April 20, 2025

SELTA CPD and Mentorship Programme 2024

2024 saw SELTA’s commitment to the future development of the Swedish-English literary translation sphere crystalise in the form of the SELTA Mentorship and CPD programme, which ran between March and October and culminated in our autumn event.

Whilst providing a valuable opportunity for translators at different stages of their career – from early to mid-career or in one case, undergraduate – the programme was also intended to be an excellent chance for experienced translators to further develop their mentorship skills.

Our mentee and mentor pairs all met at least five times over the course of the programme to discuss and work on a wonderful variety of literary translation projects, from poetry to graphic novels. Equally important were discussions about the industry itself, from contracts to networking. Against an ever-in-flux translation landscape suddenly jolted in another radical direction by the rise of AI translations, our mentor and mentee pairs had a lot of experiences to share and questions to mull over. We hope that, however uncertain the future, this certainly will not be the last mentorship programme.

Our mentees generously shared their experiences with us– read on to find out the ins and outs of a SELTA mentorship.

 

Tom Buckle

Being accepted onto SELTA’s 2024 Mentorship and CPD Programme was an exciting surprise and felt like a great opportunity to receive in-depth advice and direct feedback on my own translations from an established translator. From the start, Annie Prime was an encouraging and insightful mentor. She allowed a lot of scope for me to choose which aspects of translating I would like to work on, while also directing me towards tasks that would benefit me most given my limited experience of translating from Swedish into English.

We worked on three very different texts during the mentorship: an excerpt from the novel Inget ska växa över mig (working title: Nothing will grow over me) by Elin Grelsson, a literature studies paper on Kafka’s The Trial by a member of faculty at University of Gothenburg and several chapters from the non-fiction, self-help book Tvärtom (working title: The opposite) by Stefan Pagréus.

Translating these texts presented a range of challenges and learning experiences. Among many valuable lessons, working with Annie helped me to obtain a far more robust frame of reference for when and how best to diverge from the source text, when a more literal translation doesn’t fit well in English. Besides the mentoring raising my proficiency as a translator, it also deepened my understanding of how the translation
business works. In this regard, our work on Tvärtom was particularly beneficial.

Annie received an inquiry from Bonnier Rights on her availability to translate four chapters of the book, and very generously agreed to share the work with me as a co- translation. I was thus able to follow Annie through this project, see the content and tone of her correspondence with the literary agent, and  understand much more about the contractual side of translating. For the translation itself, we took two chapters apiece, checked and edited each other’s work, gave and received feedback and alternative suggestions in the documents themselves, and then also discussed our views over the phone. I feel that this experience of actually working on a commissioned project is invaluable, and will hopefully hold me in good stead as I pursue future work. I wholeheartedly endorse the experience as a mentee, thank SELTA for offering this great opportunity and would encourage any other budding translators to leap at the chance of
being mentored.

 

Eva Corijn

I am incredibly grateful to have been a mentee: it was such an enriching experience. I don’t think I realised at the start how much fun I would have during the mentorship, but that is exactly what happened: tackling projects with my mentor felt like engaging in a delightful new hobby! The fact that I was paired up with Nichola (Nicky) Smalley in particular felt like a sheer gift: she was the best mentor I could have asked for. Nicky guided and encouraged me with endless patience and kindness, boosting my professional confidence.

I had a long document with questions about the translation industry, from very vague ones (“how on earth do you get that very first literary translation assignment?”) to highly specific ones (“what should a royalties clause in a contract include?”). Nicky patiently answered all these questions, giving me a much better grasp of the industry.

Ahead of each session, we settled on an excerpt by a particular author (Malin Lindroth, Linda Segtnan, Tove Alsterdal, Emma Hamberg) that I’d work on until the next meeting. Nicky gave me the freedom to propose texts myself (I really enjoyed working on Lindroth’s Nuckan), but also convinced me to tackle genres I wouldn’t have chosen myself. This led to interesting discussions about the demands of different genres, how to produce a strong translation even when you don’t vibe with the source text, and how to get a feel for the particularities of certain genres. During our next meeting, we then went through my translation together, with Nicky offering constructive criticism and/or sharing existing translations of the same text, so we could compare both translations and discuss differences and similarities.

Main lessons I learnt

– I know much, much more about the translation industry than I did a year ago, both thanks to Nicky and thanks to other SELTA members suggesting workshops and events to attend. Getting to meet other SELTA members added real value to the mentorship, with so many people sharing personal tips. Perhaps the main lesson here is that literary translators are a fantastically generous, supportive and knowledgeable family that I’d love to be a part of!

– My favourite ‘Nicky lesson’ is the importance of rhythm in translation. Nicky has an
incredible and innate affinity with the musicality of language. “How does it sound, Eva?” she would ask me. “Listen to the text. Hear the author’s voice – then make sure your translation sings in that same voice.” Thanks to Nicky, I will never be the same translator again: I now close my eyes and use my ears instead, to feel language’s song rather than its sentences.

 

Jessica Cox

As the graduating student selected for the mentorship scheme, I came into it with zero knowledge of the industry, very limited experience in translation, and no connections within the sector. I found that with Saskia as my mentor, I got so much experience of all of these elements and now find myself much better placed to begin my translation career. Saskia has been an incredibly useful resource for any and all
of my questions about translating texts, making industry connections and interactions with clients. I truly would not be placed so well for my future career in translation without the extensive help of both Saskia and SELTA.

I’ve worked on a couple different projects over the course of this mentorship. My first project was translating a short story from Jonas Karlsson’s Den perfekte vännen, which I have submitted to a range of journals with an aim to publication. My mentor helped me along at every stage of the process, demystifying the world of literary journals and building my confidence in the fact that I could even try submitting my work, as well as helping me in the translation itself, especially with maintaining unique voices for each character.

My second project was translating Så funkar havet by Lasse Åberg for the foundation Voice of the Ocean, which is my first ever paid and commissioned work. Saskia recommended me personally for this project and I will never be able to thank her enough. She helped me along not only with the translation, but also with negotiating my fee and making sure that I was getting fairly compensated for my work. Not only would I not have gotten this job without the mentorship programme, I also would not have been able to negotiate fair and timely payment.

My final project was simply trying my hand at translating poetry, which is something that I found incredibly daunting. It’s not necessarily something that I’ll be submitting anywhere, but Saskia’s advice has been invaluable and has given me the confidence to carry on translating poetry in the future.

The simple opportunity of joining in with SELTA activities has also been immensely helpful to me. Being able to connect with professional translators of Swedish has been both inspiring and a valuable resource for getting to grips with the variety of experiences within translation circles. While mentorships are
understandably a very finite resource, I think reaching out to university Scandinavian departments to include a few students in any events that SELTA holds is a great idea – I did speak to the second year Edinburgh student at the translation workshop in October, and it seemed to me that she really benefitted from the opportunity. I could never adequately express just how much SELTA and, in particular, Saskia have helped me in carving out the very beginnings of my career in translation, and I will always be infinitely grateful for this opportunity.

