Time to Apply to Banff

Since February 15th is the deadline for applying for the 2012 Banff International Literary Translation Centre residency program, this seems like a good time to start spreading the word and/or working on your application . . .

For anyone unfamiliar with Banff, here’s the description from their website:

Inspired by the network of international literary translation centres in Europe, the Banff International Literary Translation Centre (BILTC) is the only one of its kind in North America. The primary focus of the residency program is to afford working and professional literary translators a period of uninterrupted work on a current project, within an international community of their colleagues.

The program is open to literary translators from Canada, Mexico, and the United States translating from any language, as well as to international translators working on literature from the Americas (both the North and South American continents). Since the inaugural program in 2003, the Centre has hosted translators from approximately 30 countries translating work involving nearly 40 languages. The annual BILTC residency program has places for 15 translators.

Translators may request a joint residency of up to one week with the author they are translating. Most guest authors come from Canada, the United States, and Mexico, but the program is sometimes able to bring authors from farther away. Consultation with the program directors and experienced translators serving in residence as advisors is also available. Three or four times a week participants meet for informal presentations, workshops, and readings, and to discuss their work in progress with the group.

This year’s faculty will include Roberto Frías, Russell Scott Valentino, Lori Saint-Martin, and others. And anyone planning on participating should plan on arriving in Banff on Sunday, June 3, 2012, and departing on Sunday, June 24, 2012.

Last year, Andrew Barrett—one of the students enrolled in the University of Rochester’s MA in Literary Translation program—was awarded the single invitation given to a U.S. student. The expenses for his trip were covered by Banff, and based on his comments to me afterward, it sounds like this was more or less life changing.

So if you’re at all interested, you should definitely apply. And you can do so by clicking here.