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Singapore Apprenticeship in Literary Translation (SALT)

Singapore Apprenticeship in Literary Translation (SALT)

WHAT IS SALT?

WHO CAN APPLY TO SALT?

WHAT ARE THE GRANTS AVAILABLE?

WHO IS INVOLVED?

WHAT IS THE SCHEDULE AND PROGRAMME STRUCTURE?

SALT Schedule 2019

Programme Details

SALT Mentors

 

WHAT IS SALT?

The Singapore Apprenticeship in Literary Translation (SALT) is a capability development programme jointly organised by Tender Leaves Translation and the Singapore Book Council, aimed at training literary translators for the publishing industry. Participants will undergo a rigorous, industry-oriented 12-month training, in which they will:

- learn the skills and craft of translating a book-length project. You choose from one of two language tracks, Chinese to English or English to Chinese;
- put together a translation sample and synopsis package for pitching to publishers and agents;
- gain experience in the best practices of the profession, including understanding the business, legal, and ethical issues involved in their work.

Each translator will work with four different established professionals in the field of literary translation. They will work on preparing a sample and synopsis for a book-length project, or the equivalent. Mentors will oversee the translation process and offer guidance.

Each apprentice will produce a translation sample and synopsis package, in cooperation with her/his mentors. This is to include a synopsis of the entire book-length work and a sample translation of about 3 chapters or 5,000 words from the work.

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WHO CAN APPLY TO SALT?

SALT is open to Singapore citizens, Permanent Residents and non-Singaporeans. Emerging translators, writers / poets who are transitioning into translation, or established translators who are transitioning into literary translation are all welcome to apply.

Selection of the participants will be based on criteria that includes track record, translation samples, potential of the applicant, and interview (where necessary). Participants can choose their language track (either Chinese to English, or English to Chinese).

 You can apply here. The application deadline has been extended to 28 February 2019. Only selected apprentices will be notified by 10 March 2019 and provided with the list of excerpts to select for the translation exercise.

The entire course fee is S$6,000 for the 12-month programme which includes working with four different established professionals in the field of literary translation to complete a sample of about three chapters or 5,000 words and a synopsis package. Successful applicants have to pay 50% of the course fee (S$3,000) upon notification with the final 50% of the course fee to be paid by 30 April 2019 to confirm acceptance of the placement offered.

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WHAT ARE THE GRANTS AVAILABLE?

Applicants who are Singapore citizens or Permanent Residents may apply to funding bodies that support professional training and skills development in literary arts and translation upon confirmation of successful application for SALT.

You can find out more about the requirements and funding cycle of the organisations below:

National Arts Council Capability Development Granthttps://www.nac.gov.sg/whatwedo/support/funding/capabilitydevelopmentgrant/overview.html

For programmes between 15 May to 14 July 2019, applications need to be submitted by 15 February 2019 and applicants will be notified by 15 April 2019.

Ministry of Communications and Information’s Translation Talent Development Schemehttps://www.mci.gov.sg/careers-grants/ttds

Call for application opens in April 2019.

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WHO IS INVOLVED?

SALT is a collaboration between Tender Leaves Translation and the Singapore Book Council. Established translator and writer, Shelly Bryant is the programme director who will oversee SALT.

The mentors include:

Chinese to English

Shelly Bryant
Anna Holmwood
Jeremy Tiang
Fong Parker
Sun Li

English to Chinese

Fong Parker
Sun Li
Peng Lun
Li Yuyao

Marketing

Marysia Juszczakiewicz

QUESTIONS?

Email [email protected] or [email protected].

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WHAT IS THE SCHEDULE AND PROGRAMME STRUCTURE?

Salt will run for 12 months from June 2019 to June 2020. The mentors will set the various milestones and deadlines for the apprentices to produce the synopsis and translation samples. There will be two half-day sessions that all the apprentices are required to attend: Orientation and Literary Translation Workshop, and Review and Debrief Session. They will be conducted by Shelly Bryant.