 

Jane Davis

I was a relatively new member of SELTA when I attended the BCLT’s online Advanced Scandinavian Translation Workshop, and one of my key takeaways from the event – as well as the buzz that I always get from a high quality translation event – was how organised, energetic and down-to-earth Ian Giles is.

So when the SELTA mentorship scheme was launched and Ian was listed as one of the mentors, I knew who I wanted to choose! Particularly as his areas of interest included “exploring what our translations are used for in the publishing industry”. Since I’ve been a commercial translator for well over a decade, I know how to do the actual translation bit (though obviously there’s always room for improvement!). But the actual nuts and bolts of how the publishing industry interacts with translation, and indeed how the publishing industry works at all, were (ahem) a closed book to me. The fact that the mentorship began with a trip to London Book Fair was rather daunting. As someone who lives in a very small Swedish rural town – and perhaps above all as a late-diagnosed autistic – such events are extremely daunting for me. But with Ian to call upon and guide me through the melee, everything went swimmingly. I think it helped to have set the goal of merely surviving the fair, rather than feeling that I had to come away from it with tons of new contacts. Though I did make some new contacts too, and even gained the confidence to later approach the Gothenburg Book Fair on my own.

Looking back now that the mentorship is officially over, I’m still thrilled to have been accepted as a “mid-career translator”, and delighted with what I gained from the experience. Even outside our scheduled sessions, Ian has always been ready to help out with practical insider knowledge. We’ve worked on several texts together, and are about to embark on a full-length non-fiction title. But more than this, I now feel like I do have a place in the literary translation world, and that the trade events so intimidating to the uninitiated are actually a lot of fun.

Read Jane’s translated extract from The Game (Leken) by Jörgen Gassilewski in Swedish Book Review 2025:1.

 

Corinne Platten

In applying for the SELTA mentorship as an emerging translator, I looked forward to gaining practical knowledge and skills of the craft of translation, as well as guidance in navigating the translation world. In doing so, I hoped that it would lead me closer to publishing a translated piece of fiction in English. Having focused on these goals together with my mentor BJ Woodstein throughout the mentorship, I feel significantly strengthened in my ability to move forward independently with potential translation projects.

Following the official beginning of the mentorship at the 2024 London Book Fair – in itself an eye-opening experience and a wonderful networking opportunity – BJ Woodstein and I have primarily worked on a translated excerpt of Swedish graphic novel “Fattigt skryt”, by author Cecilia Vårhed. Published in the fall of 2023 by Galago, “Fattigt skryt” is a trippy saga about broken love, class, friendship and the quest to land on one’s feet. From a technical perspective, this work allowed us to dive into the question of translating onomatopoeia, a frequently recurring feature throughout the book. We also identified and discussed specific challenges related to the translation of graphic novels, such as the issue of space constraints within a panel.

Alongside working on these translation aspects, BJ Woodstein guided me through the process of seeking permission to translate from the original publisher as well as finding an appropriate outlet for publication. The work was greatly facilitated by Cecilia Vårhed, who graciously offered to insert the translation proposal into the graphic panels. Ultimately, the translation proposal was published in the Swedish Book Review in September. As such, this project has allowed me to gain insight into all the different steps that allow a translation to come into being, from initial idea to finished publication.

Following this, I have begun working on a translated excerpt of yet another graphic novel; “Portal” by Edith Hammar, a Finland Swedish writer and artist. Set against the backdrop of both contemporary and post-war Helsinki, “Portal” offers a unique exploration of queer Scandinavian history and use of Finland Swedish language. Timewise, this excerpt will be presented to relevant literary magazines for consideration in the coming weeks.

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the SELTA committee for this wonderful opportunity and to my mentor BJ Woodstein, in particular, for her generosity and enthusiasm throughout my mentorship.

 

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January 1, 2025

Autumn event in Edinburgh

Read more about the author-translator workshop SELTA held at the Scottish Poetry Library in Edinburgh.

As 2024 draws to a close, it’s time for reflection- and a chance to look back at a dreich day in autumn, when a group of Swedish authors and translators from the language gathered in Edinburgh for SELTA’s autumn event. This took the form of a full-day translation workshop with visiting authors Hanna Nordenhök, Jörgen Gassilewski, and Lida Starodubtseva at the Scottish Poetry Library. The event was well-attended and well-enjoyed: we look forward to more like it in the future!

One of our participating authors, Lida Starodubtseva, kindly wrote a playful piece in response to the workshop, which we would like to share here.

*

I’ll start with a quote paraphrased from Athena Farrokhzad: isn’t every text a river?

Doesn’t every text have two riverbanks: the translated, and the still not translated? Perhaps even: the translatable and the untranslatable. Do you remember the old riddle about the wolf, the goat and the head of cabbage that have to be carried across a river in a boat – where naturally they cannot all be present at the same time? The wolf wants to eat up the goat, the goat wants to eat up the head of cabbage. Do you remember how sweat-inducing the riddle used to be when it was given out as an extra task in – maybe fifth grade? Surely the same feeling can appear when you’re sitting with a translation, sunken deep into a process where the semantics, the phonetics and the style don’t want to sit together in the same boat? The toilsome puzzling ahead of each crossing: out with this expression and in with this rewriting, and how does that sound? Got no further. Sigh.

At the SELTA seminar that took place a few weeks ago in Edinburgh, I was for sure not taking part as a translator, rather as an author. But: once a translator, always a translator. The wolf, the goat, the head of cabbage. A) I write in a language that is not my first language and which I began to speak somewhat fluently only in my twenties – a slightly peculiar Swedish that carries traces of both my Russian and a sort of general linguistic abstraction and enstrangement. B) Now a text from my book is to be translated to another language, English, and the translator – the ferryman who carries meaning across from one bank to the other – has enough of their own matters to deal with: can they be bothered to get stuck into a source text that has a peculiar upbringing? C) At the other end of the process, there is an imagined reader who shouldn’t need to know anything in advance, be that about the author’s and the original text’s suppositions or the ferryman’s concerns. The reader has the right to expect… reading, and nothing else. The reader should not need to think about why “the voice fumbles over the neighbouring tones” is not a normal description; the reader should feel a sting of oddness but travel further along in the text, unencumbered. Or: whether wooden staircases resonate “meekly” – how do they sound then, actually? Meekly, with a soft echo, tentatively, modestly? Is it the physically perceptible sound that is being described, or the child’s feeling of being carried, supported, comforted by the staircase that has been tramped along so many times before?

To those dear translators who have sat trying to find a way to solve this: my immense gratitude!

So then: we have all learnt how the riddle is to be solved. A) You carry the head of cabbage across, then you travel back to fetch the goat. B) Once on the other side of the river again, you leave the goat and bring back the head of cabbage to the starting point where the wolf is waiting. C) For the final round, you carry the wolf and the head of cabbage across together. Everyone is happy, no one has come to harm.

You reach, as is so often the case, a solution that seems ok. A text that does not challenge too much, unbothersome formulations, descriptions that feel… normal.

But imagine if the wolf is vegetarian. Imagine if the goat is actually the big billy-goat, Bruse, who can knock the wolf down. Imagine if there are others on the bank that the riddle forgot to mention. Think if all the solutions that look correct are just half-decent compromises – and the one that looks completely crazy is the only one that really creates meaning. Make it queer, as the master translator John Swedenmark once wrote.

