Strasbourg Conference – Programme

The Translators on the Cover report noted that support of literary translation by local institutions should be a two-way street, to create a broad ecology of translated literature in their home territories. Supporting inbound translation (i.e. helping national publishers to translate foreign books into domestic languages) fosters cultural and linguistic diversity, promotes cooperation and provides a benchmark for quality and fair remuneration. The workshop will explore the challenges and benefits of these systems for the national book ecosystem and the circulation of works within Europe. Participants will be actively invited to share their experiences and questions.

Angelika Salvisberg
Director, TRADUKI network

Camilla Pargentino
Subsidy specialist, Dutch Foundation for Literature (ENLIT network)

Literary translator training programmes need to keep pace with a fast-changing profession.  Since the Covid pandemic, many translation workshops and summer schools have moved online, making them more accessible and inclusive but at the expense of serendipity and sociability.  Ethical issues of translator recognition and representation are more urgent than ever before, while the rapid rise of machine translation and generative artificial intelligence threatens literary translators’ intellectual property and job prospects.

This workshop brings together colleagues from inside and outside the academy who represent a variety of European training initiatives, degree programmes, translator houses and educator networks.  They will introduce their activities, compare best practices and discuss ways of meeting the most significant challenges facing literary translation educators today.

Questions and contributions from audience members will be welcomed.

Duncan Large
Executive Director, British Centre for Literary Translation, East Anglia University
Chair, PETRA-e network

Jürgen Jakob Becker
Executive Director, Deutscher Übersetzerfonds

Rosie Pinhas-Delpuech
ETL (École de traduction littéraire)

Françoise Wuilmart
Director,CETL (Centre européen de traduction littéraire)

Goedele de Sterck
Literary translator
Associate professor, University of Salamanca

The Translators on the Cover report has noted that one of the key issues in the translation sector is the lack of diversity in regard to ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability, age, and religious, cultural or socioeconomic background; and called for collective action to amend the situation.

In the UK, the Translators Association has taken a proactive stance, and the Visible Communities programme of National Centre for Writing is committed to extending opportunities to a broader intake of emerging or professional translators.

In Sweden, the Readers of the World programme of the Literary Translators Organisation has translators meet young people in public or school libraries to encourage multilingual children in disadvantaged areas to develop their linguistic skills and see them as a superpower.

Presentations of these initiatives (goals, benefits and challenges) will start a conversation about the ways and means of achieving more diversity and inclusion in our field.

Sawad Hussain
literary translator

Jan Kärrö,
Managing Director, Översättarcentrum (Swedish Literary Translators Organization)

Sabine Kirchmeier
President, EFNIL (European Federation of National Institutions for Language)

Miquel Cabal Guarro
Literary translator
Lecturer, University of Barcelona

Special guest:

Bohdana Neborak
Curator of cultural projects
Journalist, the Ukrainians Media

The term “books for young readers” refers to the entire gamut of children’s literature, ranging from picture books to novels for middle grade and young adult readers to graphic novels. Translating children’s and YA books is challenging. It requires careful consideration of language, cultural nuances, and the preservation of the original message and style, and demands a lot of creativity. In the translation of picture books, which is anything but simple, every word counts, and so does the relationship between text and pictures, while YA novels often tackle tough issues and complex topics using teen talk, which has to be conveyed in language that is as authentic as possible. In this workshop, we will tackle several issues related to the translation of children’s and YA books through examples and hands-on experiences.

Simona Mambrini
Literary translator

Lara Hölbling Matković
Literary translator

The notion of sensitivity reading and a greater sensibility to issues such as gender, sexuality, racism or the representation of underprivileged groups have made some questions around literary translation more intense than ever in the last few years. What are the roles and responsibilities of the translators and publishers? What about the translator’s loyalty to the publisher, to the writer and the text and to the reader? Is there a risk of self-censorship when dealing with taboo or controversial issues? On what basis and criteria do we make difficult decisions? Are these issues handled differently in different countries? The workshop will be an opportunity for participants to share their own questions, points of view and practical experiences.

Beware: this is a workshop where the word “context” is bound to be spoken multiple times!

Johanna Hedenberg
Literary translator

Elżbieta Kalinowska
Literary translator
Editor, Foksal Publishing Group