Industry News

The 2025 George R.R. Martin Screenwriting Grant is accepting submissions until December 15, 2024. Organized by the New Mexico Film Foundation, with support from the George R.R. Martin Literary Foundation, the competition is open to screenwriters from New Mexico.

The winning grant award for an individual screenplay is $5,000 and includes a mentorship introduction with a seasoned screenwriter. Two additional writers will receive a foundation membership and developmental mentorship with ...Read More

The Otherwise Fellowship is open to applications until December 15, 2024.

From the organizers of the Fellowship:

The Otherwise Fellowship (formerly Tiptree Fellowship) was established in 2015 to support and recognize new voices who are creating work that is changing our view of gender today. The Fellowship program seeks out creators who are striving to complete new works, particularly creators from communities that have been historically underrepresented in the science ...Read More

Editor’s note: This piece is part of a series called Perspectives in Translation, where creators discuss the many facets and challenges of translating fiction. The terms “source language” and “target language” will be used throughout this series.

Translation is always a challenging process and can become even more complicated when audiovisual materials are involved. Here, SFWA member and Japanese-to-English translator Kristin Osani answers questions from SFWA Publications Crew member Misha Grifka Wander about translating for video games.

Misha Grifka Wander: Thanks for virtually sitting down with me today!  What is your background in translation?

Kristin Osani: I’ve been a freelance Japanese-to-English translator and editor since 2015. I’ve worked on games such as The Kids We Were, Voice of Cards, and Triangle Strategy, and I’ve also done a smidge of manga editing for Kodansha USA.

How did you get involved in translation work?

I kind of fell into translation as a career. Funny thing is, I translated Japanese folktales into English for my undergrad thesis, and my conclusion after all that was “Eh, translation’s not for me.” Fast forward a few years to spring 2015, and my partner (who got into video game translation half a year or so prior) and I are at a game localization jam in Tokyo. There, a bunch of folks got together for a day to translate a small indie mobile game, and I’m on the editing team and really enjoying it. At the same event just happens to be a representative from a well-established translation agency, who gives me her card and tells me that they don’t hire freelance editors, but I should take their translation test anyway. So I do, even though I’m certain I’m going to fail it. I pass.

What are some unique considerations that video games require from translators?

You may be working on the words, but you have to take any visual and audio elements of the game into account as well. Line limitations can be a headache because you only have so much space to work with in any given text field. Especially with Japanese as the source language, it can often get across much more information more compactly than English. There’s also text that is part of the graphics, which either can’t be changed (depending on budget) or needs to be fixed early in the process so the graphics team has time to make those changes to the assets. If you’re working on a game that is going to be voiced and the character mouths are animated to match the Japanese, you need to take those lip flaps into consideration and try to recreate the pace and timing as closely as possible.

What is the most challenging aspect of translating for games? Do you have a story about a particularly tricky or interesting translation?

Unfortunately, NDAs restrict me from talking about anything specific, but to speak generally, we often don’t get a build of the game to reference and can end up needing to work without critical context in some cases. We can ask questions, of course, but we may not get answers in time—or at all. I mentioned above needing to match the English pace and timing to source language lip flaps. Sometimes the English translation happens before the source language voice-over is even recorded, which means there’s no official reference, and you just have to give it your best guess. When a game gets translated while being under development in its source language, the process is pretty tricky because things such as character names, terminology, and plot are constantly in flux.

Is there something that other people might be surprised to know about translating (for video games or otherwise)?

At least for the type of translation that I do, creative writing ability in the target language (English, in my case) is just as important as competency in the source. And a lot of your time is spent researching to try and hunt down the meaning/nuance of a slang term or expression, or a niche pop culture reference, or a specific historical event, or any number of random things. Another thing that might be surprising is that we are often not credited, and even when we are, we can’t talk publicly about our work because of NDAs.

Is there any conversation about changing how credits work so translators can be acknowledged?

Oh, absolutely. Getting proper credit (and even being able to talk about your involvement in a project—thanks NDAs!) has been a problem, especially among freelancers, for as long as I’ve been in the industry. It’s an especially big issue when you’re working with certain middleman translation agencies, which either don’t care to advocate for translator names to be included in the credits, or will only allow the agency’s name, and won’t give the client the translators’ names even if the client asks. The agencies that don’t credit will claim it’s to protect their translators, but it’s more likely a way for them to maintain their middleman position. If the client doesn’t know who the translator is, they can’t hire them directly, and if the translator can’t build a public portfolio, they can’t search around for work on their own, becoming reliant on agencies to find projects. Personally, I think these agencies wouldn’t need to resort to such underhanded tactics if they treated/paid their freelance translators better, but that’s a whole different can of worms…

What else should people know about the process of video game translation?