Isn’t every text a river – or the possibility of a river. This rhetorical question I will be saving for the wonderful future where I have the time to write flippant essays and need a suitable title for one of them, one that will be about collective translations of linguistically odd and fragile texts. “Possibility of rivers.” Or “Possibility of a river”? Does that sound normal? Or with a touch of oddness? That’s something we can discuss, should someone then wish to translate the essay into another language.

(Translated by Sophie Ruthven)

 

 

A number of the participants were also happy to share some reflections from the day. We hope they will bring back fond memories to those who were able to attend, and be inspiring to others!

 

Translator Alistair Gage:

As an employed commercial translator for the last 20-plus years, it was particularly rewarding to apply my mind to some literary translation again. The texts were suitably challenging and the whole day was very well organised. The Scottish Poetry Library was a perfect venue too.

It was also great to meet some “real” translators, rather than be sat in front of a computer screen on my own most of the working day, as seems to be the life of translators these days.

Nice that this meeting was held closer to (my) home too, and all in all, a most inspiring day.

 

Final year Edinburgh student Alex Kastel:

I found it interesting to compare and discuss the translations themselves, and to be able to compare the language to the authors’ intentions. As a student I felt less familiar with how professional translation work is conducted but it was interesting to get a sense of the backgrounds and connections of the different attendees’ to translating. I also found it surprising but also exciting that this style of discussion forum was rare and liked that everyone shared a feeling of novelty and enthusiasm towards it from swapping and contrasting ideas and interpretations.

 

And Elizabeth Lutz of UEA:

I really appreciated the format of the workshop, that it included short introductions by each of the authors and then we discussed their work in small groups around a round table. Everyone used the language they felt most comfortable with, Swedish or English. Breaks in between sessions provided opportunities to speak with the authors directly and to meet other translators. Almost everyone was new to me, since I only recently joined SELTA. I also got to talk with Lars Gassilewski about his writing process for both poetry and prose and the writers who influenced him. It was insightful to hear from other translators about decisions they struggle with in literary texts.

The Scottish Poetry Library was a lovely venue for the day and lunch was very good! I got to try thyme tea, which I’d never had before, and now it’s one of my favourites.

 

Translator Helen Robinson:

I really enjoyed the SELTA workshop. There was a good balance between the presentations by the authors and the translation break out groups. Thanks to everyone who worked hard to collate the translations and those who led the groups. It was great to meet so many translators.

 

Translator Kathy Saranpa:

For translators, who have must have one of the most solitary occupations on the planet, meeting up with our peers is always a treat. But attending a workshop together to work on texts with their authors present is an absolute goldmine. We can see each others’ thought processes in real time, decide whether our crazy ideas were way off base or a stroke of genius, and ask authors what they meant by phrases that may have made us scratch our heads. Not to mention the reactions authors have to hearing their works in English in several different versions, something that I find very gratifying. Who else but a translator can have almost as intimate a relationship with their creations as they do?

In October, several SELTA members gathered to work on texts by three Swedish authors who were present — Jörgen Gassilewski, Hanna Nordenhök and Lida Starodubtseva — and by one who wasn’t able to be present, Quynh Tran. It was hard to decide which two authors NOT to work with, as there were parallel sessions both morning and afternoon. I ended up in the group with Lida Starodubtseva in the morning, and it was an epiphany. Her native language is Russian, and I wasn’t aware of this when working on her texts. Some of the phrases I struggled most with were traces of Russian idioms in Swedish. There was also a missing comma that caused many of us trouble, and which she promptly replaced in her text. But since then I’ve been almost obsessed with the idea of language that ‘misbehaves’ and creates an additional layer of meaning and an enhanced richness.

The authorless afternoon session featured an interesting twist: there was a new first page. We discussed such issues as whether having the new information would change our translations in any way and what questions we would ask Tran if he had been able to be present. The issue of how Finland-Swedish the author was came up, as Tran was not born in Finland and no longer lives there, but debuted as a Finland-Swedish writer from Jakobstad.

The conversations outside the workshops were also incredibly rewarding, Not only the shop talk and the gossip, but also talking to students and younger translators and getting their perspectives on our career path, especially in light of technological developments such as AI. The Scottish Poetry Society was an outstanding venue for our workshop with its volumes of poetry to look at during breaks, the thought-provoking quotes on the walls, and the intriguing gift shop.

Many thanks and kudos are due to Ian Giles, who worked hard to organize this event, and the team that helped him. It was such a worthwhile experience for SELTA members and guests.

Translator and incoming SELTA Chair Nichola Smalley:

It’s always fascinating and terrifying to take part in these workshops. Fascinating because you get to engage so deeply with the texts concerned and you learn so much about your colleagues’ varied approaches and the choices they lead to, and terrifying because you’re forced to look closely at your own methods and confront your own mistakes and assumptions. Luckily, the supportive and collegiate spirit in which the workshop takes place renders moot any embarrassment at wonky choices. I took part in sessions with Lida Starodubtseva and Hanna Nordenhök, both translators themselves, and was charmed by the grace, insight and openness of both of them and impressed by my colleagues’ thoughtful responses to their texts, which each presented distinct yet head-scratching challenges. All in all a really valuable experience. Here’s to the next SELTA translation workshop!

We are grateful for the Scottish Poetry Library who permitted us to run the workshop in their wonderful venue, as well as of course to the authors and all the participants who contributed to a fantastic atmosphere.

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November 13, 2024

Nichola Smalley elected Chair of SELTA

Nichola Smalley replaces Ian Giles following the 2024 AGM.

We are excited to announce that translator Nichola Smalley has been elected as Chair of SELTA after the retirement from office of Ian Giles.

A translator of both Swedish and Norwegian literature, Smalley’s professional background also includes time in the publishing industry as Publicity Director at And Other Stories. She is known for her particularly sensitive approach to the musicality of language (as well as any other music found in the text) and holds a PhD from UCL covering contemporary urban vernaculars in Swedish and UK rap, literature, and translation.

Smalley’s translations are regularly award-nominated, with recent accolades including winning a PEN Translates award in February 2024 to translate Andrzej Tichý’s Purity. Smalley’s admired translation of Tichý’s novel Wretchedness also won the Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize. She also served on the jury that awarded the 2023 Bernard Shaw Prize.

Outside the act of translation itself, she is also heavily involved in ensuring a bright future of Swedish to English literary translation. Smalley has mentored a number of junior literary translators, most recently on SELTA’s CPD programme, which ran from early this year and concluded at the end of October.

Smalley said: “I’m honoured to be tasked with chairing SELTA and am looking forward to working with the membership to ensure we are all able to further our creative practice and push for better working conditions. I’m extremely grateful to my predecessors, Ian Giles and Ruth Urbom for all the ideas and energy they brought to the role and hope to live up to the precedent they’ve set!”

Retiring Chair Ian Giles said: “Nicky has been a long-term member of SELTA who has added so much to the organisation over the years. I’ve every confidence that we will go from strength to strength under her direction.”

