September is National Translation Month in the United States. To celebrate, here is a list of markets that pay for translations of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry – all of these are currently open for submissions. Most of these journals or magazines also pay for original work in English. Also see National Translation Month website, which includes Friends of NTM – this contains links to presses and magazines accepting translations. The list is in no particular order.
The Iowa Review
They accept poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Translations should be submitted according to the guidelines of the original work’s genre and addressed to that genre’s editor. There is no fee for mailed submissions. The page limit for prose is 25 pages and for poetry, 8 pages (query for longer poems). They pay $0.08/word for prose, and $1.50/line for poetry. Details here.
The Southern Review
This literary magazine publishes short fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, as well as translations of these. There is no fee for mailed submissions, though their online submissions are charged. However during September, they have waived the online submission charge for translations, because it is National Translation Month. They accept prose up to 8,000 words, and up to 5 poems. They pay $50 for the first printed page and $25 for each page thereafter, up to $200. Details here.
The Bare Life Review
This magazine publishes work by immigrant and refugee authors – specifically, from foreign-born authors living in the US, and writers living abroad who currently hold refugee and/or asylum-seeker status. They publish short stories, nonfiction, and poetry. The work may, but need not, deal explicitly with issues of immigration, exile, or refuge. They welcome translations. American-born translators may submit work by eligible writers, but in such cases payment must be issued to the author. They pay $750 for full-length prose pieces (up to 8,000 words for fiction, up to 6,000 words for nonfiction), and $300 for accepted poems or shorter prose. Details here.
Kenyon Review
This literary magazine publishes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, plays, excerpts from larger works, and translations of poetry and short prose. Work submitted will be considered both for the magazine, and for KROnline. Length guidelines are up to 7,500 words for fiction and essays, up to 30 pages for plays or excerpts, and up to 6 poems. Authors will receive a contract upon acceptance, and payment will be made after publication. Details here.
AGNI
They accept fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Translations are welcome. All work will be considered for print and online publishing. Manuscripts must be mailed. There is no word limit for prose, and they accept up to 5 poems. Pay is $10/page of prose, $20/page of poetry, up to $150. Details here.
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned
They accept dark science fiction, horror, and slipstream. They welcome translations. Their guidelines say, “Think of the Canyons as a literary Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, or Outer Limits – it’s Netflix’s Black Mirror.” Stories must easily read on-screen, and appropriate for radio. Apart from electronic and first print rights, they ask for regular-release anthology and special edition Omnibus anthology rights. Authors must be willing to sign copies. They accept works of 500-5,000 words; longer stories may be serialised if fit. They pay $0.03/word for the first 5,000 words, capped at $150. Details here.
Clarkesworld
They accept science fiction, fantasy, as well as nonfiction which is of interest to readers of SF, fantasy, and horror, and they pay well. The work should be convenient for on-screen reading, and suitable for audio. They welcome and encourage fiction translations. Fiction can be 1,000-16,000 words, and pay is $0.10/word for the first 5,000 words, and $0.08 for each word over 5,000. For nonfiction, they pay $0.10/word, up to 2,500 words. Details here.
Future Science Fiction Digest
This magazine is currently open to translations of science fiction (no fantasy or horror) stories – the author or authorized translator may submit fiction of 500-10,000 words that has been previously published in source language but not in English. They are also open to SF written by authors for whom English is not their first language and who reside outside of primarily English-speaking countries. For translations, the pay is split between the author and translator. They pay $0.10/word. Details here.
The Massachusetts Review
Unlike for their regular submissions, translations are accepted year-round. They accept fiction (up to 8,000 words), nonfiction, and poetry (up to 6 poems), as well as translations. There is no fee for mailed submissions. They pay $50 for all contributions to the magazine. Details here.
Prism international
They publish contemporary writing from Canada and around the world. They accept fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, and translations of poetry and prose. The recommended length is around 4,000 words for prose, and up to 5 poems. They welcome work from underrepresented writers. There is no fee for mailed submissions. They pay $30/page for prose and $40/page for poetry. The editorial board also awards $500 to an outstanding poetry contributor each year. Details here.