It varies by project, of course, but often there are so many layers that translations have to go through to make it into the final product. Initial translation, edits, iterations, client feedback, to say nothing of possible motion capture or voice recording… Because it’s collaborative, the best projects—in my opinion—aren’t the flashiest, most famous ones (though those are nice to brag about, assuming you’re allowed to), but the ones where you’re part of a team of awesome people all working together to make the most awesome thing they can.

What kind of tools are available to translators for their work?

The tools we use vary depending on the project. Excel is common, as are Computer Assisted Translation (CAT) tools such as MemoQ and Trados. Some larger companies even have their own proprietary tools. Other than that, online dictionaries (for both your source language and your target language) and search engines are your best friends.

Are there communities for translators, and do they involve resource sharing? Or is translation a solitary endeavor?

Since freelancers can be so spread out around the globe, a lot of our community seems to be online via platforms like Bluesky and Discord. I think there are Facebook groups as well, though I haven’t used Facebook in years. There are in-person meet-ups I’m aware of in Osaka and Tokyo, though again I haven’t been to any since before 2020. I imagine there are likely similar meet-ups in other cities, especially ones that are home to companies with in-house translation departments.

Slightly unrelated, but friend and colleague Jennifer O’Donnell has a fantastic blog that I always recommend to people interested in joining the field: J-En Translations.

Thank you for your time and for sharing your thoughts with us!

Kristin Osani (she/her) is a queer fantasy writer who lives with her husband in northeastern Japan, where she works as a freelance Japanese-to-English translator when she’s not wordsmithing, working on nerdy cross-stitching, or cuddling her two cats. She has translated games such as The Kids We Were, Voice of Cards, and Triangle Strategy, and has also edited manga for Kodansha USA. Her debut novella The Extravaganza Eternia was published with Ghost Orchid Press in July 2024. You can find her on Bluesky @kristinosani.bsky.social, Instagram @Kristin.Osani, or kristinosani.com.

The post Translation for Video Games: An Interview with Kristin Osani appeared first on SFWA.

On December 10, 2024, the African Science Fiction Society (ASFS) released the following statement:

In light of further revelations in the case of the allegations made by Erin Cairns’ against ASFS member Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, the specific allegations of appropriation and non-disclosure have been investigated by a third party and no longer stand, and a public retraction has been made.

As an urgent response, we have now published a new ...Read More

Ruoxi Chen has joined Putnam as executive editor after seven years at Tor. She will report to editor-in-chief Lindsay Sagnette, who told Publishers Weekly,

Ruoxi will draw on her deep experience in the speculative fiction space to bring exceptional crossover fantasy, romantasy, and science fiction titles for the general reader to the Putnam list… I look forward to watching her bring a new generation of talented storytellers to Putnam.

Chen ...Read More

Philosopher Anand Vaidya, 48, died October 11, 2024 of cancer. Vaidya cofounded the Science Fiction and Philosophy Society in 2022, “to explore connections between science fiction and philosophy, to cross-pollinate new ideas, and to boldly go where no one has thought before!”

Anand Jayprakash Vaidya was born January 4, 1976 in Chicago, Illinois. He grew up mostly in Saudi Arabia, but also spent time in India, Germany, and various parts ...Read More

Collins Dictionary in the UK has released its “Word of the Year” winner and shortlist for 2024. The list include “romantasy,” defined as “a literary genre that combines romantic fiction with fantasy.” The overall word of the year is “brat,” in the sense of someone with a “confident, independent and hedonistic attitude,” as popularized by singer/songwriter Charli XCX’s album Brat.

Other words on the list include “supermajor­ity,” “yapping,” “delulu,” ...Read More

Sourcebooks has announced a new children’s and YA imprint, Stonefruit Studio, and plans to publish 16 to 24 “distinctively creative children’s books across all age categories and formats” annually, including middle grade, YA, graphic novelws, and non-fiction by “authors and illustrators [who] can showcase their bold narrative voices and distinct styles that bring the joy of reading to children of all ages.”

Ben Rosenthal and Mabel Hsu will be editorial ...Read More

The Internet Archive (IA) has elected not to further appeal its loss in the copyright infringement case upheld by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in September.

Now that the case is settled, IA will remove infringing books from their “lending library” and pay an undisclosed monetary sum to the plaintiff publishers, which the Association of American Publishers says should “substantially” cover the attorney fees and court costs.

The IA ...Read More

Libro.fm has polled over 3,000 of their independent bookselling partners to choose the best audiobooks of 2024. Nominations and categories were pulled from trends in  Bookseller Pick data to create the Bookseller Choice Awards.

