This year saw the second international video contest ‘Spot the translator’, organised by CEATL, where artists are asked to help make translators more visible by creating sparky and clever short films highlighting the existence and importance of literary translators, their challenges and their role in literature. The €1000 prize will be awarded on International Translation Day, the 30th of September 2013. This year, the 27 videos entered in the contest appeared on the Spot the translator’ event page in Facebook (https://www NULL.facebook NULL.com/events/144804399036962/) and a shortlist (http://www NULL.ceatl NULL.eu/?p=4715) was created based on the number of ‘likes’ received.
The increased response to this year’s contest included a variety of profound, witty, poignant and informative videos, making the jury’s task of selecting the winner more than usually difficult. So difficult, in fact, that it proved impossible, so that the jury decided to divide the prize between the two best videos. The winning videos are very different from each other, but they both provide valuable insight into what it means to be a translator. Translation may well be one of the oldest professions in the world, yet the world still often acts like translators are a waste of space.
The World’s Oldest Profession (http://vimeo NULL.com/73478773) by Caliban Teatro is a musical and vibrant video that comically portrays the trials of working in an underappreciated profession.
Translators Are a Waste of Space (http://www NULL.youtube NULL.com/watch?v=UGYL5sUwr2Q) by Erik Skuggevik and Iver Grimstad is an exceptionally clever minimalist video calling for a reversal of this way of thinking about translators.
CEATL commends the high quality of videos entered in the contest and would like to thank everyone for their participation in helping make translators visible.