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SALT SCHEDULE 2019

Date SALT Schedule Remarks
June 2019 Orientation and Literary Translation Workshop

Half day workshop conducted by Shelly Bryant

Venue: Singapore Book Council

June 2019

Apprentices to confirm the title they will be translating

Apprentices to begin translation of short exercise piece
 
June – December 2019

Translation

Apprentices to work on the short exercise piece and the longer, 5,000 word piece 
Mentored by the Tender Leaves team
January – April 2020 Editing of 5,000 word excerpt Mentored by the Tender Leaves team and external industry professionals
May – June 2020 Marketing the translated work Mentored by the Tender Leaves team and external industry professionals
June 2020 Review and graduation

Half day workshop conducted by Shelly Bryant

Venue to be confirmed
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Programme Details

ORIENTATION AND LITERARY TRANSLATION WORKSHOP

The workshop will give an overview of SALT, including the goals, expectations, as well as how the apprentice will work with the mentor. It will cover the creative processes, the business aspects of translating for publication, as well as understanding and adapting to the market forces.

TRANSLATION

This will include translating two pieces, the first a short piece that will work on helping the translator work on some basic issues and concepts. This will not go through the later EDITING and MARKETING stages. The second piece will be an excerpt from a longer work. The apprentice will be expected to apply the skills acquired through working on the short piece to the longer piece. This will go through the EDITING stage and will serve as the sample that will be used in the MARKETING stage. Mentorship for both of these pieces will be managed by the Tender Leaves Translation team, with two mentors working on each piece with the apprentice, allowing the apprentice to hear different perspectives and learn from mentors with different areas of specialisation.

EDITING

Editing will include working with a professional editorial team. This will help the apprentices move from a focus on the original text to a focus on the target market, which will better prepare them for the final stage of the apprenticeship.

MARKETING

Marketing will include work with a professional agent, with a focus on preparing a synopsis to pair with the sample produced in the earlier stages. The apprentices will craft the synopsis under the guidance of the agent. When it is completed, it, together with the sample, will make up a full package for marketing the work.

REVIEW

The review will include a debrief session with Shelly Bryant, discussing the feedback the apprentices have received from their mentors and how best to implement it as they move on to begin their careers in literary translation.

All texts in the programme can be chosen from the Suggested List, which will be shared with successful applicants, though we are open to listening to suggestions from the apprentices. Our Suggested List will include works recommended by our various sponsors and partners. It will not be limited geographically.

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SALT Mentors

Shelly Bryant 

Shelly Bryant divides her year between Shanghai and Singapore, working as a poet, writer, and translator. She is the author of seven volumes of poetry (Alban Lake and Math Paper Press), a pair of travel guides for the cities of Suzhou and Shanghai (Urbanatomy), and a book on classical Chinese gardens (Hong Kong University Press). She has translated work from the Chinese for Penguin Books, Epigram Publishing, the National Library Board in Singapore, Giramondo Books, and Rinchen Books. Shelly’s poetry has appeared in journals, magazines, and websites around the world, as well as in several art exhibitions. Her translation of Sheng Keyi’s Northern Girls was long-listed for the Man Asian Literary Prize in 2012 and her translation of You Jin’s In Time, Out of Place was short-listed for the Singapore Literature Prize in 2016.

Anna Holmwood

Anna Holmwood has an MPhil in Modern Chinese Studies and a BA in History from Oxford University. She translates prize-winning novels and narrative non-fiction, and was a founding member of the Emerging Translators Network in London, which acts as a platform for early career translators to share knowledge and expertise. Her latest project is Jin Yong’s Legends of the Condor Heroes series for MacLehose Press in the UK. She speaks fluent Swedish and Mandarin Chinese.

Jeremy Tiang

Jeremy Tiang has translated more than 10 books from Chinese, including novels by You Jin, Yeng Pway Ngon, Zhang Yueran and Chan Ho-Kei, and has also translated the winning Chinese-language entries for the Golden Point Award. He has been awarded an NEA Literature Translation Fellowship, an International Writing Fellowship from the University of Iowa, and a PEN/ Heim Grant. He also writes and translates plays, including Dragon Bones by Quah Sy Ren and Han Lao Da (The Arts House) and A Son Soon by Xu Nuo (Manchester Royal Exchange). Jeremy’s own writing includes It Never Rains on National Day (shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize) and State of Emergency (shortlisted for the Epigram Books Fiction Prize). He won the Golden Point Award in 2009. Jeremy is currently serving as a mentor for the American Literary Translators Association.

Fong Parker

Fong Parker holds a BA (Hon) in Japanese Studies, with minors in English Studies and Chinese Studies, from the National University of Singapore. She has worked as a language teacher, teaching Chinese and English to private students in Singapore, and later teaching Chinese at Clear Creek High School in League City, Texas, US. She has worked as a translator with the Tender Leaves team since the earliest days, serving as mentor to Shelly Bryant in her early career. Fong offered guidance on numerous projects, including Sheng Keyi’s Death Fugue, You Jin’s In Time, Out of Place, Fan Wen’s Land of Mercy, and Li Na’s memoir Li Na: My Life. Her own translations have included work on excerpts from Dark Room, A Yi’s Reminiscing Life on Earth, and an ongoing research project involving numerous primary documents related to Singapore’s first film, Xin Ke (A New Friend, 《新客》).

