Join AWP in recognizing and celebrating September as National Translation Month! Translators, often unsung heroes of the literary world, hold our global community together by making literature more accessible and inclusive. Translators bridge the pathway between not only languages but communities and cultures. AWP applauds the vital role of literary advocate that translators frequently play through their work. In honor of National Translation Month, AWP staff has assembled a list of resources to celebrate the crucial role that translators play in our daily lives.

Check out our National Translation Month booklist to discover interesting reads from authors across the globe.

From The Writer’s Chronicle

Machines Made Out of Words: Translating Function & The Translator’s Function by Tony Barnstone, October/November 2008

Craft Elements of Multilingual Poetry in America by Amanda Galvan Huynh, September 2021

An Interview with Nancy Naomi Carlson by Christina Daub, February 2021

Do you have to be one to write about one? Writing About Others by Ian King, September 2018

The Grail of Origin: Translation and Originality by Kurt Heinzelman, May/Summer 2018

The Anatomy of the Lotus: Conversation with Translator Carolyne Wright on Translation, Poetry, Romance, & Political Resistance in Bangladesh with an Additional Conversation with Poet Shamim Azad & Translator Manzoorul Islam by Debrah Lechner, February 2015

Shiki the Tanka Poet by Barry George, February 2012

Rewatch Online Events from AWP

#AWP21 Latin American Women Writers in Translation

#AWP21 Raising the Volume, Women in Translation

#AWP22 Publishing Books in Translation: An Overview of Best Practices, Sponsored by CLMP

National Translation Month Events

All times are listed in ET.

Thursday, September 8

4:00–5:15 p.m.— The American Literary Translators Association will be hosting Translating Children’s Literature: Values, Norms, and Ethics, a virtual roundtable discussion centered on ethical issues involved in translating children’s literature and the roles, duties, and obligations that a translator must take on. Event organizers ask that attendees make a minimum donation of $10 for their ticket.

Thursday, September 22

7:00–8:15 p.m.— Join The American Literary Translators Association for their virtual panel event titled Teaching Translation Beyond the Traditional Classroom. Panelists include Clyde Moneyhun, Kelsi Vanada, Samantha Schnee, and Barbara Thimm. This session will focus on the importance of literary translation, how to introduce it to different creative writing communities, and how to utilize literary translation as a tool for community literacy practice. Event organizers ask that attendees make a minimum donation of $10 for their ticket.

Wednesday, September 28

5:30–7:30 p.m.— The International Institute of Buffalo will be hosting Editing & Proofreading for Translators, a two-hour virtual course focused on editing and proofreading translated documents. This course is open to document translators of all backgrounds and experiences. Attendees will leave this course with a better understanding of editing and proofreading theory, editing in practice, and how to utilize tools like Microsoft Word and Adobe. Event organizers ask that attendees make a minimum donation of $10 for their ticket.