‘So, it’s recognising new talent in the translation profession, but also those editors who take a chance on a debut and then work with them to make them better – a role we all depend on, but don’t acknowledge often enough.’
Daniel Hahn
The TA First Translation Prize is an annual £2,000 prize for a debut literary translation into English. The Prize is shared between the translator and their editor.
It was established in 2017 and generously endowed by Daniel Hahn, with support from the British Council.
The 2021 TA First Translation Prize Shortlist
- Jackie Smith for a translation of An Inventory of Losses by Judith Schalansky. (MacLehose Press)
- Jennifer Russell for a translation of Marble by Amalie Smith. (Lolli Editions)
- Lucy Rand for a translation of The Phone Box at the Edge of the World by Sophie Orme (Bonnier Books UK Ltd)
- Rahul Bery for a translation of Rolling Fields by David Trueba. (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Orion Publishing Group)
- Padma Viswanathan for a translation of São Bernardo by Graciliano Ramos. (New York Review Books)
- Simon Leser for a translation of Tomorrow They Won't Dare to Murder Us by Joseph Andras. (Verso Books)
With thanks to judges: Daniel Hahn,Vineet Lal and Annie McDermott
The winner will be announced and celebrated by the SoA on the 10th of February 2022.
If you are interested in any of the books here, please visit: Blackwells and Bookshop
The TA First Translation Prize 2021 is now closed.The winner will be announced in February 2022.
The winners of the 2020 award were Nicholas Glastonbury and editor Saba Ahmed for a translation of Every Fire You Tend by Sema Kaygusuz (Tilted Axis Press). Translated from Turkish.
The runners up were Nicholas Royle and editor Tim Shearer for a translation of Pharricide by Vincent de Swarte (Confingo Publishing). Translated from French.
Shortlisted: Laura Francis and editor Ka Bradley for a translation of The Collection by Nina Leger (Granta Books). Translated from French.
Annie McDermott and editor Lizzie Davis for a translation of Empty Words by Mario Levrero (And Other Stories). Translated from Spanish.
Ruth Diver and editor Elise Williams for a translation of The Little Girl on the Ice Floe by Adélaïde Bon (MacLehose Press). Translated from French.
Owen Good and editor Bishan Samaddar for a translation of Pixel by Krisztina Tóth (Seagull Books). Translated from Hungarian.