National Translation Award

ナショナル・トランスレーション・アワード

Awarded annually by the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) in poetry and prose categories to literary translators who have made an outstanding contribution to literature in English.

Literary TranslationPoetryProse

Established: 1998
Organizer: American Literary Translators Association (ALTA)
Category: Research, Translation, and Scholarship
Selection Method: Selection
Target: Professional
Frequency: 1 per year
Application Deadline: around March
Announcement Period: around October
Status: Active

Description

The National Translation Award (NTA) is an award given annually by the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) to translators who have made outstanding contributions in literary translation into English. Established in 1998. Since 2015, awarded separately in the Poetry and Prose categories. Winning works are selected including a full evaluation of the original text, and winners are introduced at ALTA's annual conference. As of 2023, the prize money is USD 4,000 to the translator.

Prize

Main Prize: Cash prize awarded to the translator. Since 2015, awarded separately in poetry and prose categories.
Cash Prize: 4,000 USD

Introduction of winning work and translator at ALTA annual conference
Recognition and publicity opportunities in the industry

Selection

Selection Process

Stage	Judges	Pass Rate	Announcement
Application Reception and Eligibility Verification	Verification of application requirements and eligibility by ALTA office	—	Notification to eligible applicants from the office. Presence of long/short lists varies by year.
Evaluation by Judging Panel	Evaluation of translation and original text by judging panel of usually about 3 members (translators, researchers, writers, etc.)	—	Judging results announced on ALTA official website and at annual conference
Final Selection and Winner Determination	Final winners determined by deliberation of the judging panel	—	Winners announced at ALTA annual conference and on ALTA official website

Application Reception and Eligibility Verification

Judges Verification of application requirements and eligibility by ALTA office

Announcement Notification to eligible applicants from the office. Presence of long/short lists varies by year.

Evaluation by Judging Panel

Judges Evaluation of translation and original text by judging panel of usually about 3 members (translators, researchers, writers, etc.)

Announcement Judging results announced on ALTA official website and at annual conference

Final Selection and Winner Determination

Judges Final winners determined by deliberation of the judging panel

Announcement Winners announced at ALTA annual conference and on ALTA official website

Criteria

Whether the artistic force of the original text is reproduced in English
Literary completeness as a translation (consummate quality)
Sufficient evaluation of the original text (comparison of original and translation)
Untranslated modern works or important first translations/retranslations may be favorably evaluated

Application Tips

Dos

Submit both translation and original text, clearly indicating the source of the original (publisher, publication year, etc.)
Enhance the literariness of the translation and completeness of expression in English
Strictly adhere to application requirements (format and deadline)
Accurately attach publisher information and rights information

Don''ts

Do not submit machine translation as is
Do not omit original text or publication information
Do not apply with deficiencies by ignoring the submission format

From Judges

Emphasis on how well the artistry of the original is reproduced in English
Materials clarifying the relationship between original and translation (notes or translator's commentary) may be favorably evaluated
Maintain consistency in the translation's style and tone