We are excited for the future of SELTA under Nichola’s tenure…

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Nichola Smalley is wearing a yellow jumper and smiling at the camera.
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October 11, 2024

Fiona Graham on Dryden longlist

Congratulations Fiona!

Fiona Graham’s translation of Kjell Westö’s Dusk 41 (Skymning 41) was longlisted for this year’s John Dryden Translation Competition. Congratulations Fiona!

You can see the full list of winners here. Please also note that the 2023-2024 competition is also now open, with a deadline of 5th February 2024.

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Frank Perry shortlisted for 2024 Petrona Award

Congratulations Frank!

Our congratulations go to Frank Perry, whose translation of Åsa Larsson’s The Sins of our Fathers has been shortlisted for this year’s Petrona Award.

The Petrona Award recognises translated Scandinavian crime fiction that has been published in the UK during the previous calendar year.

What the judges say:

“Larsson remains a wise, observant, social commentator and creator of a gripping, suspenseful and utterly moving series, with her eye to the past and the future, and emotive style. Delicate and relevant humour adds hope to the fragile lives of the main characters.”

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October 2, 2024

Saskia Vogel Finalist for National Book Award

Congratulations Saskia!

Saskia Vogel’s translation of Ædnan by Linnea Axelsson is now a finalist for the National Book Award for Translated Literature, alongside four other titles from Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, and French. You can read a detailed press release here.

Finalists receive $1,000 and a bronze medal, with the $10,000 prize for the winner being split evenly between author and translator. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, 20th November.

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September 12, 2024

Three SELTA members on 2024 Petrona Longlist

Congratulations Alice, Frank, and Sarah!

Congratulations to three SELTA members who feature on the 2024 Petrona Award longlist, announced today.
The translators and titles are as follows:
Tove Alsterdal – You Will Never Be Found, tr. Alice Menzies (Sweden, Faber & Faber)
Åsa Larsson – The Sins of Our Fathers, tr. Frank Perry (Sweden, MacLehose Press)
Karin Smirnoff – The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons, tr. Sarah Death (Sweden, MacLehose Press)
The shortlist will be announced on 10 October 2024. For details of the prize and the other titles on the longlist see here.
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May 20, 2024

Frank Perry shortlisted for CWA Dagger Award

Congratulations Frank!

Congratulations go to SELTA member Frank Perry, who has been shortlisted for a CWA Dagger for Crime Fiction in Translation. Perry’s translation of ‘The Sins Of Our Fathers’ by Åsa Larsson (Maclehose Press, 2023) is the final instalment in the six-part Rebecka Martinsson series.

You can see the full shortlist here.

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April 24, 2024

Frank Perry longlisted for CWA Dagger Award

Congratulations Frank!

Congratulations go to SELTA member Frank Perry, who has been longlisted for a CWA Dagger for Crime Fiction in Translation. Perry’s translation of ‘The Sins Of Our Fathers’ by Åsa Larsson (Maclehose Press, 2023) is the final installment in the six-part Rebecka Martinsson series.

You can see the full longlist here.

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Kira Josefsson shortlisted for International Booker

Congratulations Kira!

Congratulations to SELTA member Kira Josefsson, whose translation of Ia Genberg’s Detaljerna (The Details, Wildfire Books 2023) has been selected for the International Booker Prize Shortlist 2024.

Six countries and six languages are represented by the shortlisted novels. You can read more about The Details here, and see the full shortlist here.

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March 12, 2024

Kira Josefsson on Booker Longlist

Congratulations Kira!

Congratulations to SELTA member Kira Josefsson, whose translation of the August Prize-winning Detaljerna by Ia Genberg has been longlisted for the International Booker Prize.

From the prize:

“In exhilarating, provocative prose, Ia Genberg reveals an intimate and powerful celebration of what it means to be human.”

Read more about this year’s longlist here.

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February 25, 2024

Nicky Smalley wins PEN Translates award

One of 12 PEN Translates awards will fund Nicky Smalley’s translation of Purity by Andrzej Tichý. The book is forthcoming from And Other Stories.

Congratulations to Nicky Smalley, who has received a PEN Translates award for her translation of Purity by Andrzej Tichý, forthcoming from And Other Stories.

Purity was a finalist for the 2021 Nordic Council Literature Prize. Anna Aslanyan writes in the Guardian:

‘The polyphony of voices is tightly interwoven . . . arranged into a narrative resembling a complex musical composition . . . The book ends abruptly, as an avant-garde piece of music might, but the vibrations continue to fill the air.’⁠

For full details of this year’s awards, see here.

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February 9, 2024

Introducing the mentees for SELTA’s CPD Programme

Meet the mentees in SELTA’s 2024 Mentorship and CPD Programme.

We are pleased to introduce the mentees for SELTA’s 2024 Mentorship and CPD Programme. Part of SELTA’s commitment to the future development of the Swedish-English literary translation sphere, this programme presents a valuable opportunity for translators at different stages of their career – be that early to mid-career or undergraduate – to hone their craft while gaining new professional skills and insight.

SELTA Chair Ian Giles notes: ‘Demand for the mentorship programme far exceeded both our expectations and resources, and unfortunately, we were unable to accommodate all deserving applicants. The selection committee was struck by the passion and curiosity for literary translation exhibited by the gathered field of applicants, and it is most reassuring that there are so many skilled translators focused on sharing Swedish literature with the anglosphere. I’m delighted with the five mentees we have selected and have every confidence that they will make the most of this opportunity.’

The mentee and mentor pairs are as follows:

Corinne Platten with BJ Woodstein

Corinne has been working as a freelance translator for literary and political magazines for the past few years and now wishes to pursue a literary translation career.

Eva Corijn with Nicky Smalley

Eva is a highly experienced translator and editor looking to get started in literary translation.

Jane Davis with Ian Giles
Jane is a mid-career literary translator as well as proofreader, editor and writer. You can take a look at some of her publications on the SELTA website.

Jessica Cox with Saskia Vogel
Jessica is a current undergraduate student of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Edinburgh.

Tom Buckle with Annie Prime
Tom is an early career literary translator with extensive commercial editing experience. You can read Tom’s pieces for Swedish Book Review here.

Good luck to all and we look forward to seeing the results of your collaboration later in the year!

For more details about the programme, see the original announcement.

A collage image showing five profile photos of the five mentees

Top (left to right): Jane Davis; Eva Corijn; Corinne Platten.
Bottom (left to right): Tom Buckle; Jessica Cox

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February 7, 2024

2023 Bernard Shaw Prize awarded to Saskia Vogel

The 2023 Bernard Shaw Prize has been awarded to Saskia Vogel for her translation from Swedish of Johanne Lykke Holm’s ‘Strega’ published by Lolli Editions.

The winner of the 2023 Bernard Shaw Prize is SELTA member Saskia Vogel for her translation of Strega by Johanne Lykke Holm published by Lolli Editions. The winner will be honoured as part of the Society of Authors’ annual Translation Prizes celebratory event held at the British Library on 7th February.

