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Indic Digital Archive Foundation
IDAF Fellowship • • 3 min read

The Ashoka Centre for Translation, Ashoka University and Indic Digital Archive Foundation Announce Summer Fellowship for Research into AI Translation from Malayalam

The Ashoka Centre for Translation, Ashoka University and Indic Digital Archive Foundation Announce Summer Fellowship for Research into AI Translation from Malayalam

The Ashoka Centre for Translation (ACT), in collaboration with the Indic Digital Archive Foundation (IDAF), invites applications from interested and eligible candidates for a Summer Fellowship for Research into AI Translation from Malayalam.

The six-week Fellowship will offer an opportunity to 6 Fellows (3 literary translators working from Malayalam to English and 3 users of AI translation tools) to work in pairs to produce two parallel translations per pair (one manual expert version and one AI-assisted version) of a short Malayalam prose text into English, along with preparing detailed reports for comparative analysis. The pairs will record each challenge faced, each choice considered, each intervention made, and each output favoured in either case in rendering the final drafts of the two parallel versions in English.

Who can apply?

Profile 1: Literary Translators Working from Malayalam to English: Applicants applying under this category should possess a strong command of literary Malayalam as well as a strong interest and some demonstrated (ideally published) experience in literary translation from Malayalam into English. No academic background bar. Emerging translators, including students, are encouraged to apply.

Profile 2: AI Translation Tools Users: Applicants applying under this category should be closely familiar with—and be active users of—AI translation tools, possessing a fair level of expertise with prompts, alongside an interest in literary translation. Applicants can be students or degree holders of a relevant academic programme. Advance knowledge of Malayalam and familiarity with its literature is ideal.

Total Fellowships Available: 6

  • 3 for Literary Translators
  • 3 for AI Translation Tools Users

    • Applicants may apply individually or as a duo (Profile 1 and Profile 2). Upon selection, final pairs will be formed by a jury comprising a representative each of the Ashoka Centre for Translation and the Indic Digital Archive Foundation, along with the Fellowship mentor.

    Objectives of the Fellowship:

  • To engage in comparative translation practice and analysis.
  • To critically gauge the translational successes and failures of the two translation modes.
  • To assess the scope of possibilities and limitations offered by AI-assisted approaches.
  • To evaluate the quality of manual expert translations and assess how individual user factors—such as prompt expertise and language proficiency—determine the quality of the AI-assisted outputs.
  • To map what smoothly carries over from Malayalam to English in manual expert translations versus AI-assisted translations—and, especially, what refuses to carry over—identifying patterns and reasonings, if any.

    • Selected Fellows will receive:

  • A fixed stipend for the duration of the Fellowship, subject to the submission and approval of the deliverables.
  • Mentorship from an expert Malayalam to English translator and Co-directors of the Ashoka Centre for Translation.
  • Potentially, the opportunity to attend and participate in Bhashavaad 3.0: National Translation Conference in August 2026 in New Delhi.

    • Fellows will be expected to:

  • Work actively in pairs and within common timelines to produce two parallel translations (one manual and one AI-assisted) of the selected Malayalam text (1200-1500 words) into English.
  • Submit weekly updates and reports to the Fellowship coordinator and Fellowship mentor.
  • Incorporate feedback and suggestions from the Fellowship coordinator, Fellowship mentor and, possibly, the original Malayalam work’s author.
  • Prepare a detailed report of the entire process for comparative analysis.
  • Present their respective reports at Bhashavaad 3.0: National Translation Conference.

    • Format and Specifics:

    Format: Remote (Participants may be based anywhere in India.)
    Duration: 6 Weeks (Monday, 15th June – Sunday, 26th July 2026)
    Stipend: INR 60,000/- each (total, all-inclusive)
    Application Deadline: Monday, 25th May 2026

    Apply Now:

    For Profile 1 (Literary Translators Working from Malayalam to English):
    https://forms.gle/LRGqLpF7o94pjX157

    For Profile 2 (AI Translation Tools Users):
    https://forms.gle/1uf7TRA8JHdqP66dA

    For Queries: Email at [email protected].