On 24 May 2017, the United Nations General Assembyl recognised 30 September as International Translation Day, to be celebrated every year across the entire UN network. Translators’ associations all over Europe organise a variety of festive events. To name a few:
Austria
The Austrian association of literary translators (http://www NULL.literaturhaus NULL.at/lh/ueg/) has a tradition of celebrating International Translation Day together with the other translators’ and interpreters’ associations in Austria by taking turns in organising the event. This year’s celebration, to be held on 4 October at the European Union House in Vienna, will be organised by the association of court and certified translators and interpreters. Prof. Michèle Cooke will give a talk on ‘The Dog barking in French. We are all able to understand each other. But how much do we actually want to understand? What is the role of translation in this? Do we just want to communicate – or do we have more to offer?’
During the event the ‘Elisabeth-Markstein-Preis will be awarded – an award named after the late Elisabeth Markstein, who was a literary translator, interpreter and university teacher and an esteemed member of the associations involved.
Afterwards there will be music, a cocktail and a party.
Bulgaria
International Translation Day will be celebrated with a small ceremony at Sofia University where the annual translation prizes of the Bulgarian Translators’ Union (http://www NULL.bgtranslators NULL.org/) will be awarded.
Catalonia
In cooperation with the Institute for Catalan Literature and the Institute for Catalan Studies, the association Associació d’escriptors en llengua catalana (https://www NULL.escriptors NULL.cat/) will organise a ‘group therapy open mic’ for translators. The event will take place in a beautiful garden in Barcelona, where drinks and snacks will promote networking between professionals, press and general public.
In Minorca, Miquel Àngel Llauger, translator of English poetry, will be addressing some specificities of his work and of translation in general in the public library of Maó.
Croatia
The Croatian association (http://www NULL.dhkp NULL.hr/), in cooperation with Weltlesebühne, will organize a talk on the position of the (female) Croatian-German translator. The guests are two translated writers. For a detailed programme, please click here (http://booksa NULL.hr/program/s-hrvatskoga-prevela-razgovor-karakas-popovic-bremer-goricki).
Czech Republic
Josef Jungmann
The Czech Literary Translators’ Guild (http://www NULL.obecprekladatelu NULL.cz/) traditionally celebrates St Jerome in Prague with its annual best translations award ceremony, the Josef Jungmann Prize. The prize is called after a linguist, author of numerous dictionaries and rigorous advocate of the rebirth of written Czech language who, through his translations of classic literature, intended to prove that Czech can render complicated artistic texts.
During the ceremony (https://www NULL.facebook NULL.com/events/266409083992390/), the main prize, prizes of merit, a young talent prize, and a scholarship for a poetry translation will be awarded. The hall of fame will be opened to a renowned translator and a laudation read to a personality who has notably contributed to the quality, promotion, and development of literary translation.
Denmark
The celebration (https://hieronymusdagen NULL.ku NULL.dk/) that takes place on 30 September in Copenhagen is a collaboration between the Danish Translators’ Association (https://danskforfatterforening NULL.dk/), the Audiovisual Translators, University of Copenhagen and the Union of Communication and Language Professionals. This year’s programme consists of talks and workshops on the theme of ‘spoken language in translation’, there will be a translation fair and musical entertainment from a translator of musical texts.
Finland
The Finnish association (https://kaantajienpaiva NULL.com/) traditionally holds an International Translation Day seminar, which is not restricted to literary translation, but focuses on all kinds of translation. This year’s edition will take place on 28 September in Helsinki. For more information on the programme (in Finnish), please click here (https://kaantajienpaiva NULL.com/ohjelma/).
France
ATLF (http://www NULL.atlf NULL.org/) is joining forces with SFT (technical translators) and ATAA (dubbers and subtitlers) for a full day of conferences, panels and activities with a public of non-translators: public workshops, translation games, a slam etc. A debate about censorship is included in the program as well. Others associations, like La Maison du Dictionnaire, will be present with a stand at this ‘Traducto’Folies’. There will be activities for children who want to discover the mysteries of translation, sign language and dubbing. A consultant will answer questions about the social/fiscal status of the translator. The day will end with a cocktail and a party.
Meanwhile in the city of Lille the festival ‘D’un pays l’autre (https://www NULL.lille NULL.fr/Evenements/Festival-D-Un-Pays-l-Autre)’ will take place from 26 till 30 September with numerous events on language and translation.
Germany
In collaboration with Weltlesebühne (https://weltlesebuehne NULL.de/hieronymustag-2018 NULL.html) the German association (https://www NULL.literaturuebersetzer NULL.de/) VdÜ will organize around 20 events in Germany and other countries. For a full programme, please click here (https://www NULL.literaturuebersetzer NULL.de/termine/veranstaltungen/hieronymustag-2018/).
Abroad ‘transparent translators’ will demonstrate their art in the Goethe Institutes of Amsterdam, Belgrad, Budapest, Jerusalem, Kairo, Mexico city, Paris, Tel Aviv and Zagreb.
Ireland
ITIA (http://www NULL.translatorsassociation NULL.ie/) is celebrating International Translation Day on 29 September at the Irish Writers’ Centre in Dublin by presenting prizes and certificates to the winners of the ITIA secondary school translation competition, as part of its aim to encourage a new generation of translators.
Looking after the existing professionals ITIA will have a panel discussion, featuring speakers from Microsoft, Twitter, Keywords and Iota Localisation Services who will discuss career opportunities for linguists. Annette Schiller, freelance translator, lecturer at Dublin City University and current Chair of FIT Europe will mediate the Q & A session afterwards.