This year’s judges include SELTA member Nichola Smalley, author Amanda Svensson and Guardian journalist and former news editor at The Bookseller Alison Flood, who said of the winner:

‘Johanne Lykke Holm’s story of a girl who arrives to work in an empty hotel in a remote Alpine town is deep and dreamlike, hinting at and then revealing the dark underbelly of growing up as a young woman in a violent society. Saskia Vogel matches the mythlike flavour of Holm’s tale in her luminous translation of this eerie, disturbing novel.’

Nichola Smalley added:

‘Saskia Vogel’s translation of this astonishing novel is truly virtuosic – the text comes alive in all its uncanny beauty as the English language is made to bend supply and excitingly without ever losing its elasticity.’

The runner up was Jennifer Hayashida for her translation of Elin Cullhed’s Euphoria.

The prize is awarded for the best translation into English of a full length Swedish language work of literary merit and general interest, with the winner receiving £3000 and the runner up £1000. Named after the author and dramatist George Bernard Shaw, whose Nobel Prize went towards a foundation for ‘the promotion and diffusion of knowledge and appreciation of the literature and art of Sweden in the British Islands’, the prize was established in 1991 and is generously sponsored by the Anglo-Swedish Literary Foundation and the Embassy of Sweden in London. This marks the first occasion when the prize has been awarded biennially. The next award will be for 2025 (awarded in 2026).

This was the first time that SELTA member Saskia Vogel was shortlisted for the Bernard Shaw prize, while also being the first time Lolli Editions has featured on the shortlist for the prize. SELTA offers its wholehearted congratulations to Saskia on her achievement.

You can watch the full prize ceremony here. And finally well done to all the translators who were featured on the shortlist for the 2023 prize as announced last December.

 

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January 21, 2024

Rachel Willson-Broyles longlisted for 2024 Dublin Literary Award

Congratulations to Rachel Willson-Broyles whose translation of Ann-Helén Laestadius’ Stolen is longlisted for the 2024 Dublin Literary Award.

Congratulations to SELTA member Rachel Willson-Broyles whose translation of Ann-Helén Laestadius’ Stolen is on the longlist for the 2024 Dublin Literary Award.
From the nominating library:
“Drawing inspiration from true events, the author skillfully uncovers the deep-rooted tensions between ethnic communities in this lesser-known part of Europe. The novel is not only a literary masterpiece but also an enlightening tale that delves into the rich and distinctive historical legacy of culture, shedding light on the challenges confronted by its people. A compelling narrative that seamlessly weaves fiction with reality, this book deserves recognition for its profound exploration of human experience and cultural understanding.“
The longlist features 70 books nominated by 80 libraries from 35 countries, and there is a €100,000 prize sponsored by Dublin City Council. The shortlist will be unveiled on 26th March and the winner will be announced on 23rd May 2024.
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December 22, 2023

2023 in Review

Our now traditional round-up of the year from SELTA chair Ian Giles

Dear SELTA members,

I’d like to begin by thanking you for another year of gott samarbete in SELTA. While it’s been a slightly quieter year than some for SELTA, there’s still plenty to reflect upon.

Our membership figures remain in fine fettle – we end the year with a tally of 83, a decrease of only one compared to last year. We were delighted to welcome six new members to the fold. Sadly, we also said goodbye to former Chair and founder member Eivor Martinus who died in the spring.

After a rather gentle start to the year (following the excitement of our anniversary year in 2022), more than twenty SELTA members attended the London Book Fair. This included an informal dinner, a Nordic coffee meet-up at Olympia, and a lively SELTA spring meeting. I must record our gratitude to the Swedish Literature Exchange for funding both the dinner and admission to Olympia for SELTA members. We continue to maintain positive and ongoing dialogue with them, and we met with them twice this year to discuss current and future projects, as well as the outlook for the funding picture in years to come following (another) restructuring of the Swedish Arts Council. They continue to support the activities of Swedish Book Review, and have once again made funds available to support a Swedish mentorship run through ALTA (with Rachel Willson-Broyles serving as mentor). In what appears to have become a new norm, LBF 2024 won’t feature a Nordic stand, but will hopefully see many stakeholders participating individually.

It was all change at the Swedish Embassy in London. Pia Lundberg departed as Counsellor for Cultural Affairs in June, as did her right-hand woman Sofia Lundström, who was serving as Cultural Affairs Officer. Recruitment for a new Counsellor is ongoing, and at time of writing I gather there is a preferred candidate but that a name won’t be announced until January. Of course, we’ll keep you informed and do our best to maintain our strong relationship with the embassy in the meantime. The Ambassador, Mikaela Kumlin Granit, who so generously hosted us for our fortieth birthday a year ago, has also departed to head up Sweden’s mission to the EU (replaced in London by Stefan Gullgren), while Pia has been appointed the Director of the Gothenburg Film Festival.

The autumn saw one of the major events of the year for a number of SELTA members when the British Centre for Literary Translation (BCLT) hosted its virtual three-day Advanced Scandinavian Translation Workshop. This included a total of twelve SELTA members (either as attendees or facilitators), as well as many other familiar faces from the world of Scandinavian-English literary translation. Feedback was very positive, with many taking the time to briefly summarise their impressions for SELTA’s website. This event was only possible thanks to the hard work of the BCLT and the funding provided by the Swedish, Norwegian and Danish cultural bodies – I sincerely hope this can provide a springboard to something hosted in person in the next year or two that brings together Nordic-English translators.

Christmas has come early for those of us in the Swedish-English game with the announcement of the shortlist for the 2023 Bernard Shaw Prize, which includes many familiar faces from SELTA, including Kira Josefsson (The Trio by Johanna Hedman), Alice Menzies (We Know You Remember by Tove Alsterdal), Alice E. Olsson (The Herd by Johan Anderberg), and Saskia Vogel (Strega by Johanne Lykke Holm). The jury this year also includes one of our own in the shape of Nicky Smalley. I look forward to seeing many of you at the British Library for the announcement of the winner on 7 February.

It’s been another good year for SELTA members elsewhere on the awards circuit. The 2023 Petrona Award went to Michael Gallagher for his translation of Femicide by Pascal Engman, while he was joined on the shortlist by Sarah Death and on the longlist by Ian Giles and Rachel Willson-Broyles. Nicky Smalley’s translation of Amanda Svensson’s A System So Magnificent It Is Blinding was longlisted for the 2023 International Booker Prize and shortlisted for the 2023 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation. Deborah Bragan-Turner’s translation of Sara Stridberg’s The Antarctica of Love was longlisted both for the 2023 Dublin Literary Award and the 2023 National Translation Award in Prose. Finally, we offer our congratulations to Ann Henning Jocelyn, who was already the translator to Swedish of one Nobel Prize winner in the shape of Kazuo Ishiguro; with the award of this year’s prize to Jon Fosse, she now has two to her name!

Our much-loved Treasurer Annie Prime is currently on maternity leave and I’m very grateful to Tom Ellett who is currently serving as Acting Treasurer. SELTA is run by its committee on a voluntary basis, which makes what we do possible. If you’re interested in getting involved, do drop us a line to find out more.

Swedish Book Review has once again done sterling work, with two regular issues published this year in addition to a Finland-Swedish special issue (the first in ten years!) and more in the pipeline. Alex Fleming continues to do a great job as editor (with thanks to the team at Norvik Press for their assistance) while thanks are also due to SBR reviews editor Darcy Hurford.