Sun Li

Sun Li, another founding member of the Tender Leaves team, is a professor of English Literature, Language, and Translation at Shanghai International Studies University, where she has taught since 1992. Her work includes translation, editing, and teaching. She has been involved in numerous translations of academic and literary writing, and has been a part of the editorial team for the The Cambridge History of American Literature, the English-Chinese Dictionary with Detailed Notes, and The New Century Multi-functional English-Chinese Dictionary(Shanghai International Studies University Press), English-Chinese and Chinese-English Translation (Fudan University Press), and Journey to the Beginning of the World (Rapscallion Press). Her most recent translation projects include translation of A New Way Forward for Tibet(National University of Singapore Press) and Dark Room (Esplanade, Singapore). She, along with Loh Nyuk Fong, served as one of Shelly Bryant’s mentors in the early stages of Shelly’s career, offering close guidance on works such as Sheng Keyi’s Northern Girls and Fields of White.

Peng Lun 

Peng Lun is an established Chinese publisher and literary translator based in Shanghai. He was formerly Deputy Editor of Shanghai 99 Readers’ Culture Co Ltd and has published many noted international writers, including Mario Vargas Llosa, J. M. G. le Clezio, Patrick Modiano, Julio Cortazar, William Trevor, Philip Roth, Michael Ondaatje, Colm Toibin, Javier Marias, Paul Auster, and Colum McCann. In 2017, he set up Archipel Press, his own publishing firm, focusing on foreign fiction and narrative non-fiction. He also works as a foreign rights agent for some Chinese writers including Jin Yucheng, Xiao Bai, and Huo Yan. Literary works he has translated include: Patrimony: A True Story (Philip Roth), Everyman (Philip Roth), At Random: The Reminiscences Of Bennett Cerf (Bennett Cerf), and Max Perkins: Editor Of Genius (A. Scott Berg). His current translation project is Avid Reader: A Life (Robert Gottlieb).

Li Yuyao 

Li Yuyao is the executive editor of Shanghai Translation Publishing House (Foreign Literature and Art), and the director of the Shanghai Translators Association. Li has edited and published works by writers such as Philip Roth and Richard Yates. She has translated more than twenty books, including Alice Munro’s Family Furnishings and Dance of the Happy Shades, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry and Margarettown by Gabrielle Zevin, Emma Donoghue’s Room, Dances with Wolves by Michael Blake, and Jeanette Winterson’s The Passion.

Marysia Juszczakiewicz 

With a degree in Chinese, Marysia Juszczakiewicz set up one of the first author representation agencies in Asia called Creative Work Limited. In 2010 she founded her own agency, Peony Literary Agency. She is one of few agents in the Asian field specialising in sales of copyright both in and out of Asia with a business specializing in author representation and subagenting.

Marysia has extensive experience of publishing and agenting in both the UK and Asia. She has successfully sold international rights for Peony clients. She was the first agent to represent the recent Nobel Prize winner Mo Yan and sold English language rights for his novel Sandalwood Death. Other successes include sales to the UK and US in a fiercely contested auction on Jang Jin Sung’s memoir, poet laureate to Kim Jong Il, The Fat Years (Random House) by Chan Koonchung which has sold into nearly 20 languages, The Flowers of War (Random House) by Yan Geling which was adapted into a film starring Christian Bale and directed by Zhang Yimou, and sold into over 15 languages.

Marysia also represents the biggest blogger in China today, Han Han. She sold Han Han’s recent series of controversial blogs and essays entitled, This Generation, to Simon & Schuster as well as Su Tong’s novel, Boat to Redemption, which won the 2009 Man Asian Prize.

Shiyan Xu

Shiyan Xu is Professor of English at Nanjing Normal University, Dean of the Translation Department, editor of Chinese Arts & Letters, Secretary Asia of the Eugene O’Neill International Society. Her research interests include British and American literature and translation. She translated Robert M. Dowling’s Eugene O’Neill: A Life in Four Acts (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2014), which was published in 2018 by Nanjing University Press. She is now translating a series of Pulitzer-winning plays into Chinese, which will be published and performed in China.

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