Razom for Ukraine and the American Literary Translators Association
Announce Joint Venture
August 26, 2026—Razom for Ukraine and the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) are excited to announce the establishment of two new programs. Through this new partnership, ALTA will administer the Razom Mentorship for Decolonial Translation and the Razom Ukrainian Translation Award.
“This partnership with ALTA marks an important step in building lasting infrastructure for Ukrainian literature in translation,” said Anna Solovei, Interim Connect Program Director at Razom for Ukraine. “Ukrainian voices have too often been filtered through frameworks that obscure or diminish them. By centering decolonial approaches to translation and investing in both emerging and established translators, we hope to help create a more accurate, more resonant space for Ukrainian—and other historically marginalized—literatures in English. We’re grateful to ALTA for their partnership and expertise in bringing these programs to life.”
“We’re delighted to enter into partnership with Razom for Ukraine, whose work we so admire, to offer this mentorship and award,” said ALTA Executive Director Katrine Øgaard Jensen. “We’re humbled by the trust shown in our organization to administer these new programs: one to foster the next generation of literary translators, and one to recognize the excellent work of our colleagues. We are excited to begin work on these initiatives.”
The Razom Mentorship for Decolonial Translation will foster emerging literary translators working with literature from historically marginalized regions and languages, through a dedicated mentorship stream that pairs emerging translators with experienced mentors, with a different regional or language focus each year. This mentorship will be offered annually starting in 2027. Applications for the first year of this mentorship, which will offer a focus on Ukrainian-language literature with mentor Dominique Hoffman, open next week, on September 1, 2026.
The Razom Ukrainian Translation Award will sustain and recognize excellence in literary translation from Ukrainian and other languages of Ukraine into English. This award will be judged and awarded annually starting in 2027. Submissions will open, alongside the other awards ALTA administers, in mid-January 2027.
Razom for Ukraine is a leading U.S.-based nonprofit organization working to build a secure, democratic, and prosperous Ukraine. Founded in 2014, Razom (“together” in Ukrainian) supports urgent needs in Ukraine while investing in long-term solutions across health, civil society, advocacy, and culture. As Ukraine’s future has global implications, Razom strengthens trauma care systems, supports local leaders and communities, and connects Ukraine to the world. For more information, visit razomforukraine.org.
The American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) is a nonprofit arts membership association that provides programs and professional affiliation to the literary translation community: individual translators, academic institutions, presses, and others working in literary translation. The annual ALTA conference and year-round events are structured around the creation of high-quality art. ALTA also administers awards to recognize excellence in translation and provides fellowships and mentorships to support emerging translators. For more information, visit literarytranslators.org.
