Applications for the 2026/27 round of Emerging Translator Mentorships are now closed! Applications for the 2027/28 round will open on 23 July 2027.
Celebrating its seventeenth anniversary in 2026, the Emerging Translator Mentorship programme was founded by Daniel Hahn in 2010 with the aim of developing successive new cohorts of literary translators into English, particularly for languages whose literature is currently under-represented in English translation.
The scheme matches up experienced translators with emerging translators for a six-month period during which they work together on practical translation projects, developing their craft through working on a chosen text or texts. The mentor acts as an adviser to the mentee on aspects of life as a professional translator, such as time management, meeting deadlines, managing finances and understanding contracts, and as an advocate for their mentee with publishers in search of literary translators.
The evidence to date suggests that participation in the scheme represents, in itself, a significant professional development for mentees, with publishers seeing the mentoring cohort as a reliable source of high-quality emerging translators.
This year’s languages and strands are:
- Danish (mentored by Paul Russell Garrett, funded by Danish Arts Foundation)
- Dutch (mentored by Jonathan Reeder, part of New Dutch Writing, supported by the Dutch Foundation for Literature)
- Italian (mentored by Elena Pala, funded by funded by the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Londra (IIC Londra))
- Korean (mentored by Clare Richards, funded by LTI Korea)
- Norwegian (mentored by Rosie Hedger, funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy and NORLA)
- Polish (mentored by Sean Gasper Bye, funded by the Polish Cultural Institute)
- Swiss German (mentored by Jamie Lee Searle, funded by ProHelvetia)
- Literature from Taiwan (mentored by Jeremy Tiang, funded by the National Museum of Taiwan Literature)
- Languages of India (mentored by Mohini Gupta, funded by CWIT); this mentorship is open to India-based translators only, who have not received any grant from the Charles Wallace India Trust in the last 5 years and who must attend London Book Fair as part of the mentorship (NCW and the Charles Wallace India Trust will be on hand for visa applications).
I started my translation career as a mentee in this very program, so it’s such a delight now to be on the other side… The NCW mentorship programme is building the kind of collaboration and community that literary translation is all about.
What you will receive
Mentees receive a £800 stipend to cover expenses associated with the mentorship, plus £300 to support expenses associated with attending London Book Fair, if the mentee attends. The Dutch, Norwegian, Literature from Taiwan and Languages of India mentorships include further uplifts to cover travel expenses to and within the UK to attend London Book Fair and facilitate in-person meet-ups.
The mentorship will include various online industry events with tailored training events and talks, a feature at International Translation Day and attendance of London Book Fair and the Assembly of Literary Translators. The mentees’ work will also be celebrated in a concluding digital showcase and anthology launch with samples of the mentees’ translations to further amplify the translators’ work. In addition, mentees are offered one year’s membership of the Society of Authors/Translators Association.
National Centre for Writing will facilitate an initial planning meeting between successful applicants and their mentors to agree on the scope of their project and how they will work together. The mentoring period lasts for six months, from October 2026 to March 2027, including in-person meetings during London Book Fair between 15-18 March 2027, and a final showcase on 30 March 2027. During the mentorship, the mentoring pair will meet at least four times, either in person, by virtual media or by phone as appropriate and agreed between them. In between meetings, they will exchange work and comments via email.
Who can apply?
The programme is open to emerging translators at no cost to them. An emerging translator is someone who has published no more than one full-length work of literary translation. MFA and MA students in translation can apply, but priority may be given to those who do not have access to the kind of guidance already present in a translation degree programme.
Though English is the target language, the emerging translator need not live in the UK. Please note additional eligibility criteria for some mentorships, however:
- Languages of India (mentored by Mohini Gupta); this mentorship is open to India-based translators only, who have not received any grant from the Charles Wallace India Trust in the last 5 years and who must attend London Book Fair as part of the mentorship (NCW and the Charles Wallace India Trust will be on hand for visa applications).
We particularly welcome applications for all mentorships from those groups which are currently under-represented in the literary translation community.
How to apply
Applications should be uploaded via a Google Form here. Please note, you will need a Google account (which can be created easily and linked to a non-Google email address) to upload your application documents.
If uploading your application is inconvenient or inaccessible for you, or you require assistance to make the application process more accessible for you, please email translation@nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk with the subject “ETM 26/27” and the language or mentorship strand for which you are applying. Queries can also be sent to the email address above.
The deadline for receipt of entries is 11.59pm BST, Monday, 24 August 2026.
