This Programme provides a combination of skills in Literary Translation, Creative Writing, and Publishing. It is curated as a combination of online courses, offline workshops, and hands-on studios to help students acquire skills as literary translators, creative writers, and publishers. Being a postgraduate credential, the Diploma targets both regular students and those with some prior experience with writing or translating and felicity with the languages they work in. This two-semester programme is delivered online, with an in-person contact session each semester.

The Programme is designed under the leadership of Professor Tejaswini Niranjana, an eminent translator, winner of multiple translation awards like the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award, State Sahitya Akademi Award, the DSC Prize for South Asian fiction, and the National Translation Award for Prose 2020 given by the American Literary Translators’ Association. It is supported by the JCB Literature Foundation which has instituted three full scholarships for the Programme. 

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Guest Faculty

The Programme invites globally renowned award-winning translators, authors, filmmakers, and publishers to mentor students on the art and the craft of translation.

DAISY ROCKWELL

Winner
International Booker Prize

KUNAL BASU

Author
The Miniaturist, The Japanese Wife
and several other works of fiction

JERRY PINTO

Winner
Best Book on Cinema Award
Windham-Campbell Prize
Sahitya Akademi Award

SHANTA GOKHALE

Winner
Sahitya Akademi Prize for Translation

TRIDIP SUHRUD

Author
Reading Gandhi in Two Tongues and Other Essays

RITA KOTHARI

Translation and Literary Theorist
Co-Translator
KM Munshi's Patan trilogy among other books

NASREEN MUNNI KABIR

UK-based documentary filmmaker
Author of 20 books on Hindi films
Winner
First Women of Achievement Award in Arts and Culture

ARUNAVA SINHA

Winner
Crossword Translation Award
Muse India Translation Award

ASHISH RAJADHYAKSHA

Cultural Critic, Film Historian
Author
Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema and John-Ghatak-Tarkovsky: Citizens, Filmmakers, Hackers

SUNIL SHANBAG

Renowned Theatre Personality
Tamaasha Theatre

JAYASREE KALATHIL

Translator
Crossword Book Award-winning novel
The Diary of a Malayali Madman

NISHA SUSAN

Writer, Translator
Founder
Online Magazine Ladies’ Finger

V K KARTHIKA

Publisher, Westland Books

Intake: 30
Eligibility: Any graduate from any discipline, with a demonstrable record of narrative writing and/or publishing is eligible to apply to the Diploma Programme. The instructors include eminent translators, authors, academics, publishers, and critics.

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Programme Objectives

• To train literary translators and creative writers in different genres
• To provide exposure to the publishing world
• To provide a comprehensive understanding of the social and philosophical registers of translation and creative writing
• To enhance linguistic and literary sensibilities in relation to different genres and styles of writing
• To introduce students to the design, production, and marketing aspects of translation and creative writing

Programme Outcomes

On completion of this Programme, students will be able to

• Translate literary texts from an Indian language to English
• Acquire different kinds of linguistic skills relevant to translation
• Produce publishable literary translations in English
• Understand the many dimensions of the creative process
• Produce creative pieces in different genres of writing
• Edit their own writing effectively

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PG Diploma in Translation and Creative Writing is a one-year programme of 30 credits.

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This Programme will prepare students for a freelance and professional career in writing, translating, and publishing. It will be jointly certified by Ahmedabad University, some of the country's leading publishing houses, and literary and translation academies. Alongside the option of becoming published authors and translators or professionals in publishing houses, some of the other careers that students of this Programme would be eligible to apply for are copywriting, screenwriting, feature writing, journalism, media and communication managers, literary agents, social media content producers, and advertising professionals.

