Submissions
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES for 2024:
Submissions are due by Wednesday, April 10 at noon.
Translations of literary works or excerpts into English from any language, ancient or modern, are welcome. Submitting translators must be currently enrolled BU undergraduates or graduate students. Only one submission per student per language is allowed (so, while you cannot submit two translations from French, you can submit one from French, and one from Latin).
All submissions will be considered for the Robert Fitzgerald Prize. Translations from Chinese, Japanese, and Korean will also be considered for Han Suyin Prize, and translations from French, German, or Hebrew will also be considered by the Traum prize judges; no special indication is necessary in order for your translation from these languages to be considered for both awards.
A submission consists of three separate pdf documents:
- a cover sheet in pdf format, specifying the title of the original work(s) and English title, along with your name, BU ID number, email address, mailing address, and phone number;
- a clearly readable scan of the selection in the source language (be sure the scan is in pdf format, and does not include your name);
- your completed translation, double-spaced, in pdf format. At the head of this document, do not include your name or any other identifying information. Instead, provide just these four pieces of information:
- the name of the original work’s author;
- the English title you are giving the work;
- the name of the language in which the original text was written (e.g., German, Korean, Persian. . .); and
- the year of the source text’s publication and/or composition, as relevant (or if year is not known, an approximation).
Please include a 200-word statement explaining your choice of text and a brief contextual statement before the translation, if necessary (especially recommended for excerpts).
• Verse submissions: approximately 70-100 lines of a single long poem or verse drama, or approx. 100 lines’ worth of shorter works by a single poet or by poets of similar style and period. Double-space your translation (11- or 12-point font).
• Prose and prose drama submissions: 8-12 double-spaced pages (11- or 12-point font). May be an excerpt (chapter, act, section) of a longer work.
Submissions will be judged blind, by a panel of faculty members who each work in multiple languages.
Winners will be announced on Wednesday, May 1st, at 5:30 pm a ceremony to be held at STH 625. Mark your calendars now to be sure to attend!
Information on the history of these prizes may be found by following the links below: