Folding Rock Translation Fellowship 2026–27: £1,000 Fellowship for Emerging Welsh-to-English Translators

Emerging literary translators working from Welsh into English have a new opportunity to develop their practice through the inaugural Folding Rock Translation Fellowship 2026–27.

Folding Rock, Literature Across Frontiers (LAF), and Wales Literature Exchange (WLE) have launched the year-long fellowship to support an early-career translator in discovering and translating new Welsh-language writing for an international readership.

The selected fellow will receive a £1,000 fellowship fee, editorial support, professional development opportunities, and publication of three translations in Folding Rock magazine.

 

About the Folding Rock Translation Fellowship

The fellowship will run from October 2026 to September 2027 and is designed to give an emerging translator time, editorial guidance, and a professional platform to develop their literary translation career.

During the fellowship, the selected translator will scout, select, and translate three short-form literary texts from Welsh into English. The works may be fiction or creative non-fiction and should be between 1,000 and 4,000 words.

The three completed translations will be published in consecutive issues of Folding Rock:

• Issue 007: March 2027
• Issue 008: July 2027
• Issue 009: November 2027

The fellowship is described as a genuinely collaborative opportunity rather than a conventional commission. The fellow will work with the editorial teams of Folding Rock, LAF, and WLE throughout the process.

 

Benefits of the Folding Rock Translation Fellowship

The selected fellow will receive a £1,000 fellowship fee for the year-long engagement.

Copyright fees for the original works will be paid directly to their authors.

The fellow will also benefit from:

• Editorial support from Folding Rock, LAF, and WLE
• Publication of three translations
• Opportunities to pitch translated work and, where appropriate, the original authors’ books to publishers and literary agents
• Engagement with LAF and WLE networks, events, and expertise
• A year’s subscription to O’r Pedwar Gwynt, Barn, and Barddas as research resources
• Professional exposure within Wales’s literary translation community

At the end of the fellowship, the translator will also write a reflective essay of approximately 1,000 words about their experiences, discoveries, translation process, and the writers they encountered. They will share this with LAF and WLE as part of their literary translation development programme.

 

Eligibility

The fellowship is primarily intended for early-career literary translators working from Welsh into English.

Applicants may be translators who have already translated and published individual texts but have not yet published a full-length book in translation. Translators returning to the field after a career break are also encouraged to apply.

Applicants should:

• Translate from Welsh into English
• Have a strong interest in discovering new literary work
• Demonstrate genuine interest in Welsh literature
• Be comfortable working independently
• Be able to collaborate effectively with editorial teams

Applicants do not have to live in Wales. However, the organizers particularly welcome applications from translators who have a connection with Welsh literary or cultural life.

The organizers also encourage applications from translators who are underrepresented in literary publishing, including translators of colour, disabled translators, and translators from lower-income backgrounds.

 

Application Requirements for the Folding Rock Translation Fellowship

Applicants must complete the online application form by 31 August 2026 and provide four key materials.

1. Covering Letter

Applicants should submit a covering letter of no more than 500 words introducing themselves, describing their literary translation practice, and explaining why they are interested in the fellowship.

2. Scouting Note

Applicants should provide a short note of no more than 300 words explaining the kinds of work they would like to scout.

This can cover potential:

• Authors
• Genres
• Themes
• Literary interests

It is not a firm proposal, and applicants will not be required to follow it exactly during the fellowship.

3. Translation Sample

Applicants must submit one or two translated short prose texts, either complete works or extracts.

The samples may be fiction or creative non-fiction and should include the original text alongside the translation.

The total length of the translated material should not exceed 3,000 words.

4. CV

Applicants should also submit a brief CV or equivalent of no more than two pages.

Applicants can submit their materials in either Welsh or English.

Direct further questions to post@waleslitexchange.org.

The application deadline is August 31, 2026.