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Fee
Fee for the programme is INR 60,000

Scholarships
3 full scholarships are available (inclusive of course fee, travel, board and lodging for contact sessions)

For any queries, please contact [email protected]

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Class of 2023

MINI SINHA

Content Writer and Translator

For a beginner, with little to no experience translating literary texts, the course came as a blessing. With participants across languages, age groups and work experiences I found a community of like-minded people and of course, professors and mentors who made sure the learning experience was rigorous yet enjoyable. The offline workshops were equivalent to artist retreats packed with information delivered straight by experts.

UMESH KUMAR

Assistant Professor
Banaras Hindu University

Remarkable experience! The Diploma is suitable for working professionals. Besides covering the in-depth theoretical and practical components it regularly invites the best minds and practitioners of translation studies. The literary translation workshops were personal favorites. I can say with conviction that no place in India can match the rigor and intensity of the literary translation course offered at Ahmedabad University. In fact, the course is one of a kind in South Asia.

BHUMIKA AGGARWAL

Screenwriter and Translator

This course was my learning curve! I now have a foundation to work on translations and confidence to approach a text from a conceptual lens. As a freelance writer, sometimes, I have to deal with tonality, and it is a tough nut to crack. Sessions with Jerry Pinto to Sunil Shanbag have been exhilarating and there have been take-aways which I think would not have been possible if the course was not structured the way it was. The insightful conversations we have had with the seasoned translators through this programme has taught me to stay with the failure of translation rather than deal with it.

ANJU MATHEW

Research Scholar
Vellore Institute of Technology

It was a wonderful experience to be part of such a well-structured course. We had classes twice a week. The reading materials for each class were quite useful in understanding the history and politics of translation. There were so many lively discussions on each of our works too. That helped me a lot. I would recommend the course to anyone wishing to become a translator.

MEESARAGANDA ROHIT

Doctor, Social Activist, and Translator

I found the course very helpful. It allowed me to enter the fascinating space that exists between two languages - my mother tongue, Telugu and English. The course allowed me to thoroughly explore and appreciate the intricate nuances embedded within both languages. The hands-on tasks and collaborative translation exercises helped me develop a deeper understanding of the complexities involved in translating.

The Programme invites globally renowned award-winning translators, authors, filmmakers, and publishers to mentor students on the art and the craft of translation.

DAISY ROCKWELL

Winner
International Booker Prize

KUNAL BASU

Author
The Miniaturist, The Japanese Wife
and several other works of fiction

JERRY PINTO

Winner
Best Book on Cinema Award
Windham-Campbell Prize
Sahitya Akademi Award

SHANTA GOKHALE

Winner
Sahitya Akademi Prize for Translation

TRIDIP SUHRUD

Author
Reading Gandhi in Two Tongues and Other Essays

RITA KOTHARI

Translation and Literary Theorist
Co-Translator
KM Munshi's Patan trilogy among other books

NASREEN MUNNI KABIR

UK-based documentary filmmaker
Author of 20 books on Hindi films
Winner
First Women of Achievement Award in Arts and Culture

ARUNAVA SINHA

Winner
Crossword Translation Award
Muse India Translation Award

ASHISH RAJADHYAKSHA

Cultural Critic, Film Historian
Author
Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema and John-Ghatak-Tarkovsky: Citizens, Filmmakers, Hackers

SUNIL SHANBAG

Renowned Theatre Personality
Tamaasha Theatre

JAYASREE KALATHIL

Translator
Crossword Book Award-winning novel
The Diary of a Malayali Madman

NISHA SUSAN

Writer, Translator
Founder
Online Magazine Ladies’ Finger

V K KARTHIKA

Publisher, Westland Books

Padmaja Anant Wins Mozhi Award 2022 for Translating Chandra Thangaraj's A House Without Cats

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Professor Tejaswini Niranjana Wins American Literary Translators Association 2021 National Translation Award

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Sherwin Rodriguez's Awarded Prestigious Translation Fellowship in 2023 South Asia Speaks Mentorship Programme

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Rinita Banerjee Translates Collection of Micro-Fiction, Deer! Deer! and Other Micro Stories, from Bengali

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