The Libro.fm Bookseller Choice Award categories and winners are:

Best Audiobook for a Long Trip

• The Third Gilmore Girl, Kelly Bishop, read by the author (Penguin Audio)

Read to Make You Fall in Love with Audiobooks

...Read More

Winners of the 2024 Goodreads Choice Awards, chosen by users of the site, have been announced. There are several winners of genre interest across various categories.

Romantasy

• House of Flame and Shadow, Sarah J. Maas (Bloomsbury)

Fantasy

• Somewhere Beyond the Sea, T.J. Klune (Tor)

Science Fiction

• The Ministry of Time, Kaliane Bradley (Avid Reader)

Horror

• You Like It Darker, Stephen King (Scribner)

Young Adult Fantasy

• Ruthless

...Read More

The New York Times has published its list of Notable Books of 2024. Titles are selected by staff members of the New York Times Book Review.

The list includes titles of genre interest:

• Ghostroots, ’Pemi Aguda (Norton)
• The Familiar, Leigh Bardugo (Flatiron)
• Beautyland, Marie-Helene Bertino (FSG)
• Dead in Long Beach, California, Venita Blackburn (MCD)
• Rakesfall, Vajra Chandrasekera (Tordotcom)
• You Dreamed of Empires, Álvaro Enrigue,

...Read More

The 2025 Joyce Carol Oates Prize has announced its 33-title longlist. The award honors “mid-career authors in fiction,” and the winner receives a $50,000 prize and a residence at the University of California, Berkeley and/or Bay Area. The award is given by the New Literary Project. The 2025 longlist features several works of genre interest, including:

• Beautyland, Marie-Helene Bertino (FSG)
• Dead in Long Beach, California, Venita Blackburn (MCD)

...Read More

AudioFile magazine has published their picks for the best audiobooks of 2024 in categories including Science Fiction and Fantasy and Young Adult.

Science Fiction and Fantasy

• The Warm Hands of Ghosts, Katherine Arden (Random House Audio)
• The Crone of Midnight Embers, Iris Beaglehole (Podium Audio)
• The Mercy of Gods, James S.A. Corey (Recorded Books)
• The Stars Too Fondly, Emily Hamilton (HarperAudio)
• When Among Crows, Veronica

...Read More

Music and audiobook streaming service Spotify has released a list of the most popular audiobooks on their platform for 2024.

The most popular audiobook genres by Spotify listeners in 2024 were science fiction and fantasy, with romance close behind. Many of the most popular titles this year were romantasy. The top audiobooks  were:

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette

...Read More

The Future Worlds Prize for Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers of Colour has announced its judging panel for 2025: Saara El-Arifi, Mahmud El-Sayed, Rogba Payne, Amandeep Singh, and Amita Suman.

The Future Worlds Prize annually honors works of fantasy and science fiction from new writers of color based in the UK and Ireland. The winner receives £4,500, the runner-up receives £2,500, and the remaining six shortlisted writers each receive £850.

...Read More

The participants for the second Salam Award Workshop have been announced for the 2025 session. The workshop will run for ten days beginning on February 17, 2025, and will host 14 writers at LUMS in Lahore, Pakistan. The instructors for this session are Karen Joy Fowler and Robert V.S Redick. The cohort for the 2025 workshop includes:

• Zaynah Abbas
• Tooba Afraz
• Saher Hasnain
• Omar Ali Jehangir
• Kehkashan Khalid
• Maeeda Khan

...Read More

NPR has published a list of “Books We Love” in 2024, compiled by NPR journalists and associated critics. The full list of 350 books includes an extensive Sci Fi, Fantasy, and Speculative Fiction category, with numerous other works of interest on the list as a whole.

Sci Fi, Fantasy and Speculative Fiction

• The Bad Ones, Melissa Albert (Flatiron)
• Fledgling: The Keeper’s Records of Revolution, S.K. Ali (Kokila)
• The

...Read More

by Elena Kovalenko

Editor’s note: This piece is part of a series called Perspectives in Translation, where creators discuss the many facets and challenges of translating fiction. The terms “source language” and “target language” will be used throughout this series.

If you’re a writer, translating your work into a different language may seem straightforward. After all, writing the thing was the hardest part, so now all you need is someone with good command of the language, a reasonable deadline, and that’s that! And it may just work that way, especially if you’re aiming for a market that’s linguistically and culturally close to yours. If not, well, as a translator, let me invite you to consider your work from a different perspective.

Names

This one is easy—just transliterate them and be done with it! But wait: Have you, the writer, given your protagonist or some other characters a name that, shall we say, speaks for itself? Or perhaps it sounds funny in English, lends itself well to puns, and is a perpetual source of in-universe jokes? Then it can become much trickier, because it’s increasingly strange for a foreign reader to see conversations that clearly hint at something or look like a set-up for a joke, only to have the hint never crystallize and the punchline never come.

