Translating Ukraine Summer Institute Launches a Residency Program for Translators
- Translating Ukraine Organizing Committee
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
The Translating Ukraine Summer Institute (TUSI), in partnership with its alliance of co-organizers, is pleased to announce a new opportunity for Ukrainian-to-English literary translators: the Translating Ukraine Residency (TUR), to be hosted by the Kolegium Europy Wschodniej (KEW) at Wojnowice Castle near Wroclaw, Poland.
This inaugural residency will take place in July–September 2026, welcoming up to 4 translators for stays of 3 to 6 weeks. Designed as both a working retreat and a collaborative space, the residency offers time, focus, and a supportive intellectual environment to advance translation projects toward completion.
Residents will join a broader international community of translators hosted at Wojnowice Castle as part of KEW’s established Archipelagos fellowship program. This setting fosters daily exchange—across languages, traditions, and practices—while building a shared commitment to literary translation as cultural dialogue.
“There are many international residencies for writers and some for researchers, but there are hardly any such residencies available to translators in general and the translators from Ukrainian to English in particular,” says Dr. Oleh Kotsyuba, director of the Translating Ukraine Summer Institute and director of publications at Harvard University’s Ukrainian Research Institute, one of the initial founders of the initiative. “Following the example of such members of our alliance as the Kolegium Europy Wschodniej (Poland) and Translatorium (Ukraine), we decided to launch a residency program to support those translators whose translation projects are now at an advanced stage. Our hope is that, staying at the beautiful Wojnowice Castle together with other Ukrainian-to-English translators as well as translators from other languages, the residency fellows will be able to bring their projects over the finish line so that the world can hear another Ukrainian voice in outstanding English translation.”
What the Residency Offers
● Round-trip travel to and from Wojnowice Castle (near Wroclaw, Poland)
● Accommodation and full board for the duration of the stay
● A modest stipend for incidental expenses (USD $250–$500, depending on the length of residency)
● A collegial environment for sustained work and peer exchange
Who Should Apply
The residency is open to Ukrainian-to-English translators at all stages of their careers, regardless of age, geographic location, or institutional affiliation.
Preference will be given to applicants working on literary or academic translation projects in the later stages of completion that would benefit from dedicated time and space to bring the manuscript to completion.
Application Materials
Applicants are asked to submit:
● Application form with the following attachments:
○ A CV highlighting translation experience, publications, and works in progress;
○ A letter of interest describing the proposed project, including its current stage of development and goals for the residency period;
○ Two letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with the applicant’s work, addressing their proficiency and the potential benefit of the residency at this stage.
Timeline
Application deadline: May 8, 2026
Notification of results: June 1, 2026
This residency reflects a shared commitment to strengthening the field of Ukrainian literary translation—not only by supporting individual projects, but by cultivating a network of translators working in dialogue with one another.
Apply now to join a focused, international community—and give your translation the time it needs to reach its final form.
About the Translating Ukraine Summer Institute and Residency
Translating Ukraine Summer Institute and Residency are organized jointly by an alliance of leading educational, research, and non-profit institutions dedicated to Ukrainian studies and translation and promotion of Ukrainian culture. The alliance includes the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University, the University of Alberta’s Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS) and Kule Institute for Advanced Study (KIAS), DUSS UAlberta—Disrupted Ukrainian Scholars and Students Initiative, the Harriman Institute of Columbia University, the Yale Ukrainian Program at Yale University, Ukrainian Studies Program at Cambridge University, Kolegium Europy Wschodniej, National Ossolinski Institute, New Eastern Europe, NGO Translatorium, the Shevchenko Scientific Society in the US. The first Translating Ukraine Summer Institute took place in Wroclaw in 2024.