivera for their self-translation of x/ex/exis (poemas para la nación) (poems for the nation) published by Bilingual Press/Editorial Bilingüe. The Ambroggio Prize, established in 2017, is the only annual award of its kind in the United States that honors American poets whose first language is Spanish. This year’s judge was Academy Chancellor Alberto Ríos.

More information about these prizes and their recipients (and lists of previous recipients) can be found on the Academy of American Poets website. Congratulations to all whose work was honored this year!

 

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Translation on Tap in NYC, September 1 – 30, 2018

Summer’s drawing to a close, alas, but there are some lovely translation events (including a two-day conference) on the horizon to console you.

Thursday, Sept. 6:

Launch event for Pretty Things by Virginie Despentes, featuring the book’s translator, Emma Ramadan, joined by Alexandra Kleeman. More information here. McNally Jackson, 52 Prince St., 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 13:

Publishing American Sign Language Poetry: A Reading and Conversation featuring Sara Nović, Adrean Clark, Douglas Ridloff, John Lee Clark, Kenny Lerner, Peter Cook, and Rachel Mazique. RSVP requested, more information here. The Center for the Humanities, CUNY Graduate Center, Proshansky Auditorium, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 19:

Launch event for In the Distance with You by Carla Guelfenbein, featuring the book’s translator, John Cullen, joined by the author. More information here. Word, 126 Franklin St., Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 21:

Antarah’s War Songs: Translators James E. Montgomery and Richard Sieburth read from War Songs, their new translation of the poetry of ʿAntarah ibn Shaddād, who is widely considered one of the Arabic language’s greatest poets. More information here. Poets House, 10 River Terrace, 6:00 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 24:

Future Humanities: Translating World Literatures. Translators James Hankins and Sheldon Pollock join Jeffrey Henderson, Philip Kennedy, Paul W. Kroll, and Jan Ziolkowski for a panel discussion moderated by Mariët Westermann on editing and translating premodern texts from the world’s great literary traditions. More information here. NYU Kevorkian Center, 50 Washington Square S, 6:00 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 28 – Saturday, Sept. 29:

Annual New York University/Nida School of Translation Studies Translation Conference 

Registration fee (discounted for students), register in advance, lunch provided. All events held at New York University @ Woolworth Building, 15 Barclay St., 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 28: Research Symposium: Translation and Publishing

This year’s symposium will engage ongoing discussions around translation, materiality and publishing, drawing together theoretical and practical perspectives on both print and digital formats and the many movements in between. Featured speakers include Hélène Buzelin, John Sherer, Piotr Blumczynski, and Michael Hemenway. Full program here.

Saturday, Sept. 29: Translation Symposium: Why is Publishing Translations More Important Now Than Ever?

The objective of this year’s symposium is to answer the question: “why is publishing translations more important now than ever?” and to look at publishing translations from a broad interdisciplinary perspective. The keynote will focus on the global politics and economics of translation. Panelists will discuss the importance of publishing translated work, consider the many venues and opportunities for publishing translations, and offer ideas to rising translators for including published work in their portfolios. Industry experts from trade publishing, university presses, literary journals, and online publishers will address the topic from their professional perspectives. Featured speakers include Hélène Buzelin, John Sherer, Piotr Blumczynski, and Michael Hemenway.

Program Overview:

10:00-10:30 – Registration/Sign-in

10:30-11:45 – Keynote: The Global Politics of Translation Publishing, with Elizabeth Lowe

12:00-1:00 – Lunch (provided)

1:00-2:30 – Publishing Professional Translation: From Academia to Buzzfeed, with Gabriela D’Addario, Jesse Browner, Qin Higley, Katrine Øgaard Jensen, and Julie H. Tay

2:30-2:45 – Break

2:45-4:15 – Publishing Literary Translation, with Eric Becker, Daniel Shapiro, Michael Wise, Ehren Abbott, and Juan Mila

4:15-5:00PM – Closing Reception

More information here.

For rates and registration, visit the conference website.

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Submit Now for Asymptote’s 2018 Close Approximations Translation Prize

The Close Approximations Translation Prize has shifted to a new schedule this year: the deadline to submit is Oct. 1, 2018, and there’s a discounted entry fee if you submit by Sept. 1. The prize comes with a $1000 purse for the winners in each category (that would be: Fiction and Poetry), with $250 each for runners-up. The winning translations will also be published in Asymptote, which sponsors the contest. The judges this year will be Edward Gauvin (fiction) and Eugene Ostashevsky (poetry). Check the Asymptote website for rules and guidelines, and get your submissions in soon!

