The MFA Literary Translation program at the University of Iowa is the oldest dedicated literary translation program in the United States—now more than half a century old—and remains one of the most highly regarded. We admit only as many students as we can fully fund, and we offer intensive training in both the creative art and the critically reflective practice of translation.
Additional information is available at https://lllc.uiowa.edu/
A few key features of the program:
– We aim to enroll a cohort of 8–10 students each year, working from a wide range of languages into English.
– Our cohorts typically include recent BA graduates, students already holding MA/MFA/PhD degrees, and non-traditional applicants drawn to translation from varied professional or artistic paths.
– We welcome both international and U.S. applicants; funding and expectations are identical for all.
– The MFA forms part of The Writing University, the constellation of programs that make Iowa City the first UNESCO City of Literature in the United States.
– While our faculty specialize in a number of languages (Afrikaans, Arabic, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, among others), we routinely admit and support translators working from so-called “minor” languages by arranging appropriate external faculty mentorship.
– The heart of our program is the multilingual translation workshop, a sustained practice of close, collaborative attention to literary texts—training that profoundly shapes both translation craft and critical insight.
– Students also take courses in translation theory, relevant literary and cultural traditions, and the publishing ecosystems of world literature. They have opportunities to collaborate closely with the annual cohort of fellows at the International Writing Program.
– Our MFA funding packages typically include full tuition scholarship, a living stipend (approximately $23k), and health benefits.
– Alumni pursue careers as literary translators, editors, and publishing professionals; many work at Arts Nonprofits; many go on to further graduate study, where our placement rate is excellent.
In the past year, we have continued to expand and adapt. Our undergraduate major in Translation—now over forty majors strong after only three years—has created meaningful new opportunities for graduate students to teach in Translation Studies and to gain valuable pedagogical experience. We have also been actively engaging with the challenges and possibilities presented by AI and new language technologies. Our programming helps translators think critically about protecting their intellectual labor, communicating their distinctive co-creative role to broader publics, and making informed, ethical, and strategic use of AI tools across both literary and non-literary language-service sectors.
