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Netherlands Translate!
Netherlands Translate!
25 Nov, 2016

netherlands-nlvertaalt-nov16Translation lovers in the Netherlands can enjoy the 7th edition of the annual ‘Nederland vertaalt (http://verstegenstigter NULL.nl/nv/vertaalwedstrijd)‘ (Netherlands Translate) challenge. Translators both professional and amateur have until 24th January 2017 to take on texts in five languages and translate them into Dutch.

These pieces are not the easiest: the poem ‘Ecce Puer’ by the Irish writer James Joyce (English), ‘Il n’y a pas d’amour heureux’ by Louis Aragon (French), ‘Auf was nur einmal ist’ by Peter Rühmkorf (German) and ‘Pequeño Vals Vienés’ by Federico García Lorca (Spanish). High-school students can also participate by translating Bob Dylan’s song ‘All Along The Watchtower’. A leaflet is available for schools.

Each language has a panel of experts who will judge the entries on their effectiveness, creativity, originality and the extent to which the rhymes and metres are respected. The results will be announced during the ‘Big Translation Day’, which will take place on Saturday 13th May 2017, in Utrecht. The day will comprise several lectures regarding various aspects of translation, followed by a discussion with a translator and their author about their cooperation, as well as translation workshops, during which the selected submissions will be analysed.

The organizers (cultural agency Verstegen & Stigter (http://verstegenstigter NULL.nl/) and the daily newspaper NRC Handelsblad (http://www NULL.nrc NULL.nl/)) aim to raise awareness of the importance of a good translation.

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