One-week mentorships for early-career translators
Translation House Looren offers three mentorships a year for early-career translators. The requirements are a completed degree in an area related to languages, literature or translation, and initial translation experience. To apply for a mentorship, early-career translators must have worked intensively on a project and provide a thorough 10-to-15-page sample translation. During the mentorship, they spend a week at Translation House Looren with their mentors and receive support adapted to their needs. The focus is on intensive translation work, producing a presentation dossier, and practical tips for seeking a publisher.
One mentorship for translation from English into a Swiss national language is supported every year by the Max Geilinger Foundation. The other mentorships are supported by Pro Helvetia and must have a connection to Switzerland: anyone translating a work of Swiss literature or who is a Swiss citizen or has lived in Switzerland for at least three years can apply.
No fixed deadline, applications are welcome any time.
Please submit:
- CV
- Proof of completed degree (in exceptional cases, translators with other qualifications may apply)
- Proof of first experiences in literary translation (university seminar, published translations in journals or similar, other mentorships or support programmes)
- Sample translation (10 to 15 pages)
- Same pages of the original
- Project description with translation issues and open questions
- Motivation letter for a mentorship with a stay at Translation House Looren
One-semester mentorships for students from MA level
In cooperation with a number of universities, we organize four one-semester mentorships that take place mainly online and include an intensive week working with the mentor at Translation House Looren.
- University of Lausanne, Centre de traduction littéraire (CTL)
- University of Geneva, Faculté de traduction et d’interpretation (FTI)
- University of Zürich, Scandinavian studies
- University of Zürich, Italian studies
The mentorships are open for students from each of the above faculties. The application process takes place directly via the universities. If you are interested, please contact the individuals and offices listed in the calls for applications.