Italy
AITI Associazione Italiana Traduttori e Interpreti (http://www NULL.aiti NULL.org/) will not hold one national event, but different regional events.
On 29 September the section of Friuli Venezia Giulia e.g. will organise a guided tour (http://friulivg NULL.aiti NULL.org/news-formazione-eventi/corsi-eventi/pordenone-29-settembre-2018-visita-al-museo-itinerario-della) with a landscape architect of the Museum of Old Roses (http://www NULL.lacompagniadellerose NULL.com/) in Pordenone, under Shakespeare’s motto ‘A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.’
On 1 October, AITI and StradeLab (http://www NULL.traduttoristrade NULL.it/) will celebrate Saint Jerome’s day at the Laboratorio Formentini in Milan with a ‘SuperTableT (http://www NULL.laboratorioformentini NULL.it/event/tablet_it-la-grammatica-dei-traduttori-incontro-mariarosa-bricchi/)’, i. e. a special edition of the monthly peer-to-peer meetings among translators. Guest of honour is Mariarosa Bricchi, historian of the Italian language and editor, who will discuss her recently published book La lingua è un’orchestra. Piccola grammatica per traduttori (e scriventi) (Language is an orchestra. A little grammar handbook for translators (and other text authors) with the participants. The meeting is the second of its kind dedicated to the Italian language. The first was held on 23 November 2017 with Luca Serianni, eminent linguist and consultant of the Italian Ministry of Education, as a guest of honour.
Lithuania
On 1 October 2018 the Lithuanian Association of Literary Translators (https://www NULL.llvs NULL.lt/), keeping in line with tradition, will have its International Translation Day Festival and its St. Jerome Prizes award ceremony.
This year the St. Jerome Prize for the translation of foreign literature into Lithuanian will be presented to Virgilijus Čepliejus, who translates from English. The St Jerome Prize for translators of Lithuanian literature into a foreign language will go to the Polish language translator, Izabela Korybut Daszkiewicz.
Netherlands
In the Netherlands, as in several other countries, the Goethe Institute (https://www NULL.goethe NULL.de/ins/nl/de/ver NULL.cfm?fuseaction=events NULL.detail&event_id=21018124) will present a programme on translation and translators. In Amsterdam renowned German – Dutch translator Josephine Rijnaarts will give the audience an insight in the process of literary translating.
Poland
For the tenth year running, EUNIC Warsaw, the European Commission (Representation Office in Poland) and the Polish Literary Translators Association (http://stl NULL.org NULL.pl/) will be celebrating International Translation Day with a public discussion panel (https://www NULL.facebook NULL.com/events/287581005404189/). Under the heading of ‘Sing in translation!’ this year the conversation will focus on translating song lyrics. The programme presents an impressive array of speakers, including Polish translators of songs by Bob Dylan, Lluís Llach, Georges Brassens, Serge Gainsbourg, Bulat Okudzhava, Jaromír Nohavica, and others.
Portugal
On 28 September, the Portuguese association (https://www NULL.apt NULL.pt/) will organise an event in cooperation with the Faculdade de Letras de Lisboa with the projection of the movie ‘Tradurre (https://www NULL.imdb NULL.com/title/tt1935930/)’, directed by Pierpaolo Giarolo, followed by a debate.
Romania
On 28 September ARTLIT (http://artlit NULL.ro/) will organise a public talk (http://artlit NULL.ro/anunturi/2018/09/18/dialog-intre-scriitoarea-svetlana-carstean-si-traducatorul-norvegian-de-literatura-romana-steinar-lone/) on literary translation and the challenges of translating Romanian literature into other languages. Speakers are the Romanian writer Svetlana Cârstean and Norwegian translator of Romanian literature Steinar Lone. Please click here for more information (in Romanian).
Spain
The association ACE Traductores (https://ace-traductores NULL.org/) will organise events in several cities across Spain.
Barcelona: Under the title ‘Veus Traductores (https://ace-traductores NULL.org/proximas-actividades/dia-internacional-de-la-traduccion-en-barcelona/)’ a talk will be organised about the translation of Lionel Shriver’s Big Brother, by Daniel Najmías.
Málaga: Malika Embarek (https://ace-traductores NULL.org/proximas-actividades/dia-internacional-de-la-traduccion-en-malaga/), presented by Salvador Peña, will reflect on literary translation and the myths of universal culture.
Madrid: Under the title ‘Traducción en vivo (https://ace-traductores NULL.org/proximas-actividades/dia-internacional-de-la-traduccion-en-madrid/)’ a translation slam will take place, with the participation of translators and poets Elia Maqueda and Andrés Catalán.
Salamanca: ‘Primeros pasos. Traducir libros, ilustrar traducciones (https://ace-traductores NULL.org/proximas-actividades/dia-internacional-de-la-traduccion-en-salamanca/)’ – ‘First steps. Translating books, illustrating translations’, an event with translator and illustrator Ana Flecha.
The associations AELC, APTIC, ASETRAD and La Xarxa also organise different celebrations in Barcelona, Seville and Valencia. Check their websites for more details.
On 26 September the Spanish National Library in Madrid organises a talk with Malika Embarek and Salvador Peña, awarded with this year’s National Translation Awards.
United Kingdom
On 28 September English Pen will organise a translation night (https://www NULL.englishpen NULL.org/event/international-translation-day-2018/) in London. Practitioners and academics share the three lessons they’ve learned about translation. Editors pick their favourites from your translation pitches. The night will end with a translation party: network and hang out over drinks from the bar.