Business resources for literary translators:
Model contract and legal help from the Authors Guild (all translators are welcome as members)
UMich’s resources on finding out if a translation has been published
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
CEATL Guidelines for fair translation contracts, and the accompanying annex
ATA’s Model Service Agreement and Contract (for commercial work)
A Resources Guide on Freelancing from the Freelance Solidarity Project (general freelancing tips)
Databases of grants, journals, and publishers:
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 that publish short stories, from ShortStops
Literary magazines from Modern Authors Guide
Erika Krouse’s ranking of 500-ish literary magazines for short fiction
Learning about being a literary translator:
Emerging Translator Mentorships from the National Centre for Writing in the UK
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
How can authors (or translators) partner with indie bookstores? David Enyeart writes for Melville House
Training for Translators blog (focused on commercial translation)
Resources on translating Blackness, race, and racism, from Corine Tachtiris and Words Without Borders
We Need Diverse Books’ Resources for Race, Equity, Anti-Racism, and Inclusion
Diversity, Anti-Harassment, and Equity in Publishing Resources, compiled by Yilin Wang
Rethinking Diversity in Publishing, a report by Dr Anamik Saha and Dr Sandra van Lente
Various translation-related articles:
In Praise of Echo, by Jhumpa Lahiri in Words Without Borders
The First Woman to Translate the "Odessey" into English, an NYTimes Magazine feature on Emily Wilson's experience and wonderful philosophy
Against the “Good” Translation: The Power of Disobedience, by Gitanjali Patel and Jessie Spivey in Words Without Borders
‘Building Something Together’: Translators Discuss Their Art, an NYTimes Roundtable in 2023
On Editing, by Barbara Epler, in The Threepenny Review
William Weaver, the Art of Translation #3, in The Paris Review
Edward Gauvin’s extensive and excellent interview in The Comics Journal
On Cooperative Translation, by Ros Schwartz and Lulu Norman
Translating Buenos Aires Street Slang with Frank Wynne, in World Literature Today
Writing Postpartum, a conversation between Kate Zambreno and Sarah Manguso
Celebrating the International Day of Bibliodiversity with the International Alliance of Independent Publishers
20 Awesomely Untranslatable Words, or, what makes a translator's job fun
Shakespeare in the Bush, an argument against Shakespeare's universality, and also just how hard he is to translate
Translation and freelance blogroll:
Three Percent: Blog from the University of Rochester's Open Letter Books, a press dedicated entirely to literature in translation
ALTAlk: Weekly link round-ups and other articles from the American Literary Translators Association
Intralingo: Wonderful blog from the talented Spanish-English literary translator, Lisa Carter, chock full of pertinent information
Translationista: The great Dr. Susan Bernofsky pens the blog of a writer and translator
Love German Books: Katy Derbyshire, German-English translator, reporting from her side of things
Arabic Literature (in English): Marcia Lynx Qualey has all the information you need from the Arab world
Anton Hur’s blog includes his PEN/Heim-winning cover letter
The Freelancery: Brilliant advice for freelancers of any ilk
Literary Translation in Quebec: Peter McCambridge's blog, with some lovely older posts about getting started in the business
Reading in Translation: Translations reviewed by translators, run by Lucina Schell
A Smart Translator's Reunion: Catharine Cellier-Smart's blog from Reunion Island
The Savvy Newcomer: An ATA blog packed full of great advice for newbies and reminders for veterans