Translator Elisabeth Jaquette has been named the next executive director of Words Without Borders (WWB), the literary arts organization and English-language magazine of translated literature, effective September 1.
A well-known translator of Arabic-language works into English, Jaquette is the first professional literary translator to lead WWB. She comes to the organization from the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA), where she has served as executive director since 2017. Jacquette succeeds Karen M. Phillips, who stepped down as executive director this month after more than 10 years in the role. Phillips took the helm at the organization, which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary, in 2013.
In a statement, WWB board chair and founding editor Samantha Schnee called Jaquette “a prominent member of the translated literature community” as both a translator and head of ALTA. “In my role as board secretary at ALTA, I was privileged to work with Lissie for six years and witness her dramatically expand its budget, programs, and impact,” she continued, noting that the board’s search committee “was unanimous in its selection.” She added: “We’re thrilled that she is joining us at this moment of organizational strength, as we expand our work to connect readers and students across the globe with translated literature.”
At ALTA, per a WWB release, Jaquette succeeded in “tripling ALTA’s annual budget and staff and establishing a sizable operating reserve” during her tenure and “has dramatically increased its membership and program attendance” and expanded its mentorship and events programs, among other changes. The organization has opened its own search for a successor. In a statement, ALTA board chair Chenxin Jiang said: “It's been a privilege and a pleasure working with Lissie here at ALTA, where she is admired and deeply valued for everything she does,” adding: “We look forward to seeing what she does next at WWB.”
As a translator, Jacquette has been a finalist for such awards as the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation, the Banipal Prize for Arabic Literature, and the TA First Translation Prize. Her translation of Minor Detail by Adania Shibli (New Directions), which PW called “a remarkable exercise in dramatizing a desire for justice” in its review, was longlisted for the International Booker Prize and a finalist for the National Book Awards.
“I have long been a great admirer of Words Without Borders: I have been a dedicated reader of the magazine from its beginning, and my very first paid work as a translator was published in its pages,” Jaquette said in a statement. “As someone dedicated to serving our international community of readers, writers, translators, educators, and students, I look forward to carrying out WWB’s mission of cultivating global awareness and expanding access to exceptional international writing.”
