The American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) announced the selection of 17 mentees for the 2024 Emerging Translator Mentorship Program. Among the mentees, Tony Hao has been chosen for the Literature from Taiwan mentorship. Tony will embark on a nine-month journey translating Taiwanese writer Tong Wei-Ger’s acclaimed work, “Northwest Rain” (西北雨), under the expert mentorship of Steve Bradbury. This collaboration underscores the programs potential to showcase and elevate Taiwanese literature onto the global stage.
“Northwest Rain,” winner of the 2010 Taiwan Literature Awards Golden Book Award, is a poignant exploration of familial bonds and the quest for the death and memories of the author's father and family. Tong Wei-Ger's prose, imbued with lyrical emotion and surreal imagery, delves into the depths of the author's psyche, inviting readers on an evocative journey. Tony Hao expressed that “this book is one of the most beautiful works of pure art I’ve encountered in a long while. I was deeply moved by Tong Wei-Ger’s discussion of death and family lineage. The prose is unpretentiously lyrical, and the storytelling transcends the dimensions of time and space. Through my translation, I hope to recreate the reading experience of a never-ending fever dream for the English-language audience.”
Since its inception in 2015, the ALTA Emerging Translator Mentorship Program has been instrumental in fostering literary translations across diverse languages. In collaboration with the Taiwan Academy of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles, ALTA has expanded the Emerging Translator Mentorship: Literature from Taiwan and English translations to include a dedicated focus on Taiwanese literature since 2020. This year’s winner, Tony Hao, is a recent graduate of Yale University with a background in English literature, fiction writing, journalism, and literary translation. He translates prose from Mandarin to English. Under the guidance of mentor Steve Bradbury, he will present his translation work at the 2024 ALTA Fall Annual Conference.
Founded in 1978, ALTA is an organization in the United States dedicated exclusively to literary translation. ALTA provides translation resources to academic institutions, presses, and individual translators. Through its annual conference, ALTA continues to facilitate cross-cultural dialogue and understanding, fostering connections among translators, publishers, and readers worldwide.
For more information about the mentees and the ALTA Emerging Translator Mentorship Program, please visit: https://literarytranslators.org/emerging-translator-programs/emerging-translator-mentorship-program.