You may already have gathered that 2024 holds plenty in store for SELTA and its members. We are currently working to put the final touches to a mentorship programme for translators of Swedish literature that will begin in the early spring and run until the autumn. This will include opportunities for all SELTA members to get involved at various points, while we hope to mark the conclusion of the programme with a workshop in October. Keep your eyes peeled for a save-the-date. We also plan to hold our next meeting in the spring, in person and in conjunction with the London Book Fair (12–14 March) at 14:00 on Thursday 14 March at the Embassy of Sweden in London.

Thanks again for a great year – I look forward to seeing you in the coming months at a SELTA event.

God jul och gott nytt år,

Dr Ian Giles
Chair of SELTA

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December 1, 2023

Bernard Shaw Prize 2023 shortlist announced

Four SELTA members feature on the shortlist for the 2023 Bernard Shaw Prize.

Six translators feature on the shortlist for the 2023 Bernard Shaw Prize announced today by the Society of Authors, among which are an impressive four  SELTA members (Kira Josefsson, Alice Menzies, Alice E. Olsson, Saskia Vogel). The prize is awarded for translations into English of full-length Swedish-language works of literary merit and general interest. Having previously been triennial, this is the first time that the prize has been awarded on a biennial basis. The winning translator will receive a cash prize of £3,000, while the runner-up will receive £1,000.

This year’s judges include SELTA member Nichola Smalley, whose translation of fellow judge Amanda Svensson’s ‘A System so Magnificent it is Blinding’ (Scribe) was shortlisted for both the 2023 Booker International Prize and the 2023 Warwick Prize. They are joined on the judging panel by  the Guardian journalist and former news editor at The Bookseller Alison Flood. In the words of Svensson:

‘From the lyrical to the matter-of-fact, these translators have captured the essence of each of their authors tone, ambition, quirks and strengths with accuracy and verve. This shortlist is a testament not only to the power of great literature, but also the power of great translation.’

Smalley added:

‘It was truly a delight to put together this shortlist, and with so little discord among the judges about what made the list and why. We were looking for brilliant translations that captured the rhythm and voice of their source texts, and all the books on the shortlist stand out for doing this in one way or another. As well as novel translations that consistently upheld the atmosphere and experience of reading the Swedish equivalents, we loved the energy in the short story collection and nonfiction book translations we selected. A wonderful selection of books that it was a pleasure to read and celebrate.’

The shortlist in full:

– Jennifer Hayashida for a translation of Euphoria by Elin Cullhed (Canongate Books)
– Kira Josefsson for a translation of The Trio by Johanna Hedman (Hamish Hamilton)
– John Litell for a translation of Nordic Fauna by Andrea Lundgren (Peirene Press)
– Alice Menzies for a translation of We Know You Remember by Tove Alsterdal (Faber and Faber)
– Alice E. Olsson for a translation of The Herd by Johan Anderberg (Scribe UK)
– Saskia Vogel for a translation of Strega by Johanne Lykke Holm (Lolli Editions)

The winner and runner-up will be announced at a ceremony at the British Library on 7 February 2024. Congratulations to all the shortlisted translators.

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A collage showing the front covers of the shortlisted titles
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November 30, 2023

SELTA mentorship and CPD programme in 2024: Call for Mentees

SELTA is now inviting applications to its 2024 Mentorship and CPD Programme from prospective mentees. Applications are due by 20 December 2023.

We are excited to announce that we are now inviting applications to SELTA’s 2024 Mentorship and CPD Programme from prospective mentees. Part of SELTA’s commitment to the future development of the Swedish-English literary translation sphere, this programme presents a valuable opportunity for translators at different stages of their career to hone their craft while gaining new professional skills and insight. 

The 2024 mentorship scheme will support and develop translators at different points in their translation journeys:

– Early-career translators. SELTA defines early-career translators as those who have not yet published a full-length work of literary translation. MFA and MA students in translation can apply, but priority may be given to those who do not have access to the kind of guidance already present in a translation degree programme.
– Mid-career translators. SELTA defines mid-career translators as those who have published one or more full-length works of literary translation. Priority will be given to applicants who have only published 1–2 full literary works.
– Undergraduate translators. SELTA is also offering one mentorship to an undergraduate student or recent graduate. Recent graduates must have graduated in 2022 or 2023 and not otherwise be eligible for the ‘early-career’ category. Priority will be given to applicants who studied/are studying the Swedish language at a university in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, but other suitably qualified students/recent graduates may be considered if appropriate.

 

Each translator will be paired with a more experienced mentor who will offer them guidance and support on a project of the mentee’s choosing over the course of the mentorship programme, meeting on at least five occasions. Mentors will include:

– Saskia Vogel. Our work together would be grounded in a writerly sensibility, deepening your craft and exploring what you want to achieve as a translator. We can set goals and demystify the publishing process. I love writing that pushes boundaries—in form, style, and storytelling—and any sort of propulsive reading experience…
– BJ Woodstein. As a translator, I enjoy developing further with every text I work on and I welcome challenges. I’ve translated a range of texts, but I’m especially passionate about children’s and YA literature. I’m also interested in translation theory as a philosophical and practical tool.
– Nichola Smalley. We will work well together if you’re interested in exploring the day-to-day ins-and-outs of the publishing industry as well as the complexities of language, voice and rhythm. I love political texts that harness form to bring their meaning to the reader in a new way, but I also love silliness and humour.
– Annie Prime. There is no such thing as a perfect translation, nor an untranslatable text. Translation is a series of decisions. I’d like to use my years of experience translating fantasy, children’s fiction, mystery and poetry to empower you to make these decisions with confidence.
– Ian Giles. As an experienced translator of genre fiction and narrative non-fiction, I’m eager to share what I’ve learned about centring the reader’s experience and explore what our translations are used for in industry.

 

Devised and administered by SELTA, the programme will foster rewarding working relationships while also allowing mentees to hone in on what would best support their own professional growth. We expect the programme to constitute a committed, active collaboration that will offer not only the chance to gain practical knowledge of the act of translation and the translation world, but also to establish professional networks and best working practices.  

The programme is scheduled to run March–October 2024 and will begin in conjunction with SELTA’s spring meeting during the 2024 London Book Fair. It is expected to conclude with a translation workshop in October 2024. While the majority of this programme will take place remotely, and it is expected that mentors and mentees will communicate electronically, the working group hopes that most participants will be able to commit to attending the start-up and final meetings in person. Mentees will receive reasonable remuneration for travel costs for attending the in-person events, in addition to a £300 bursary to support expenses incurred over the course of the mentorship.

If you wish to apply for a mentorship please complete the brief form available here. The deadline for applications is 23:59 GMT on Wednesday 20th December. Applications will be considered by the working group and mentors. Applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application by Friday 15 January. 

Contact us if you have any questions about the programme.

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November 25, 2023

Reflections on the BCLT Advanced Scandinavian Translation workshop

SELTA members share their reflections on the BCLT’s advanced translation workshop for Danish, Norwegian and Swedish to English literary translators.

