Cornell University 2021 ICM Global South Translation Fellowships

Cornell University’s Institute for Comparative Modernities welcomes applications from translators for a grant of up to $5000 to complete translations of works from the Global South (Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, etc) into English. 

Cornell University’s Institute for Comparative Modernities (ICM) addresses the transnational scope of the modern in its multifarious articulations with capitalism and colonialism, and their legacies.  With an emphasis on developments outside the historical West, it promotes the study of artistic, intellectual and social movements attending formations of the modern. Crucial to the ICM’s mission is inquiry into epistemologies and paradigms emerging from societies and spaces beyond the West.  See other ICM publication projects here.

• Table of Content
• About Cornell University
• ICM Global South Translation Fellowships
• Aim and Benefits of ICM Global South Translation Fellowships
• Requirements for ICM Global South Translation Fellowships Qualification
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About Cornell University

Agriculture was a major catalyst for Cornell University's creation in 1865. As the Civil War was raging in 1862, the federal Morrill Act set aside federal land to either be used or sold by states in order to endow public universities that would provide education to the working classes in both liberal arts and practical subjects such as agriculture, the mechanic arts - now known as engineering - and military tactics.  These universities would become known as "Land-Grant" universities.  The idea, noted Morrill years later, was to "offer an o... continue reading

ICM Global South Translation Fellowships

Aim and Benefits of ICM Global South Translation Fellowships

This is a non-resident, remote fellowship designed to allow the recipient to complete the work outside of Cornell University.  The awards will range from $1000 to $5000, depending on the scope of the project.

Requirements for ICM Global South Translation Fellowships Qualification

Selected works may be retranslations of old, classic texts, or previously untranslated works, collections of poetry, prose, or critical theory.  The project may be a work-in-process, or a new project manageable within the scope of the award.

Application Deadline

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted by the December 10, 2020 deadline via email to [email protected]. 

Applications will be reviewed by the ICM board.  Decisions will be made based on the quality of the proposed project, the demonstrated capability of the applicant to complete the project, and the project’s fit with ICM’s priorities.  Applications must include:

• A two-page CV/résumé including institutional affiliation, educational qualifications, including highest degree received, and key publications/works produced
• A two-page narrative explaining the translation to be undertaken during the fellowship period, a rationale for the importance of the work, a justification for a re-translation, if applicable, and proposed dates of completion.  ICM assumes completion of the translations by the end of the 2021 calendar year.  The project may be a work-in-progress, or a new project that fits within the timeframe of the grant.
•  A four-five page (double-spaced) sample of the original text(s) and translation. 
• An explanation of the work’s copyright status:  if the work is not in the public domain, please include a copy of the copyright notice from the original text, and a letter from the copyright holder stating that English language rights to the work are available.

To submit applications, compile all application materials: statement, sample, copyright status (if applicable, and CV, in that order into a single PDF file.  The deadline for this material is December 10, 2020.  Name the file with the applicant’s name in this format:  LASTNAME-FIRSTNAME.pdf. Use the same name in the email subject heading LASTNAME-FIRSTNAME application and send PDF as an email attachment to the ICM Fellowship Committee at:  [email protected].

For more details, visit Cornell University website.