“I loved the workshops, especially working with so many people in my language pair. I also really appreciated having people from all age groups and disciplines because they were able to provide great insight from their diverse perspectives.”
Keziah Olsen
Pittsburgh,PA
Bread Loaf Translators’ Conference
The 10th annual Bread Loaf Translators’ Conference is a week-long series designed to provide training and community to beginning and experienced translators, as well as those who want to be more sophisticated readers of literary translation or want to incorporate it into the classroom.
Literary translation is the translation of a literary work such as a poem, essay, short story, or novel, out of its original language and into a new language. It is also the creative, complex, and writerly activity of making an equivalent literary text exist in English.
The Translators’ Conference aims to strengthen the visibility and access to high quality literary translations in the United States, and also to acknowledge that translators require the same training and skills as creative writers.
Overview
The conference incorporates the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference model of small, focused, genre-based workshops coupled with lectures and classes on the art of literary translation. Workshops are limited to ten participants so that each manuscript receives individual attention and careful critique. All participants also meet individually with their workshop leader to amplify and refine what was said in the workshop itself.
In addition to the workshops, lectures, classes, and readings, meetings with agents and editors take place during the afternoon. The workshop packet of student translations for the Translation Workshops and packet of readings for the Introductory Workshop are made available in the weeks leading up to the session in order to allow time to read and prepare before arrival.
Participants include translators who want to improve their craft; students who are mastering a foreign language and want to acquire translation skills; teachers interested in bringing the practice of literary translation into their classrooms; and anyone wanting to learn more about and participate in the ever-growing community of literary translators.
The 2024 Session
The 2024 Translators’ Conference will be held from Tuesday, June 11 to Monday, June 17 in Ripton, Vermont. Find out more about dates and fees.
Our faculty are acclaimed and award-winning translators including Madhu H. Kaza and Matvei Yankelevich (Introductory workshops); Kareem James Abu-Zeid (poetry workshop); Anton Hur and Bruna Dantas Lobato (prose workshops); and Emily Wilson (mixed workshop including prose and poetry). In addition to their literary accomplishments, our faculty has been specifically chosen for their skill at guiding developing translators in a given genre.
Other guests from the publishing, literary, and translating world will offer panels, discussions, or one-on-one meetings with conference participants. Find out more about faculty and guests.
Financial Aid
Financial aid is limited, but thanks to support from the Katharine Bakeless Nason Endowment, the Michael Collier Endowment, and Middlebury College, several $500, $1000, $1500, and $2655 awards will be given. Find out more about financial aid.
Apply
Rolling admissions November 1 to February 1 or until places fill. Applicants are notified approximately four to six weeks after they apply.
Applicants choose to apply to either the Introductory Workshop or the Translation Manuscript Workshop. Applicants can choose to apply as auditors. See Application and Acceptance Information.
What Past Participants Say:
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“I really did find this week to be transformative. Bread Loaf was just as glamorous and wonderful as I’d heard other people say. I was blown away by the quality of the instruction, the warmth of my peers, and the overall good vibes and support of the Bread Loaf community. This was one of the most wonderful experiences of my literary career. The whole time I was there I couldn’t believe my good fortune for being invited to meet all these brilliant minds and talk about the art I love most. I feel like I have a new confidence to really start pitching my translation in a way I didn’t have before.”
Allana Noyes
Querétaro, Mexico
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“The Bread Loafer (participant) readings are, quite possibly, the highlight of the week. Everyone (who wants it) gets their moment to shine, and the outpouring of support for our fellow readers is edifying. It’s community-building.”
Jay Alexander Brown
Montreal, QC,
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“The workshop was fantastic. The faculty member’s comments were open, clear, direct, kind, and incredibly useful. I went to the conference with some trepidation about my project because it’s rather unconventional. To my relief and delight, many people were having rich and generous discussions about translation—including unconventional approaches! Overall, the conference was pure magic for me.”
Grace MacNair
Brooklyn, NY