Tender Leaves Translation Courses

  • Duration

    6 hours

  • Video

    6 modules

    Audio recordings and transcripts of each session

  • BONUS MATERIAL

    6 hrs of video
    • 6 lectures
    • Pre-recorded Q&A 


    7 ebooks

    2 PDFs

    Suggested Reading List

    Suggested Markets for Submitting Your Work

    1 bonus video (1.5 hours)

    1 month free access to all content at
    A Polite Lie

    An Overview of Literary Translation

    Gain insight into all the ins and outs of the literary translation and publishing industry, so that you can take your first steps towards a career as a literary translator

    Know the field

    Get a feel for where literary translation fits in the field of translation and the world of publishing

    Develop your skills

    Learn the basic skills you need to become a professional literary translator

    Read. Watch. Learn.

    Boost your confidence, understand the industry, and develop strategies that will help you succeed in the business
    In this course, you will gain an overview of the publishing industry and the translator's place in it.


    The course aims to help you discover the path to finishing your translation of a book of poetry, fiction, or creative non-fiction and getting it published.
    WORK WITH THE TEXT
    Develop the skills to create a translation of great literary value that will capture the attention of publishers
    WORK WITH A TEAM
    Establish strategies that will help you work with editors, agents, publishers, and industry leaders
    WORK WITH READERS
    Learn how to pitch your work to an appropriate readership, and learn how to promote your work once its completed

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    Topics covered include:

    • Understanding the publishing industry and the translator's place in it
    • The mindsets needed to complete a publication-ready translation
    • The types of clients you will work with as a literary translator
    • The primary goals of literary translation
    • The roles and responsibilities of a literary translator
    • The key role good reading plays in a translator's career
    • What it takes to complete a translation that is publication-ready

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    WHAT'S INCLUDED

    • 6 video modules (6 hours of video)

    • audio recording and transcript of each session

    • 7 ebooks

    • 2 PDFs: Roadmap to Publication 

    • 1 pre-recorded Q&A with Shelly Bryant

    • 1 month free access to all content at A Polite Lie

    • 1 bonus video

    • Suggested Reading List

    • List of Markets for Submitting Your Work

    Learn the Craft

    You will learn the basic skills needed in any translation project, and you'll be equipped to develop, organize, and see through the translation of a book-length work of fiction, poetry, or creative non-fiction

    Gain Industry Insights

    You will develop an understanding of how to translate a work not just for the sake of your own interest, but for publication, and you'll learn how to find suitable venues to get your work published

    Learn the Industry

     You will learn important tips on how to work with editors, agents, publishers, and other stakeholders in the industry as you see your translation project through from beginning to end

    Gain Confidence

    You will learn from our experienced practitioners how they have built a successful translation career, and you'll be equipped with strategies that will help you do the same
    Meet the instructor

    Shelly Bryant

    Shelly Bryant divides her year between Shanghai and Singapore, working as a poet, writer, and translator. She is the author of twelve volumes of poetry (Alban Lake and Math Paper Press), a pair of travel guides for the cities of Suzhou and Shanghai (Urbanatomy), a book on classical Chinese gardens (Hong Kong University Press), and a short story collection (Epigram Books). She has translated work from the Chinese for Penguin Books, Amazon Crossing, Epigram Publishing, the National Library Board in Singapore, Giramondo Books, HSRC, Rinchen Books, and Maclehose Press and edited poetry anthologies for Alban Lake and Celestial Books. Shelly's poetry has appeared in journals, magazines, and websites around the world, as well as in several art exhibitions. Her translation of Sheng Keyi’s Northern Girls was long-listed for the Man Asian Literary Prize in 2012, and her translation of You Jin's In Time, Out of Place was shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize in 2016. Shelly received a Distinguished Alumna Award from Oklahoma Christian University of Science and Arts in 2017.

    Shelly has been teaching translation at various public events around the world, and in the Masters in Translation and Interpretation programme at Nanyang Technological University for more than 5 years. She previously taught English Literature at the undergraduate level.
    Patrick Jones - Course author