Your application must include the following:
- A covering letter stating why you believe you would benefit from a mentorship, and what you can bring to the mentor and mentorship
- Your CV: with a focus on your translation work and experience
- A one-page sample book proposal: this should demonstrate your understanding of the text, author and source culture, but also of the English language market for the translation and its target readership
- A sample translation of up to 2,000 words of prose or up to 100 lines poetry or dramatic text: this is ideally taken from your sample book project, but can also be a different text or texts
- The source text that corresponds to your sample translation
- Please also complete the brief survey on equality, diversity and inclusion, which is included in the Google Forms link above. For each question, there is an option to select ‘Prefer not to say’ and all answers will be treated
- Please note: you MUST NOT use artificial intelligence (“AI”) for any part of your application, including the sample translation. The use of AI tools in your application will render it ineligible.
Applications will be assessed by the relevant mentor. Their assessment will be based on the following criteria:
- strength of the sample proposal: how well the applicant demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of the text, author, language and possible issues; how original and relevant the text and author are for a translation project into English; the applicant’s awareness of the source language market, and target language market and audience in English
- strength of the translation: the applicant’s technical competence in handling the grammatical, syntactical and stylistic features of the source text; how well written, creative and enjoyable the translation is; and
- the mentor’s own suitability to best support an applicant
Successful applicants will be informed by Monday 14 September 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the timeline for the 2026/27 mentorship, and do I need to participate in all of the programme?
We do understand that you cannot entirely put your life on hold while participating in the mentorship, and participation in the shared programme is not compulsory. However, it is a core component of the mentorship scheme and key to its success, so please endeavour to make the most of any of the opportunities offered to you.
Similarly, your mentor will likely set you deadlines to complete and submit translation tasks throughout your time together, and may also offer you additional opportunities. So please do consider carefully before you apply if you have the time to commit to the mentorship scheme and all that it entails.
Below is a timeline for the 2026/27 mentorship (subject to change).
30 September 2026 – All mentees announced at International Translation Day (no attendance required). The deadline for videos is 17 September 2026.
1 October 2026 – Mentorship begins. Mentor and Mentee meet with NCW staff member in October to agree scope of work and expectations
19-21 November 2026 (Thu-Sat) – First Industry Weekend online (6-8 events over 3 days, between midday and 5pm UK time)
14-15 January 2027 (Thu-Fri)– Second Industry Weekend online (Editing workshop for ETM and ALTA mentees; meet-up for mentors; between midday and 5pm UK time)
25 January 2027 – Submission deadline for anthology contribution
Early February 2027 – Showcase recording (takes place online)
February 2026 – Society of Authors/Translators Association talk
15 March 2027 – Assembly of Literary Translators
16-18 March 2027 – London Book Fair
30 March 2027 – Digital showcase event launches (pre-recorded) with live chat and anthology launch
1 April 2027 – Deadline for final evaluation reports of the mentoring process (to be shared with funders); NCW provides link to Google Form and to Arts Council England survey
What does ‘Emerging’ mean?
Emerging refers to a translator who has published no more than one full-length work of literary translation. Applicants with commercial translation experience are encouraged to apply.
What should I include in my CV/Covering Letter?
Your CV should detail any previous translation experience as well as any other relevant experience. Your covering letter should explain how you think you’ll benefit from the programme and what you would bring to the mentorship.
What should I include in my sample proposal?
Your proposal should include a short synopsis of a text, a short biography of the original author, and answer the following questions: why would this text benefit from translation and what is the appeal of the text in the English language market? We would advise against choosing a text which has already been translated into the English language for the purposes of this sample proposal. The proposal need not be a full book pitch, but you may find translator Ros Schwartz’s guidance on pitches here helpful.
Should my sample translation be from the text I would like to work on during my mentorship?
Your sample translation does not have to be from the same text you are proposing to translate but it may help your mentor to assess your proposal, particularly if they are unfamiliar with the text you are proposing to work with. The piece you eventually work on will be decided between you and your mentor, and may be different to the sample project you propose.
Do I have to be based in the UK to apply?
No – applicants can generally be based anywhere in the world, with the exception of the Languages of India mentorship which is open to translators based in India only.
Why do you give priority to applicants who are not in full-time education?
The mentorship seeks to support those translators who do not currently have a supportive network of experienced translators and mentors around them.
Will I have to meet my mentor face-to-face for our sessions?