November 2023 saw the British Centre of Literary Translation (BCLT) host an advanced translation workshop for Danish, Norwegian and Swedish to English literary translators. Running online for three days and made possible thanks to the generous support of the Danish Arts Foundation, NORLA and the Swedish Arts Council, the workshop came into being thanks to a small group of dedicated translators, including SELTA Chair Ian Giles.

The event set out to bring together participants from the three Scandinavian language groups throughout, as well as incorporating three parallel workshop strands for each language. There were also  plenary events and networking opportunities to explore the similarities and differences experienced when working as literary translators with Scandinavian languages. Each group was led by a translator facilitator  and joined by  an editor with little to no knowledge of the source language. To cap it all, three online, industry-focused public sessions also took place alongside the workshops covering Trends, Challenges and Perspectives in publishing, translating genre and the infrequently-discussed topic of how to translate works that aren’t really your cup of tea. SELTA’s Sarah Death even shared a virtual afternoon tea with with TA Committee Co-Chair Vineet Lal to discuss her work and career.

A number of SELTA members took part in the translation workshop and have shared their reflections and impressions below. Hopefully these will serve as an insight into a successful and stimulating event, and whet the appetite for future endeavours.

Image from the BCLT.

 

Jane Davis

As a recent member of SELTA, I hadn’t much interacted with other Scandinavian translators and so I didn’t really know what to expect from the BCLT’s online Advanced Scandinavian Literary Translation Workshop. And when I saw the intense schedule – up to 7 hours of Zoom sessions on each of the three days – I rather regretted signing up at all. But a brisk, informative and entertaining welcoming presentation from Guy Puzey on the interrelationships and  miscomprehensions between the three main Scandinavian languages set the tone for what was to come. High-level, challenging, but extremely enjoyable sessions flashed past as we switched from language groups to mixed groups (mine led by the wonderful Paul Russell Garrett, who started every session with slightly terrifying warm-up exercises borrowed from the theatre world) to general sessions and broadcast webinars. Three editors had also been invited to participate, and they watched in surprise and interest as we argued over nuances and teased out meanings – and then almost always said “You could have moved even further from the source than that”.

We had a virtual pub night and I reflected – not for the first time – that it had been a particularly unfortunate coincidence that I had chosen that week to give up not only alcohol and chocolate but also to restrict myself to a mere two cups of tea or coffee per day.

But what did I learn from the workshop? Well, a few practical things that I can already tell will be worth their weight in gold as I approach future translations:

– If you’re struggling to understand a text written in one of the other languages, read it aloud as though it was your working language. This really helps with comprehension – listening to Ian Giles reading Danish with a Swedish accent was the first time I had ever understood the spoken language without subtitles.

– Make your first draft very rough. This was a technique that proved very successful in my mini-Swedish group because it prevented us from getting bogged down in the details before we had an overview of where the text was going.

– Be more editorial. As the editors kept saying, translators tend to work for the author, replicating every nuance, rather than the reader. It really is okay to smooth things out, miss out tricky concepts and take a much greater distance to the text.

Ultimately, I came away from the experience feeling much more at home amongst a lovely community of people, and with a renewed enthusiasm for translating everything, but particularly literature.

 

Elizabeth DeNoma

I was truly pleased to be able to join my colleagues for the Advanced Translation Workshop the other week. The programming had clearly been put together with a lot of care by Ian Giles, Kari Dickson and Paul Garrett, and there was a great mix of panel discussion alongside hands-on translation exercises and discussion.

The inclusion of the professional folks was a decided bonus, too, it was incredibly helpful for them to stick around for the entire session.

There are things that we discussed here that I know will stay with me as I approach my translations in the future – and the sense of community that was fostered, through Zoom no less, was a surprising extra benefit!

Thank you so much for the opportunity – what a wonderful use of time. Very grateful for the sponsorship and time all the organizers put into everything.

 

Kate Lambert

The Advanced Scandinavian Translation Workshop was an amazingly inspiring three days on Zoom. I would previously have said that workshops are always better in person, but without Zoom, I wouldn’t have got to know so many translators based in different countries or been able to work on a translation in a group of four where one of us was in the UK, one in Sweden and two in the US (all credit to them for staying awake in an alien time zone). Shared documents and breakout rooms made it all run smoothly, with the support of the BCLT IT technicians on hand to deal with any glitches.

Translators tend to work in isolation and I always appreciate SELTA’s events where we get the
chance to compare different translations of the same text. At this workshop, we not only submitted texts anonymously for group discussion but also worked together on a chunk of a Swedish autobiographical novel, graphic novels from Swedish, Norwegian and Danish, and an extract from the Swedish translation of Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow. Approaches varied, strokes of genius were celebrated (by the way, Michael should be given credit for our group’s admired addition of the word ‘obviously’) and the key confidence-inspiring thing that came out of all these sessions was that we all take different approaches to the trade-offs that translators have to make.

Many of us translate or have translated from more than one Scandinavian language and the market in which we operate has many similarities across the three countries. At other translator events I have encountered the assumption that if you work with Scandinavia, you get paid so much (comparatively) that you don’t have the right to complain about anything. It was good to be able to share experiences with colleagues who also work specifically in the Scandinavian market.

Another thing that made this workshop different was the presence of professional editors. Gaining an editor’s input on our translations as we produced them added a whole new angle and several of us, I think, found it quite liberating as translators to see how much an editor might change when reading the text as a piece of English writing, though we did also rein in their red pens by explaining the Swedish author’s intentions behind some extremely long sentences. It seemed that both editors and translators benefitted from seeing how the other worked. It was a brilliant idea to have them with us.

It was the BCLT Swedish summer school in 2013 that convinced me I could do literary translation after over ten years on the more commercial side so I was delighted to be attending another BCLT workshop ten years later, having published translations under my belt. Many thanks to everyone involved in making it happen.


Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

 

Michael Meigs

Our many hours on Zoom from November 9 to 11, 2023 reminded us of the reach and dispersal of the literary translation profession as well as the interests that link us. The chat function quickly filled with greetings from across the world. From the UK and Scandinavian nations, of course, but also, for example, South Africa, Japan, Italy, Croatia, and the United States (east coast, west coast, and Texas, where I reside).

My good fortune was that Ian Giles moderated both smaller seminars to which I’d been assigned. Cheerful, attentive, unfailingly helpful, Ian kept the discussion focused with a light touch, summarizing and rephrasing contributions. He shared his own experiences in publishing, an industry that is woefully opaque to most of us. Someone noted a shelf of intriguing bottles in the background; Ian immediately invited us to drop by for a drink whenever we’re in town.

Literary translators may be the most siloed of artists. The task is lonely as we chip away at our chosen language, sentence by sentence, word by word. Collaborative exercises in this three-day workshop helped counter that isolation. As a team we picked translations apart and suggested alternative renderings, ever in search of the perfect equivalent. The day before the translation workshop began, organizers gave us 48 hours to craft short-fuse English versions of a short passage later revealed to come from Peter Hoeg’s Smilla’s Sense of Snow. Reviewing ten two-page first drafts produced under time pressure offered an intriguing array of possible “correct” choices. That key exercise prompted us to discuss in detail considerations of voice, register, focus, and tone.