In short, if the name is the backbone of your story, some parts may require significant adaptation and perhaps even creative rewriting. In other cases, best practice would be to just leave it as is—trust me, I’ve seen enough variations of poor Bilbo and Frodo’s last name based on different possible translations of the word “bag” than I ever cared to. To give another example, transforming Severus Snape’s name into what was essentially “Evillus Evull” (true story) didn’t exactly pan out in the end, did it?

In-Universe Terminology

Needless to say, its consistency and coherence are crucial for SFF—fantasy probably even more so than science fiction—as the terminology is one of the main things that make your universe come to life. Usually, the in-universe magic/science/combination thereof has a key concept that, once translated, makes it easier to weave that semantic web in a different language. But if, say, the prophecy you mentioned in book one of your series will turn out to be completely misunderstood in book three, the wording used in translation really needs to be ambiguous enough and yet fitting from the very beginning for the plot twist to work.

Another possible snag a translator might hit is if your in-universe terminology is actually based on another language, perhaps even the target language. With the former, what becomes lost in translation will likely be a case-by-case thing, depending on whether you just used the existing foreign words or got creative with meanings and word formation. In the latter case, the magic system will inevitably lose some of its original air of mystery. I mean, “We call this mark in the shape of a lightning bolt a molnija” just hits differently from “We call this mark in the shape of a lightning bolt a lightning bolt.” Usually, though, minor rewording will be enough to keep everything clear and consistent.

Cultural and/or Religious References

These kinds of references could become a problem for your narrative if they are both too subtle and too alien for your new target audience. To be fair, the opposite has also been known to happen. The funniest example of such a disconnect is probably Christian symbolism in Neon Genesis Evangelion, an anime mecha series that originally borrowed some references…for the aesthetic. And sure enough, the Japanese audience appreciated the aesthetic for what it was, but among European viewers, it inspired a hot debate about hidden meanings and connections to actual religious concepts.

As for cultural aspects, think Taco Bell being the only restaurant chain in the movie Demolition Man. While immediately recognizable to an American, for someone from a different country “Taco Bell” might at best be “an American fast food chain” or actually mean nothing at all. It might be clear from the context—and your reader can google this stuff, of course—but it might not quite land regardless. Worse still is when a plot point hinges on such a detail: for instance, a book series where teenage protagonists arrive too late to stop an evil scheme because the plans they had stolen had “military time” on them, and it turned out that none of the leads really knew what “normal time” it corresponded to. For someone like me, in whose culture you use “7 p.m.” and “19” interchangeably, this was beyond baffling. I remember going back and rereading that part of the book several times, trying to figure out what I was missing. Similar comprehension challenges tend to occur when there is a lot of focus on popular culture. Sometimes a work just turns out to be too local for an international reader.

Footnotes and Long-Winded Explanations

After reading all this, you might feel that it’s absolutely necessary to provide your foreign reader with ALL the context by adding footnotes, explanations in parentheses, or tediously long prefaces. As commendable as that is, please consider that overloading your text with comments and notes to make sure the audience gets the full picture could turn reading your book into something not unlike continuously consulting a dictionary—useful and informative, but maybe not exactly enjoyable. While it might make sense to add some explanations here and there or outline some crucial aspects in a preface, it would probably be best to keep it reasonable. You and your reader both want your story to flow, not trip over the building blocks of the narrative.

In Conclusion

This little overview cannot possibly cover all the aspects that go into translating something as complex as a story. Every story is unique, and so every translation experience is unique. You may find that none of these things are relevant to your manuscript, or maybe all of them are. Ultimately, translation is just another tool for you to do what you’ve always wanted: reach your audience and show them your world. And a tool it may be, but it’s a sophisticated one, and there is definitely more to it than just taking the words you’ve written and replacing them with the same words in a different language, hoping to create the same impact. Writing stories is magic, and coupled with considerate and well-researched translation, it’s magic that can reach far and wide.

Elena Kovalenko has been a translator/interpreter for 15 years, working on a range of topics from current events to thriller movie scripts, and an avid SFF reader for most of her life. When not holed up somewhere with a book or trying to bridge the gap between cultures via relaying ideas into a different language in speaking or writing, she enjoys long walks, baking, and learning random new skills.

The post Translation vs. Adaptation: The Continuous Struggle for Optimal Ratio appeared first on SFWA.

España Sheriff is the winner of the 2024 Rotsler Award for “long-time wonder-working with graphic art in amateur publications of the science fiction community.” The award was announced during Loscon 50, held November 29 – December 1, 2024 at the Marriott Los Angeles Airport Hotel in Los Angeles CA.

The award was established in 1998 by the Southern California Institute for Fan Interests, Inc. The winner receives a $300 honorarium. ...Read More