Extended Deadline: November 10, 2023
The deadline for applications for the 2024 Karin Montin LTAC/QWF Mentorship in Literary Translation has been extended until November 10, 2023. This call for applications is for both prospective mentees and prospective mentors.
The mentorship is designed to support an aspiring or emerging translator of literary work into English to help make the transition to the next stage of their career. Over a period of four months, the mentor will be expected to devote 35 to 40 hours to reading and responding to their mentee’s work and to giving guidance towards the goal of publication or production.
The mentee is expected to commit a minimum of 15 to 20 hours per month to the program. To apply to be a mentee, candidates must pay a $25 non-refundable submission fee and be a member of either QWF or the Literary Translators Association of Canada (LTAC) throughout the mentorship period. In exceptional cases of financial need, QWF or LTAC will consider offering selected mentees a one-year complimentary membership as part of their mentorship upon request.
Established professional Canadian literary translators who wish to be mentors are invited to apply as a mentor for the program. The mentor must be a full or associate LTAC/ATTLC member throughout the mentorship period. There is no submission fee for mentors, and the selected candidate will receive $2000 as remuneration.
Both mentors and a short list of potential mentees will be selected by an independent jury. Depending on geographical location, the mentorships may be conducted primarily or exclusively by email and Zoom.
To Apply for a Mentor:
Eligibility Criteria
Translators with English as the target language are invited to apply. Translators working with a professional editor/publisher and those who have already had a QWF mentorship are not eligible to apply for a mentor. Priority will be given to translators who are not currently enrolled in a writing or translation program.
The mentee selected for the Karin Montin Mentorship in Literary Translation must be a member in good standing of either LTAC or QWF throughout the mentorship period.
How to Apply
Prepare the document outlined below, then log in and apply through “Submittable.” Be prepared to pay the submission fee by credit card or PayPal.
Follow the directions at Submittable to set up a free account if you don’t already have one. Then complete the online form and upload the document you have prepared, which must include the components below combined into a single document (PDF or WORD) that does NOT have your name or other identifying material anywhere in it.
For the Karin Montin LTAC/QWF Writing Mentorship, please prepare one document containing:
- A one-page pitch telling which genre you are applying in, where you are in your development as a translator, and how your translation practice will benefit from a mentor’s guidance at this time;
- An eight- to ten-page translation sample, double-spaced if prose, from the project you wish to work on. No more than ten pages will be forwarded to the jury.
Do not put your name on this document.
If you cannot submit online, you may mail a copy of the document described above, along with your contact information on a separate sheet, and a $35 CAD cheque made out to “Quebec Writers’ Federation” to:
Mentorship Program
Quebec Writers’ Federation
1200 Atwater Ave., Suite 3
Westmount, QC H3Z 1X4
Note: Cheques must be made out to “Quebec Writers’ Federation,” not “QWF.”
All mail submissions MUST BE IN THE QWF OFFICE by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 10, 2023.
Successful applicants will be notified by December 15, 2023.
To Apply to Be a Mentor:
Eligibility Criteria
Established professional Canadian literary translators with a target language of English and at least one book published by a recognized professional publisher or an equivalent professional level of achievement are invited to apply. Those selected must be full or associate LTAC members in good standing throughout the mentorship period.
Teaching or mentoring experience is a significant asset.
How to Apply
To apply to be a mentor, prepare the document described below and then log on to “Submittable.” Note that there is no submission fee to apply to be a mentor.
Follow the directions on the Submittable site to set up a free account if you don’t already have one. Then complete the online form and upload the document you have prepared, which must include the following components combined into a single document (PDF or WORD).
For the Karin Montin LTAC/QWF Mentorship in Literary Translation, please prepare one document containing:
- A one-page bio listing your publications/productions, outlining your translation experience, and listing the genres/disciplines on which you are qualified to advise;
- A short description of your approach to mentoring;
- A declaration of your availability during the period from November 15, 2023, to June 30, 2024. (If selected for the program, you will receive applications from the shortlisted candidates in your genre in November and be asked to rank your choices within a short timeframe. The actual mentoring takes place from February 1 to May 31, 2024, with a public reading to be scheduled in Montreal in June 2024.)
If you cannot submit online, you may mail a copy of the document described above to:
Mentorship Program
Quebec Writers’ Federation
1200 Atwater Ave., Suite 3
Westmount, QC H3Z 1X4
All mail submissions MUST BE IN THE QWF OFFICE by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 10, 2023.
Successful applicants will be notified in early December and will be asked to select their mentee from a short list prepared by the jury by December 11.
Produced in partnership with l’Association des traducteurs et traductrices du Canada/the Literary Translators Association of Canada:
The Quebec Writers’ Federation gratefully acknowledges the assistance of:
For more information:
Telephone: (514) 244-9088 | [email protected]