Dec 12, 2017 | Sweden
The Swedish Writers’ Union is advising translators in Sweden against entering into agreements with all publishing companies within the Bonnier Publishing Group, Sweden’s largest publisher. Eleven companies have been declared non grata by the Union.
This comes after the Bonnier Group introduced a new Draft Contract earlier this year, which is to be used by all its subsidiaries and which includes many changes for the worse for translators. […]
Dec 10, 2017 | Netherlands
The number of users of e-readers is increasing – a positive development, as it offers opportunities to bring a broader readership into contact with a diverse range of books. But it is also important to consider the negative consequences.
E-books are illegally downloaded and distributed on a large scale. As a result, writers and translators are increasingly missing out on revenue. To bring this issue to the attention of the public, the Auteursbond (the Dutch Association of Authors), with financial support from the Dutch collecting society Lira, made a short video. […]
Dec 9, 2017 | Belgium, Netherlands
In January 2018 the Vertalersvakschool Amsterdam (Amsterdam Academy for literary translation) will open an academy in Antwerp in cooperation with Vlaams Fonds voor de Letteren (Flemish Literary Fund). The academy starts with a pilot of two trimesters and offers courses in translation from German, English or French literature into Dutch. Experienced literary translators will be the supervisors who teach the students the tricks of the trade and help them to find their way to literary publishers. […]
Dec 9, 2017 | World
There seems to be a commonly held belief (among translators, publishers, and readers alike) that the more books you translate, the faster you become. But often the opposite is true, because with experience many translators become more alert to linguistic subtleties and literary complexities. ¨…*
Dec 3, 2017 | Italy
It has been a busy autumn for the Italian Union of Literary Translators Strade.
Starting at the beginning of October, the association was one of the main co-operating partners of the Migrant Literatures Festival in Palermo, Sicily, which hosted a series of events under the title “Lost (and Found) in Translation”. A public meeting with representatives from the Italian Ministry of Culture, the association of independent publishers ODEI, the Municipality of Palermo and Strade opened the whole festival, by promoting the latter’s proposal to establish a State foundation supporting translation (as it is the case in many other countries). ¨…*
Nov 30, 2017 | France
At the recent Frankfurt Book Fair, the French president Emmanuel Macron paid homage to the translator’s profession, and announced the creation of a “real” prize in France for translation into French (Note: a number of well regarded translation prizes already exist in France). “Knowledge of language is knowledge of books, and such is the eminent role played by translators that I cannot speak here, before you, without paying them the homage we owe them, because translation is the first thing our diplomats do, indeed it is sometimes the heart of what they do. It involves avoiding misunderstandings, indeed sometimes avoiding little miscomprehensions, it’s about conveying. […]
Nov 29, 2017 | Denmark, Netherlands
The director Nitesh Anjaan has made a documentary about Mette Holm, who has been translating the work of the Japanese author Haruki Murakami into Danish for many years. This glimpse into Holm’s life follows her on a trip to Japan while working on the translation of Kaze no uta o kike (Hear the Wind Sing), the world-famous author’s debut novel. […]
Oct 22, 2017 | Sweden
From 28 September to 1 October 2017, Gothenburg Book Fair hosted ´Room for Translation´, a programme with talks on literary translation. […]
Oct 9, 2017 | Poland
As in previous years, EUNIC Warszawa, the European Commission Representation in Poland and the Polish Association of Literary Translators held a celebration in Warsaw on the occasion of International Translation Day. Throughout the day, thirteen classes were given by distinguished and experienced translators in high schools. ¨…*
Oct 9, 2017 | Basque Country
For International Translation Day, the Association of Translators, Correctors and Interpreters of the Basque Language (EIZIE) launched an initiative to get one sentence in Basque translated into as many languages as possible.
The sentence was taken from a text (Berbelitzenak) written by Anjel Lertxundi, a Basque author, and is the following: ¨…*
Oct 8, 2017 | Spain
The Spanish Ministry of Culture and Education has launched the campaign “Autores invisibles” (“Invisible Authors”) to celebrate International Translation Day, and support translators and promote their visibility. This initiative is the result of the constant and continuous efforts of several translators’ associations (including ACE Traductores) to increase awareness of the essential work carried out by translators. […]
Sep 30, 2017 | Czech Republic
Translators from Czech are invited to visit the Czech Republic in the spring again. The Czech Literary Centre offers residential stays in Prague or Brno lasting up to 4 weeks. Translators in residence have a chance to meet their authors, get acquainted with the local culture and literature, and present their work at such prestigious venues as the Václav Havel Library. […]
