The core macroautophagy/autophagy machinery consists of a large group of autophagy-related (ATG) proteins, that mediate highly controlled, step-wise execution of this conserved intracellular degradation process. Whereas ATG proteins have been intensely studied in terms of protein interactions, post-translational modifications and transcriptional regulation, the mechanisms ensuring efficient translation of ATG proteins are not well understood. In a recent study, we describe an evolutionarily conserved role for EIF5A (eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A) in autophagy. We demonstrate that EIF5A mediates Atg8-family protein lipidation and autophagosome formation via translation of the E2-like ATG3 protein. Moreover, we identify a particular motif in ATG3 causing EIF5A-dependency for its efficient translation.