Submit to TWO LINES

TWO LINES publishes original translations into English in our annual print anthology, TWO LINES: World Writing in Translation, and on the web—as TWO LINES ONLINE.

We accept submissions for the annual print anthology from September 1st through December 1st each year. If you submitted a manuscript for TWO LINES XIX you should receive a response by March 1st, 2012. Submissions for the print anthology are currently closed, please check back in the fall for updated guidelines for the next installment of the print anthology.

We accept submissions for TWO LINES ONLINE year-round and you should receive a response to your submission within three months. Please do not query as to the status of your submission until three months have passed.

While our only guiding principle is excellence, we are especially excited to receive work from less commonly translated languages or regions. We strongly encourage that before submitting you read one of our anthologies or familiarize yourself with the materials we've published online.

Please note:

  • IMPORTANT: Translators are expected to have acquired copyright permission for all work not in the public domain BEFORE submitting.
  • Submissions received from September 1st through December 1st can expect a response the following February. Submissions received at other times of the year for TWO LINES ONLINE will be evaluated on an ongoing basis and will receive a response within three months. (Note that submissions to the print anthology of TWO LINES XIX will also be considered for TWO LINES ONLINE.) Please check the status of your submission in the online manager system rather than querying.
  • We only consider previously unpublished translations.
  • The translator cannot also be the author of the piece (unless it is a co-translation).
  • If sending poetry, please submit no more than 10 pages.
  • If sending prose, please submit no more than 5000 words. The average prose submission is about 2500 words, but we do occasionally publish longer pieces.
  • Novel excerpts are acceptable if thoughtfully excerpted to stand as independent pieces.
  • In your cover letter, please include a paragraph or two with a brief bio of the author and any information you think might be of interest about him/her or the project. If accepted for publication in the annual print anthology of TWO LINES, you will be asked to expand your comments into an introduction of approximately 400 words.
  • All submissions should include a copy of the original text. Please merge the translation and original text into one file before uploading. If there are extenuating circumstances, please explain in your cover letter.


    • To Submit Online

    Click here to submit to TWO LINES online via Submishmash. Online submissions are strongly encouraged.


    To Submit Via Mail

    Although online submissions are strongly encouraged, TWO LINES will also accept submissions by mail. Please note our new address and send submissions to:

    [Genre] Submissions
    TWO LINES
    Center for the Art of Translation
    582 Market St., Suite 700
    San Francisco, CA 94104