Mildred L. Batchelder Award

みるどれっど・える・ばっちぇるだーしょう

An annual ALSC citation awarded to a U.S. publisher for the most outstanding children's book originally published in a foreign language and country, subsequently translated into English and published in the United States.

Children's booksTranslation literature awardAward for publishersInternational exchange

Established: 1968
Organizer: Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA)
Category: Research, Translation, and Scholarship
Selection Method: Selection
Target: Professional
Frequency: 1 per year
Announcement Period: around January
Status: Active

Description

The Mildred L. Batchelder Award is an annual award presented by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC, the children's division of the American Library Association) to honor the publisher of the "most outstanding" children's book among those originally published in a foreign language in a foreign country and subsequently translated into English and published in the United States. Established in 1968, the award is given to the publisher, but the relevant work, translator, and author are also noted. The purpose is to encourage high-quality translated publications and promote communication between cultures.

Prize

Main Prize: Citation (recognition) to the publisher

Citation certificate
Recognition through crediting the translator and author

Selection

Selection Process

Stage	Judges	Pass Rate	Announcement
Eligibility (qualification check)	ALSC Batchelder Award Committee (Selection Committee)	—	The committee confirms eligible works (children's books originally published abroad in a foreign language and subsequently translated into English and published in the US).
Review and preliminary selection (candidate selection)	ALSC Batchelder Award Committee	—	Committee members read and discuss candidate works and may select Honor Books (usually 1–3).
Final selection and decision	ALSC Batchelder Award Committee (voting)	—	The final decision is announced in ALA's official announcement (Youth Media Awards/press release) (usually January).

Eligibility (qualification check)

Judges ALSC Batchelder Award Committee (Selection Committee)

Announcement The committee confirms eligible works (children's books originally published abroad in a foreign language and subsequently translated into English and published in the US).

Review and preliminary selection (candidate selection)

Judges ALSC Batchelder Award Committee

Announcement Committee members read and discuss candidate works and may select Honor Books (usually 1–3).

Final selection and decision

Judges ALSC Batchelder Award Committee (voting)

Announcement The final decision is announced in ALA's official announcement (Youth Media Awards/press release) (usually January).

Criteria

The award shall be made to an American publisher for a children's book considered to be the most outstanding of those books originally published in a foreign language in a foreign country and subsequently published in English in the United States during the preceding year.
The translation should be true to original work and retain the viewpoint of the author.
The translation should reflect the style of the author and of the original language.
The book should not be unduly "Americanized." The book's reader should be able to sense that the book came from another country.
Folk literature is not eligible.
Picture books are not eligible unless the text is substantial and at least as important as the pictures.
The book must have the potential to appeal to a child audience (age 0-14).
The overall design of the book should enhance and not detract from the text; consideration should be given to retention of the original illustrator's work in the U.S. edition.

Application Tips

Dos

Clearly indicate the translator, original author, original country of publication, and language.
Emphasize fidelity of the translation (preserve the viewpoint and style of the original work).
Confirm if the content appeals to children (0–14 years old).
Ensure that designs such as illustrations and binding do not detract from the text (consider retaining the original illustrations).
Always check the ALA/ALSC submission guidelines, required number of copies, and format.

Don''ts

Do not overly "Americanize" the original work.
Do not forget that folk literature (Folk literature) is ineligible.
Do not submit picture books with insufficient text (the text must be substantial and important).
Do not make translator credits or original publication information ambiguous.

From Judges

The translation should be true to the original work and retain the viewpoint of the author.
The translation should reflect the style of the author and of the original language.
The book should not be unduly "Americanized."
Consideration should be given to the retention of the original illustrator's work in the U.S. edition.