And let me take this opportunity to invite you to check out the winning and runner-upping translations from the first, second, and third ‘Close Approximations’ contests, as published in Asymptote. They don’t seem to send out press releases when they choose their winners, so that part of the process has been a bit mysterious. Past winners to date include: Owen Good, Cory Tamler & Željko Maksimović, Marie Silkeberg & Kelsi Vanada, Ruth Diver, Sean Gasper Bye, Suchitra Ramachandran, and Anca Roncea. Belated congratulations!

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WeTransist

A group of writers and translators has put together an internationally-oriented website, WeTransist.org, that will be collecting “texts, in any language, that attest to contemporary struggles against authoritarianism, as well as its intricate entanglements with heteropatriarchy, racial oppression, disaster capitalism, white supremacy, and the violence wrought by settler colonial nations occupying first and sovereign nation land.” These texts will be translated into the 18 languages (and counting) spoken by members of the WeTransit team and made available on the website for further distribution. The call for contributions can be viewed in English and in all the other represented languages on the WeTransist website, along with contact information in case you’d like to contribute a text to the project or supply an additional language. I look forward to seeing what the website looks like when it’s populated with submissions.

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Women in Translation Month 2018

Welcome to another August, which in Translationland means Women in Translation Month, when we celebrate and read works in translation by women authors. I wrote up a brief history of WiT Month last year, so instead of repeating all the same information this year, let me cut right to the chase: telling you all the ways Women in Translation Month is coming soon to a bookstore near you. A number of New York area bookstores are hosting Women in Translation Month events this year – in fact every single event I have so far on the August 2018 calendar is a #WiT Month event, so check them out!

As with last year, a few  publishers have decided to honor the women authors in translation they publish by offering significant Women in Translation Month discounts. What better reason to pick up some great reading material to sweeten your day at the beach, on the porch spring, or in a local park?

New Vessel Press is offering 40% of all its titles from Aug. 1 through Aug. 4. Visit the New Vessel website to select your books, and enter the discount code womenintranslation at checkout to take advantage of the discount.

Seven Stories Press is offering a 35% discount off seven of their latest titles by women authors from Aug. 1 through Aug. 8. See the Women in Translation page of the Seven Stories website for details and ordering information (and I’m told that a number of bookstores will be honoring the same discount in-store, just ask!).

Transit Books is offering 25% off all their books by women authors all month (use the discount code WIT). Visit the Women in Translation page on the Transit Books website for details.

Deep Vellum Books is offering 25% off all their books by women authors all month (no code needed). Visit the Deep Vellum website for details.

Open Letter Books is offering 40% off all their books written by and/or translated by women all month (with the discount code WIT2018). Visit the Open Letter website for details.

Other publishers, such as Two Lines Press and Grove Atlantic, aren’t offering discounts but are posted Women in Translation Month features on their websites.

I will continue to update this post as I learn about new discounts and celebrations.

Please tweet about your reads with the hashtags #WomenInTranslation and #WITMonth, follow @Read_WIT (run by Meytal Radzinski, who first declared August Women in Translation Month five years ago) and the website Women in Translation, and check out M. Lynx Qualey’s tips on ways to participate in Women in Translation Month this year.

Wishing you cool breezes and beautiful books as you celebrate Women in Translation Month!

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2018 French-American Foundation Translation Prize Announced

Samuel E. Martin

Ordinarily I prefer not to be so tardy about announcing the awarding of major translation prizes, but there seems to have been no press release for this one, so the news only just reached me. But there is news, namely that this year’s prize was awarded at a ceremony on May 11 to four translators from French, two each in Fiction and Nonfiction.

Fiction:

Paul Eprile’s translation of Melville: A Novel by Jean Giono (New York Review Books)

Howard Curtis’s translation of The Principle by Jérôme Ferrari (Europa Editions)

Nonfiction:

Samuel E. Martin’s translation of Bark by Georges-Didi Huberman (MIT Press)

Alison L. Strayer’s translation of The Years by Annie Ernaux (Seven Stories Press)

In past years, this award has come with a $10,000 for the winning translator in each category. The French-American Foundation website no longer contains information about the prize sum, but in the absence of other information, I’ll assume it has remained the same, and that each prize was split this year, since two translators were honored in each category.

For more information about the winning books and the prize itself, see the website of the French-American Foundation.

Congratulations to all the translators whose work was honored this year!

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