The Spanish-language publishing market knows no borders, and many Spanish publishers sell their books in Latin American countries. Other Spanish publishers have subsidiary companies, namely, in Argentina and Mexico. Thus, our market and our translations travel beyond the Spanish territory. The lack of communication between book translation professionals from different countries in the Spanish-speaking area was detrimental to the rights and working conditions of the whole sector, considering the legal and economic differences between countries.
After a series of initial contacts, the presidents of the Argentinean Association of Translators and Interpreters (AATI), the Colombian Association of Translators, Terminologists and Interpreters (ACTTI), the Autonomous Section of Book Translators of the Spanish Association of Writers (ACE Traductores) and the Mexican Association of Literary Translators (Ametli) signed a declaration of intent that focused on improving the professional conditions of Ibero-American translators, the prestige of the profession, and the development of cultural and linguistic diversity.
After this declaration of intent, the Iberoamerican Alliance for Literary Translation Promotion (alitral, by its acronym in Spanish) was born and it was decided that one of the paths to attain its objectives was to give training opportunities to new generations of book translators. The Alliance was presented in April 2018 during the first “Cantera de Traductores” de alitral, a talent pool which brings together beginner translators from both sides of the Atlantic for training sessions with experimented mentors. The first gathering was held in Bogotá (Colombia), coinciding with the celebration of the Bogotá International Book Fair.
The Cantera celebrated its second edition in Alcalá de Henares (Spain), in 2023, coinciding with the Madrid Book Fair. Once again, translators from Argentina, Colombia, Spain, and Mexico worked with two experienced translators that acted as mentors. Mentors must come from different countries to be able to work with as many Spanish variants as possible. The source languages were German, French, and English.
On both occasions, grants for mentees have been provided by different public and private organizations and institutions that have contributed either by economic subsidies or by providing material or spaces. The third edition will be celebrated in Mexico in 2025. The Cantera is a great opportunity for beginner translators to enhance their skills, meet professionals from different countries, know other Spanish variants and the market in other Spanish-speaking countries.
More information:
On the declaration of intent: https://www.alitral.org/p/declaracion-de-intenciones.html
On the Cantera: https://www.alitral.org/2023/05/cantera-de-traductores-2023.html