MA in Literary Translation Studies at the University of Rochester
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
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Translation studies
12 min read
The article is about a graduate program in Literary Translation Studies, and understanding the academic field's history, key theorists (like Eugene Nida, Lawrence Venuti), and major debates would provide valuable context for prospective students
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University of Rochester
1 min read
Understanding the institutional context—Rochester's history as a research university, its humanities programs, and academic reputation—helps readers evaluate this specific program's standing
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Translation
12 min read
Distinct from translation studies as a field, this article covers the specific practice of translating literature, including challenges of preserving style, voice, and cultural nuance that the MALTS program focuses on developing
It’s that time of year again when promising students are asking for letters of recommendation, and prepping their grad school applications, so I thought I would take a moment to shine a light on the University of Rochester’s MA in Literary Translation Studies (MALTS) program and Open Letter’s role in it.
And not to bury the lead, the first application deadline is December 15, 2025. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but students applying this December will get the first crack at joining the 2026-27 class. With a limited number of slots available, I strongly encourage anyone who is interested in MALTS to apply sooner rather than later.
Started back in 2009, MALTS was designed to give passionate emerging translators a place to hone their craft through both academic study and working closely with the press in hopes of launching a successful career as a literary translator. A significant number of MALTS students have gone on to translate both for Open Letter and elsewhere (with Will Vanderhyden probably having the most overall translations published), or have gone on to work in publishing or the literary field in one way or another.1
The program is designed to be a year of course work and then a summer/semester of thesis research (aka, time to just translate), and to combine a few key elements: study of translation theory and international literature, work with Open Letter Books, workshop your translations with high-profile authors, and produce a book-length, publishable translation.
I’ll leave aside the academic stuff for today—although stay tuned, since I love to write a goofy “listicle” about the books I select for my “World Literature & Translation” class, in which we read contemporary translations and talk to translators, authors, and editors—and just talk a bit more about the Open Letter element of this.
We’ve always been closely tied to the MALTS program (and the CLTS one for undergrads), but going forward, I think this connection will be both richer and more explicit. Some of the changes to the MALTS program are internal and too in the weeds to discuss, but from a bird’s-eye view, the goal is to assist students in finding a thesis project as early in their studies as possible—preferably one that Open Letter would be interested in publishing. (Although I obviously can’t guarantee that, it is going to be a goal going forward.) This coincides with working
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