No – you may not live in the same country or continent as your mentor and sessions can occur exclusively via electronic media. As mentors and mentees are invited to London Book Fair and the Assembly of Literary Translators, this does offer an opportunity for a face-to-face meeting if both are able to attend.
What does ‘no more than one full-length work of literary translation’ mean?
Applicants can have published 0 or 1 full-length works of literary translation. It is not essential for applicants to have published any literary translations up until this point, but they must not have published 2 or more works of literary translation to be eligible.
‘Published’ means that the translations have already appeared, or are contracted to appear.
‘Full-length’ works include fiction and creative non-fiction titles, such as novels, novellas, short story collections, memoirs, travel accounts, essays, etc. (not included in this definition are academic or other non-fiction translations, such as guidebooks, manuals, dictionaries, artist catalogues, or similar), as well as poetry collections (not pamphlets or chapbooks), anthologies (not single anthology entries) and full-length plays (not excerpts, for example in anthologies).
Can I apply to multiple mentorship strands?
No, you can only apply to one mentorship strand, and you can only submit one application with one book proposal.
Will my application be considered if I am currently participating in another mentorships programme, or if I have applied for another translation mentorships programme simultaneously?
While applicants are encouraged to apply simultaneously to multiple mentorship programmes, such as those offered by ALTA (the American Literary Translators Association), LTAC/QWF, or others, please note that successful applicants will only be allowed to pursue one mentorship at a given time. In other words, applicants selected for more than one mentorship will need to choose one to accept. This allows our programmes to support the greatest number of emerging translators.
MFA and MA students in translation can apply, but priority may be given to those who do not have access to the kind of guidance already present in a translation degree programme.
Do I need to have secured the rights to the book I am proposing in my sample translation and/or do these rights need to be available?
No, you do not need to have sourced the rights to the book you are proposing in your sample. Your sample proposal is designed to assess your knowledge of the English language market and where your chosen book might sit within this. The book you propose to translate may not be the project you end up working on during the mentorship – this is decided in the initial meeting – and the rights to your chosen text can be acquired during the mentorship process.
What are the eligibility criteria for the Swiss German mentorship?
When applying for the Swiss German strand, please either suggest a book by an author who is Swiss and either writes in (standard) German or Swiss German, or you can apply with a project by an author of any nationality writing in Swiss German. It does not matte where the publisher is based.
What are the eligibility criteria for the Languages of India mentorship?
To be eligible for the Languages of India mentorship, you must be an emerging translator who:
- translates from any of the languages of India into English
- is based in India
- have not received any grant from the Charles Wallace India Trust in the last 5 years (as of 1 October 2026)
- must travel to the UK to attend London Book Fair (NCW and the CWIT will support your visa application)
What are the eligibility criteria for the Literature from Taiwan mentorship?
To qualify as a Taiwan literary translation project, the author of the source text must meet one of the following criteria:
- the author is Taiwanese (i.e., a national of Taiwan); or
- the author is based in Taiwan and writes in any of the official languages of Taiwan, or in the natural languages used by the different ethnic groups in Taiwan, including but not limited to: Taiwan’s Indigenous Languages, Plains Indigenous Languages, Hakka, Taigi, Matsu Language, Kinmen Language.
- In addition, the selected book for translation must have been published in Taiwan.
- The mentorship is open to applicants (translators) based anywhere in the world.
What happens if my mentor doesn’t translate from the same language as me?
The mentorship is designed to help with the challenges of translation as a whole – identifying universal translation issues beyond individual languages. The scheme will help you better understand literary translation and the industry at large. With regards to non-language specific mentorships, we aim to provide a couple of sessions of language-specific support in addition to the general mentorship (details to be confirmed with the successful applicant).
Can I apply to become a mentor on the programme?
We are currently inviting mentors directly to participate in the programme once we have been able to confirm funding for the relevant language or strand. We recognize that this process is not the most transparent way to select mentors and are working towards implementing an application process. More experienced translators interested in becoming mentors will be able to apply to be considered as mentors and, if eligible, will be added to a pool of mentors and contacted if their relevant language pair will be on offer in an upcoming mentoring year. We will advertise a call for applications for the mentoring pool via our usual channels.
Supported by Arts Council England, the Danish Arts Foundation, Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Londra (IIC Londra), ProHelvetia, the Charles Wallace India Trust, LTI Korea, New Dutch Writing supported by the Dutch Literature Foundation, the Royal Norwegian Embassy in London, NORLA, the Polish Cultural Institute, the National Museum for Taiwan Literature, SALT and the Society of Authors.
