about
Welcome!
The Cambridge Journal of Literary Translation is an open-access, peer-reviewed online-only journal that aims to showcase and promote the practice of literary translation across a wide variety of languages and cultures, and to provide a space for reflection on the translator’s craft. Hosted on Diamond Open Access Journals at the University of Cambridge (UK), CJLT seeks to serve as a hub for translators and translation scholars to engage with each other’s work, raising the profile of literary translation both as creative writing and as academic research.
​​​
We are particularly keen to foreground writing from languages and cultures that are underrepresented in English-language commercial publishing. In a world marked by hyperconnectedness and automation, yet riven by conflict and division, literary translation plays an important role in sustaining a sense of our shared humanity. ​
​​
CJLT is run by an international editorial team of academics, translators, and junior scholars. Jointly we represent a broad range of languages, geographical areas, and professional experience. While some of us have university positions, others are freelance translators, junior researchers, and students. CJLT is a non-commercial initiative and is supported by the voluntary contribution of its editorial team.
​​
We will be publishing one annual issue in the first instance. Our first issue, around the theme of Community, will feature translations into English from works written in any language—for more details, please see our current Call for Submissions. Future issues may foreground particular language pairs/directions.
​​
If you are interested in acting as peer reviewer for us, please contact us via this form. If you would like to share with us any suggestions, including suggesting a book for review, please contact us here.
​​​
Each issue will feature the following three sections:
Translations
The pieces featured in this section will be thematically connected to the topic of our current Call for Submissions. Each translation will be accompanied by a Translator’s Note offering some context on the source text and a discussion of the translation approach, highlighting any creative solutions or other points of interest. Submissions will be peer reviewed.
Research
Here you will find research articles addressing any aspect of literary translation. We are especially keen to consider submissions which are connected to the theme of the issue. As in the Translations section, a rigorous peer-review process will apply. We particularly welcome submissions from practising translators and independent scholars as well as academics.
Reviews
Careful reviews addressing the actual translation (rather than the source text) are hard to come by. In this section we want to fill that gap by publishing reviews that foreground the translation itself, offering a detailed discussion of approach and technique. We will also be featuring reviews of scholarly publications on literary translation.
CJLT does not charge contributors or readers any fees. Please note that we are unable to pay a fee to contributors whose work has been selected for publication, nor cover any copyright clearance costs. What we can and do offer is careful editorial attention to accepted submissions.
​
We look forward to your submissions!
​
​
The Editors
​​