So, you want to become a literary translator?
Amazing! It’s the best.
Here’s some information on how to get started:

Training & education

• The ALTA Emerging Translator Mentorship Program

• Emerging Translator Mentorships from the National Centre for Writing in the UK

• Bread Loaf Translators’ Conference at Middlebury College in Ripton, Vermont

• British Centre for Literary Translation's Summer School course

Pitching & Rights

• Getting the Rights to Translate: A How-To Guide by Susan Bernofsky

• UMich’s resources on finding out if a translation has been published

• How to Pitch Publishers, an ALTA presentation by Chad Post and Katie Whittemore, with accompanying material

• Ros Schwartz’s Getting Into Print guide, and accompanying video

• Anton Hur’s Pitch Guide for Translators

• Tips on pitching publishers by Sawad Hussain

• Tips for handling rejection (and using it as fuel) by Nadiyah Abdullatif and Anam Zafar

• Tips on cover letters from Ploughshares

• Tips on readers reports from Inkling, and even more from New Books in German

• Tips on cold calling/emailing art directors from Muddy Colors (which can be extrapolated to editors)

• Query Shark’s archive of query letter examples and revisions

Publishers & FUNDING

• Charlotte Coombe’s Literary Translation Database Extraordinaire

• Translation grants listing from the 2 Seas Agency

• Small presses database from Poets & Writers

• Directory of publishers from CLMP

• Journals seeking work in translation from PENAmerica

• Litmags in the “sweet spot”, from Chill Subs

• Literary magazines from Modern Authors Guide

• Erika Krouse’s ranking of 500-ish literary magazines for short fiction

CONTRACTS & PAYMENTS

• Model contract and legal help from the Authors Guild (all translators are welcome as members)

• Rate observations for prose and poetry translation contracts from the Society of Authors

• Survey of rates from the Editorial Freelancers Association

• W.A.G.E.’s fee calculator (designed for the art world; any creative professionals can extrapolate)

• PEN Model Contract for Translators

• ATTLC/LTAC Model Contract in English and French

• CEATL Guidelines for fair translation contracts, and the accompanying annex

• ATA’s Model Service Agreement and Contract (for commercial work)

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

• American Literary Translators Association

• Emerging Literary Translators Network in America

• The Authors Guild

And then, once you get started, don’t despair! Anton Hur explains how to get out of The Emerging Literary Translator Valley of Death