- The Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan is pleased to hold the 9th JLPP International Translation Competition to discover and foster emerging translators of contemporary Japanese literature. In order to make Japanese literature more attractive to a wider audience, a new category for classical literature has been established in addition to the contemporary literature category. In the 9th Translation Competition, English and German are the target languages for the contemporary literature category, while English is the target language for the classical literature category.
9th JLPP International Translation Competition flyer
Click the image to open the PDF file.
Entries for the 9th JLPP International Translation Competition are closed.
Source Text
Contemporary Literature Category
Fiction
Criticism and Essay
“Chichi Serifu sansen”
Source texts may be downloaded via the links below:
“Maihōmu” by Idogawa Iko
“Kabuki”, “Shichigatsu no watashi”,
“Chichi Serifu sansen”by Kishimoto Sachiko
Classical Literature Category
Source texts may be downloaded via the links below:
Haibun by Kobayashi Issa: “Kojiki no shussaniwai”, “Yasezakura”, “Tamori no Okina”
Prizes
The winners of the Contemporary Literature category (English and German) and the Classic Literature category (English) will each receive a certificate, a trophy and a cash prize (grand prize of 1,000,000 yen and second prize of 250,000 yen).
Winners will be contacted individually and posted on this website at the end of January 2025. The translations of the prize winners will also be posted on this website, along with the judges' observations on their work.
Winners will be invited to translator-development events hosted by the JLPP, such as a translation workshop.
Judging Process
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- Submission Period
- June 1st (Sat) - June 30th (Sun) 2024 (JST)
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- Judging
- July - November 2024
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- Winners Announced
- January 2025
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- Award Ceremony
- February 2025
Overview
| Submission Period | Saturday, June 1st – Sunday, June 30th, 2024 (JST) |
|---|---|
| Purpose | The JLPP International Translation Competition aims to foster the translators of the future while enrichening world literature by encouraging the translation of superb literary works from Japan. |
| Eligibility | There are no nationality or age-related eligibility criteria. However, because the purpose of the competition is to foster emerging translators, those who have published book-length literary translations are not eligible, although translations published in magazines and/or anthologies are permissible. |
| Target Languages and Source Texts |
【Contemporary Literature category】
Target Languages: English/German
Source texts:
［Fiction］“Maihōmu” by Idogawa Iko
［Essay and Criticism］“Kabuki”, “Shichigatsu no watashi”, “Chichi Serifu sansen” by Kishimoto Sachiko Applicants for the Contemporary Literature category must translate one fiction and three criticism/essay source texts, a total of four.
【Classical Literature category】
Target Language: English
Source texts:
Haibun by Kobayashi Issa: “Kojiki no shussaniwai”, “Yasezakura”, “Tamori no Okina”
Applicants for the Classical Literature category must translate three Haibun texts.
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| Application Procedure |
(1) Applications are to be submitted via the JLPP website. After clicking “9th JLPP International Translation Competition”, click the “Application Page” banner to proceed with your application. For details on the application procedure, please visit the application page, which will be made public on June 1st, 2024. Applications submitted via email will be disqualified. (2) Applications submitted via any other methods will not be accepted. (3) Translation manuscripts must be formatted on A4 or letter-size paper, in portrait orientation, written horizontally, with approximately 32 lines per page (or double-spaced), using 12-point Times New Roman font, with left and right margins of at least 1.5 cm, specifying the “page number of total pages” on each page. Formatting discrepancies caused by differences in software will be selectively permitted. Files must be submitted as PDFs. When converting to PDF, please check for conversion errors and correct before submitting. (4) The name of the translator must not appear anywhere on the submitted translations. (5) Applications failing to comply with the above requirements will be disqualified, barring extenuating circumstances to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. |
| Judging Process |
(1) Judging will comprise a preliminary selection process, followed by a meeting of the judging committee members, who will examine the translations which passed the preliminary selection process and select the prize winners. (2) The Grand Prize will be awarded, in principle, to one (individual) translator in each language in each category whose translation is considered to be of exceptionally high quality. (3) Second Prizes will be awarded to no more than two translators in each language in each category whose translations are considered to be of very high quality. (4) At the discretion of the judging committee, Honorable Mentions will be awarded to (individual) translators whose efforts show great promise, but are not considered to qualify for the Grand Prize or a Second Prize. The number of Honorable Mentions will not exceed the total of the Grand Prize and the Second Prizes. (5) Those who have received the Grand Prize in past JLPP International Translation Competitions are not eligible for any prize. |
Judging Committee
Contemporary Literature Category
English
©Garry Loughlin
Classical Literature Category
English