With a six-hour time difference and sessions starting at 4 a.m. Texas time, I found myself a bit displaced from my immediate surroundings as we progressed through the three days. Removal from the immediacy of my everyday was initially disorienting—but ultimately deeply satisfying. I’d happily apply to repeat the experience.

 

Kathy Saranpa

Not sure what to expect from the BCLT Advanced Scandinavian Translation Seminar – and equal parts daunted and excited by the prospect of three full days online with other translators – I logged on Tuesday 7 November at noon Finnish time to a warm welcome and a fascinating keynote lecture by Dr Guy Puzey that set the tone for three days of text-based work, learning, community and camaraderie.

Now looking back at those three days, I feel that it was one of those events that stick with you for a long time because there were so many aspects of it to reconsider – is it ever OK to use the phrase ‘relentless darkness? What texts can I pitch to Editor X? Why does recasting my translation in a different font help so much in proofreading and editing?

And then of course there’s that irresistible urge to reread Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow…

Our own Ian Giles and the two coordinators from Danish and Norwegian, Paul Garrett and Kari Dickson, succeeded beyond all of my expectations. The work sessions were well-organized, well-run and thoroughly captivating and bore witness to extraordinary footwork ahead of time. The texts we worked with were excellent for their purposes and the use of graphic novels to introduce translators unfamiliar with the other two languages was a stroke of genius. They took everything into consideration – the need for reliably working technology (I’ve never seen a better or more efficient use of Zoom break rooms) and the necessity of altering focused text study with listening to webinars on a headset while walking around in a different room are two examples. It also added a lot to have editors and publishers ‘visiting’ – what they had to say about their professions as well as what they observed about us translators was very useful information.

Three days of Zoom meetings may sound like torture to some people, but Ian, Paul and Kari made it work. This is not to say that we weren’t exhausted by the end of Day Three, but for me, and I suspect for others, it was more a function of having so much ‘good stuff’ crammed into such a short space of time. While I am very much for an in-person translation seminar at some point in the future, this proved that you can have an incredibly valuable experience online as well.


Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash

 

William Sleath

The recent online Advanced Scandinavian Translation Workshop was extraordinarily good, and I benefited enormously from taking part.

The highlight for me was the Swedish-English group translation sessions, which gave one the rare opportunity to translate together with colleagues. This was a great treat in a profession where one chiefly works in isolation. It was fascinating to juggle a plethora of translations of a word or phrase in search of the mot juste – and often we found not just one mot juste but several contenders.

Another intriguing session was the one devoted to translating ‘Scandinavianly’. Seeing how speakers of each of the three languages perceived speakers of the other languages was an eye-opener. I was above all relieved not to be the only one who found spoken Danish a nightmare!

Guy Puzey’s excellent lecture made for an impressive start to the three days, which were packed with a variety of sessions. The timetable even included a ‘pub night’, which to my surprise worked very well, despite its being on Zoom.

Whilst the Zoom format has its limitations, it meant participants in other countries were able to take part – and as far as I’m concerned it meant I took part in something I might not have attended had it involved travel & overnight stays.

Last but not least, the fact that each translator received a bursary for the workshop made participation a no-brainer.

 

Nicky Smalley

Over three packed days, thirty-three Scandinavian translators went deep into the complexities and conundrums of their craft. I was lucky enough to be welcomed into the Norwegian-focused group, and as someone who feels most at home in Swedish, it was a real treat to work with practiced, skilled Norwegian specialists. With a range of practical translation challenges, featuring a range of short texts that presented different challenges (knotty, playful novel excerpts, highly idiomatic language, the challenges of brevity and image-correspondence in graphic novels, a snippet of a famous Danish novel in its Scandinavian translations) we were really tested. The practical work was augmented with a series of genuinely fascinating and brilliantly put-together panel discussions that looked at some of the practical workplace concerns faced by translators. All this was topped off by the inclusion of some talented and brilliantly frank editors, and several publishers who provided some very meaningful and insightful advice. All in all it was three days, incredibly well-spent! With thanks to the speakers, the other participants, and most of all, the organisers, who really went above and beyond in putting together a fantastic programme.

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November 24, 2023

Ian Giles elected Translators Association Co-Chair

SELTA Chair Ian Giles elected Translators Association Co-Chair

SELTA Chair Ian Giles has been elected as Co-Chair of the Translators Association (TA), the union for literary translators in the UK under the umbrella of the Society of Authors. He formally took up office at the TA’s AGM on 9 November and will serve a term of two years. Vineet Lal is the other Co-Chair, whom SELTA members may remember interviewed Sarah Death as part of the 2023 SoA@Home programme.

Swedish interests are well catered to at present on the TA committee. Fellow SELTA member Nichola Smalley was also elected to the committee at the same time as Ian in 2022. Over the years, SELTA members have frequently served within the TA. Doyenne of Swedish translation Patricia Crampton served as Chair on three different occasions. More recently, committee members have included Ruth Urbom, Sarah Death, Kevin Halliwell, while SELTA founder member Ann Henning Jocelyn served as Chair of the TA in the 1980s.

Ian wrote a feature about the TA in CEATL’s journal Counterpoint earlier this year. Read it here.

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October 21, 2023

Nicky Smalley longlisted for 2023 Warwick Prize

Congratulations Nicky!

Congratulations to SELTA member Nicky Smalley who has been longlisted for the 2023 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation for her translation of Amanda Svensson’s A System So Magnificent It Is Blinding published by Scribe. The title has gained a lot of positive attention, having previously longlisted for the International Booker Prize.

“In Amanda Svensson’s novel A System So Magnificent It Is Blinding, a shocking secret forces three siblings to reevaluate their places in their family and the world … A System So Magnificent It Is Blinding is a dynamic novel about methods of coping in a world where nothing is certain.” — Foreword Reviews

The shortlist will be announced in early November, and the winner announced on 23rd November.
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October 15, 2023

Michael Gallagher’s translation of Pascal Engman’s Femicide wins Petrona

Congratulations, Michael!

Michael Gallagher’s translation of Femicide by Pascal Engman has been announced as the winner of this year’s Petrona Award. From the judges:

“Continuing in the tradition of fellow Swedish authors Sjöwall and Wahlöö, and Henning Mankell, Pascal Engman uses his writing to comment on societal values making FEMICIDE an interesting, fictional take on the multifaceted topic of violence against women. The book stood out to all the Petrona judges for several reasons. The way FEMICIDE opens the reader’s eyes to the steadily increasing threat of the incel movement and what makes these men tick was felt by all the judges… All the judges felt this book offered something creatively original that captured the zeitgeist of the early twenty-first century and it is a deserved winner”

Engman will receive a trophy, and both author and translator will receive a cash prize.

Read full details, including comments by the Pascal Engman, Michael Gallagher, and Legend Press Commissioning Editor Cari Rosen here.

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Grey and blue book cover with the text 'PASCAL ENGMAN, FEMICIDE'. Longlisted for the 2023 Dagger award. Translated by Michael Gallagher.
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