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Banff International Literary Translation Centre (BILTC)
Program Information
Overview
The Banff International Literary Translation Centre (BILTC) offers student, emerging, and professional literary translators a period of uninterrupted work on a current project. Participants will work in a trilingual environment with faculty and peers, resulting in an exceptional learning experience.
Participants will work individually and as a group with a faculty group of accomplished translators. There will also be an opportunity for some participants to consult with the author whose work they are translating. Accepted participants will be notified after adjudication and prior to their arrival, if the author they are translating will be available for on-site consultation.
What does the program offer?
The BILTC program offers individual work sessions with faculty and the program director. Accepted translators can expect to present their work-in-progress and share personal experiences related to writing and translating at round table sessions. These sessions will be held throughout the residency and moderated by the program director and guest faculty. The round table sessions will also include a broader group discussion of issues and challenges faced in the practice of literary translation.
Participating translators will also be invited to read from their works-in-progress at formal and informal reading/sharing events. There will be an opportunity for participating translators to learn from a guest publisher, who will share experiences on translation, in an informal talk.
Who should apply?
BILTC welcomes applications from student, emerging, and professional translators from all backgrounds, and all gender identities and expressions. Translators seeking time to focus on a current literary translation project and an opportunity to connect with literary translators from around the world will benefit greatly from this program.
All applicants must be translators from the Americas translating literature from anywhere in the world, or translators from anywhere in the world translating literature from the Americas.
Eligible projects include translations of works of fiction, literary non-fiction, poetry, children’s literature, oral tradition, and drama. We especially welcome projects involving Indigenous languages of the Americas.
Please note: The language of administration at Banff Centre is English. All administrative correspondence related to this program, after adjudication, and for the duration of the program will be in English.
The BILTC program is generously supported by:
Birks Family Foundation and Power Corporation of Canada.
Faculty
What's Included
Your program fee includes a single bedroom on Banff Centre campus for the duration of your program.
Get connected with other artists on campus and focus on your projects in a creative environment while we take care of the day-to-day essentials.
Using a credit-based system to dine on campus, our flexible meal plans allow you to select meals according to your own needs during your stay.
The Regular Flex meal plan includes $30 credit per day, equivalent to lunch and dinner in Vistas Dining Room.
This program offers opportunities to showcase your work-in-progress in one of our performance venues.
Your program fee includes free access to the swimming pool, climbing gym, and fitness suite as well as discounted rates for classes at the Sally Borden Fitness and Recreation Centre.
Access a wide range of publications, books, music, and films in the Paul D. Fleck Library and Archives, open six days a week.
Enjoy special artist rates for ticketed performances or complimentary access to events.
Enrich your experience and get to know other artists on campus by taking advantage of the activities and support provided by our Participant Resources team.
Fees & Financial Assistance
Application fee: $65
*Financial Aid up to 100% is available for this program.
If you would like to be considered, please complete the Financial Aid section when uploading your supporting materials to SlideRoom.
Travel awards to partially offset travel costs may also be available, up to $500 CAD per participant. Please indicate if you wish to be considered for a travel award in your application. (Please note that applicants from the U.S. and Mexico are encouraged to seek financial support from their institutions).
How to Apply
Learn more about the steps to Complete Your Application.
Application type
Please indicate if you are applying as a student, emerging, or professional translator applicant in the SlideRoom portal:
Student Applicant
- Student applicants must be enrolled, at the time of application, in a translation program at a higher education institution in the Canada, the United States, or Mexico.
- Canadian student applicants must apply through their universities. Their institution will be required to provide a letter of recommendation and confirmation of financial support for one-half the program fees. These documents must be submitted along with the online application.
Emerging Applicant
- Emerging translators with no publications, a few publications, or even a first book and are not enrolled in a higher education institution.
Professional Applicant
- Applicants must have published at least two book-length literary translations or the equivalent thereof.
- Priority is given to projects that have signed publishing contracts, or in the case of plays, promises of production.
Publishing contract
For professional applicants only: Provide a publishing contract or letter of intent from the publisher or theatre producer where applicable. (If none of these are available, please include a statement of permission from the author to undertake the translation). Please note, student and emerging applicants are exempt from this requirement.
Adjudication
Participants are selected by impartial adjudicators on the basis of their submitted material. In addition to artistic merit, consideration will be given to the likelihood that the artist's work will benefit from the program.
Applicants will be notified of their status as soon as adjudication is complete.
Eligibility
Please only apply under one of the following application types: student, emerging, or professional. Please see the ‘application type’ requirement under How to Apply for more details.
Note: Past participants of BILTC must wait at least two years before applying again, and should be working on a different project. Those accepted as participants to the program who subsequently find themselves unable to attend for the full program schedule are asked to withdraw and re-apply another year.
All programs, faculty, dates, fees, and offers of financial assistance are subject to change. Program fee is subject to applicable taxes. Non-refundable fees and deposits will be retained upon cancellation. Any other fees are refunded at the discretion of the Banff Centre. The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. Mountain Standard Time.
Contact the Registrar
For questions on preparing your application, please contact the Office of the Registrar:
