Literary Translation Workshops. A handbook for the Western Balkans partners of the Translation in Motion Project

Translation training courses in non-academic contexts can take different formats depending on the identified needs, the organisers’ goals and the overall circumstances. A multitude of models are currently practised across Europe, and this handbook certainly doesn’t cover them all. The formats described here can be applied separately or in various combinations. They can by all means be adapted, expanded on and modified.

The concept of the multilingual translation workshop (MTW) or Translator’s Hive, as it is termed in the Sofia training method, involves bringing together a group of people who translate from different source languages to one target language (usually native or near-native) and animating them to comment on and discuss each other’s work, without them necessarily knowing the language of the original text. The sessions, run by established translators, focus on the participants’ translations and look at various editing and self-editing techniques, contextualisation strategies, etc.

Multilingual workshops such as this are among the core activities of the BCLT Summer School organised annually at the University of East Anglia in Norwich. In Sofia, the ASLT radicalises the concept of multilingual encounters by placing the emphasis on the receiving language and the “foreign” traces that remain in the translated text. Moreover, a valuable aspect is that the participants offer unexpected perspectives based on their diverse linguistic expertise, which leads them to question different aspects of the piece under discussion.

In contrast to multilingual translation workshops, here the groups involve translators working in the same language combination, that is to say the same source and the same target language (for instance, French to Bulgarian or Slovene to German). Here, too, the sessions are run by established translators and focus on the participants’ translations or on a single excerpt from a literary text (see also 2.3.1 on consensus translation).

The obvious advantage of the language-pair workshop is that it brings together participants that speak the same language – literary and metaphorically.

Various organisations across Europe provide such workshops for practising or upcoming translators. For a comprehensive example, see the ATLAS workshops.

As the name suggests, ViceVersa translation workshops focus on a particular language combination with participants working in either direction. This allows for a high degree of exchange between participants. For example: a bilingual workshop with Polish translators from German and German-speaking translators from Polish. Such a constellation creates an ideal space for discussing the intricacies of literary translation, and it can lead to unique insights. The specific difficulties of translating Polish texts into German are related to the linguistic possibilities of German, and vice versa. In these workshops, this observation turns from a problem into a gain. Each participant presents a text in progress to the whole group (not only to participants with the same target language) for discussion. They receive a qualified reaction to their work, gain support in decoding complexities, and are also invited to think “in the other direction”. This brings a sensitisation for the richness of the source language and one’s own tongue as well. Working relationships forged at such international meetings with colleagues from the source-language countries are often of considerable value. Mailing lists and discussion forums are sometimes created and can become important for translators’ work. This type of seminar was established by the Deutscher Übersetzerfonds under the name ViceVersa^[1] and has been tested and refined in more than thirty language combinations (always in connection with German) –with many seminars in translators’ houses all over Europe, but also in literary hubs such as Krakow, Oslo or Mexico City, which were enriched with attractive accompanying literary programmes. ViceVersa has set a precedent and is now practised in many countries.

One of the oldest longest-established programmes that applies the ViceVersa approach to French-German translations is the Goldschmidt Programm^[2], which is aimed at beginners, lasts six weeks and is held in two different locations – at the Literarisches Colloquium Berlin and the Centre International des Traducteurs Littéraires in Arles. Another example is KRANICHE/ŻURAWIE^[3], a German-Polish programme.

Working on linguistic detail is common to all translations, but different genres raise different issues. Translators of nonfiction, for example, face not only the task of editing the language but often the content and structure as well. That means familiarising oneself with the topic and terminology, researching facts, recognising weaknesses in the original and remedying them in consultation with the editor. Fantasy and science fiction are special: these texts need to satisfy specific target groups, be catchy, but also faithfully replicate the subtle mythological allusions or technological details. Translators of children’s and young people’s books face the question of how to translate in a child-friendly way. Drama translation is aimed at spoken language, while theatre subtitling needs to be readable quickly. New translations of classics can warrant a new approach of their own. Translators of comics and graphic novels face different challenges – and different freedoms, and the world of poetry translation is a cosmos of its own. Thematic seminars have been tried and tested for all these issues and for reflecting on translation strategies, whether in intensive workshops lasting several days, or in shorter, digital formats, and conducted by experienced practitioners in the respective field. One providers of such workshops is the Deutscher Übersetzerfonds in Germany with its Akademie der Übersetzungskunst/Academy of the Art of Translation^[4].

Specialisation in certain genres is becoming more common, especially in countries and languages with large translation markets. For specialists as well as for all-rounders, literary translation means lifelong learning. Even established translators benefit from constant exchange with colleagues, from a little guidance on the path from the original to the target language. Workshops provide analytical tools and help broaden one’s language skills. And they’re fun!

It rarely occurs in everyday translation work, but imagine you are working on a book that is currently being translated into many languages, and you are invited to a workshop of the translators with the author. Günter Grass’s translators know how much one can profit from such an exchange with the author. Grass regularly invited “his” translators, after the publication of a new work, to a workshop where the new text was discussed page by page. It goes without saying that many complexities can be decoded by asking the author directly, and allusions and quotations (as well as mistakes and inconsistencies in the original text) can be identified in this way. Moreover, a writer’s disclosures about themselves are always enlightening. Most authors love discussing linguistic details – and who, if not the translator, deals so intensively with their language? This win-win situation is augmented by experiences of cultural difference, which are inevitable in such an international group. An Iranian colleague reports censorship problems, a Chinese translator struggles with transferring German tense forms into his language, and all of them have deadline pressure. These 5- to 7-day seminars have given rise to the Atriumsgespräche at the Europäisches Übersetzer-Kollegium Straelen^[5]: two workshops are offered annually with German authors and books for which a large number of foreign licences have been sold – titles that are particularly appealing in terms of literature and translation. Each workshop is run by a moderator and – vital for translators who cannot be there – the discussions are recorded by a minute-taker. Author and translators live under one roof for several days – a highlight for everyone. The Atriumsgespräche are intense but also costly, and are paid for by a foundation. Online formats that bring a seminar group together with a few clicks on the keyboard have also been gaining ground, not just since the pandemic.

Social Translating^[6] is the name of a project by the Goethe-Institut in Asia, which has created a digital space for ten translators, where they can work on their translations in exchange with each other and a German author. An internet platform (“Lectory”) is used for this purpose, allowing the participants to make marginal notes and leave comments in an e-book of the text. As a prelude, the translators meet the author at the Goethe-Institut Seoul. The book to be translated is selected by judges from the Goethe-Institut and the translators in consultation with the licencing publisher. the German authors Thomas Melle and Judith Schalansky have been involved with their award-winning books and respective translators from Japan, China, India, South Korea, Vietnam and Indonesia. After this personal encounter, the discourse about the text begins – a regular online exchange on individual passages that lasts for months. German is the language of communication. The author supports the translators in their work by explaining terms, allusions and contexts. He or she includes helpful materials such as text excerpts, videos, internet links and references. This allows assumptions and approaches of interpretation to be directly affirmed or refuted, and many references can be illustrated in writing or by sharing images and sounds. A blog captures the voices of the participants, who become companions in the project, and sheds light on this fascinating digital forum. The possibilities of collaborative literary translation in digital form are far from exhausted, and a lot of potential can be unleashed in the years to come.

Translators require living contact with the language and culture of the countries they are translating from, and for many it is a fundamental need to be familiar with the literary scenes of the respective metropolises. In this regard, nothing is as fruitful as traveling. Seminar formats have been established in recent years that focus on conveying the latest trends in a country’s literature to an international audience of its translators. They provide opportunities to become acquainted with contemporary literary developments in the source language and to make personal contacts with authors, publishers and critics, as well as with fellow translators in other countries. Here, detailed work on the text takes the back seat to networking and professionalisation.

Such initiatives have been implemented by the Literarisches Colloquium Berlin, the Frankfurt Book Fair, the Polish Book Institute, the Slovenian Book Agency, the Croatian Association of Literary Translators and other organisations. They are highly recommended. You might try combining one with a residency in the country or when you attend a literature festival there.

[1] www.toledo-programm.de/projekte/5/viceversa/
[2] www.buchmesse.de/foerderprogramme/goldschmidt-programm
[3] www.uebersetzerfonds.de/files/Kraniche_Ausschreibung_DE.pdf
[4] www.uebersetzerfonds.de/#51/einleitung
[5] www.euk-straelen.de/deutsch/straelener-atriumsgespraeche/grundsaetzliches-zum-atriumsgespraech
[6] www.goethe.de/ins/kr/de/kul/lit/sct.html

Organisers of any kind of workshop also find themselves in the role of facilitators, especially at the beginning. It is always a good idea to open a translation workshop with a gathering of all participants, workshop leaders, and partners. You can invite an inspiring person (translator, editor, writer, etc.) for an opening speech or lecture, followed by a discussion. You can also ask all the participants and speakers to introduce themselves in an informal way, even using game elements as icebreakers: e.g. to speak about themselves through their favourite books, or through their desired working spaces. Music, drinks, and small branded gifts (folders, notebooks, pencils, mugs, etc.) are always welcome.

The topic of the keynote lecture depends, of course, on the profile of the speaker invited. It is crucial that the lecture focus on issues of broader interest. For example, it would not be such a good idea to invite an expert on Hungarian grammar to speak about the translation of Hungarian tenses into Albanian. Such an academic narrative might be difficult to follow for most of the audience.

When selecting a keynote speaker, find someone who is not just a celebrity in their field but also a charismatic person who will add a festive zest to the opening event.

A training course can include at least one lecture per day. Try to cover different topics and aspects of the translator’s profession. Invite lecturers with various profiles: translators, editors, proof-readers, publishers of translated literature, association representatives, NGO activists, literary agents, etc. Bear in mind that the afternoon and evening lectures are the time when all participants gather in one place (be it live, or in a Zoom or Moodle room). We therefore recommend that you devote some attention to creating this atmosphere for common discussion and, if required, facilitate communication.

Possible topics of lectures: becoming a literary translator (inviting prominent professionals – local and international – to share their autobiographical perspectives and experience of making a living as a literary translator); translating Joyce, Proust, Woolf, Dostoyevsky or any other canonical author into the native language of the participants; on the role of the editor; the role of the proofreader; translating titles; translating humour; translating dialogue; translating punctuation; translating names; translating slang/dialect/pidgin; footnotes; translating foreign realia; poetry translation; translation for theatre companies; film translation; team translation; digital resources and tools, etc.

Panel discussions allow course participants to hear different perspectives on the literary translation field. When inviting panelists, make sure to select ones who readily engage in dialogue and who are prepared to share their strong positions on the given topic. The use of footnotes in a translated text, for example, is a perfect subject for a panel discussion because each translation culture has both diehard footnote fans and professionals who are sceptical and recommend avoiding them. Another evergreen for a panel discussion is translating humour and the related challenges, as well as translation of literature for children and teens. Finally, it is never a mistake to invite different translators of one famous book (e.g. Le Petit Prince) and ask them to discuss the most intriguing aspects of their work on the text.

A good way to involve former participants is to invite them to moderate such discussions or even to participate as panelists.

This is perhaps the most popular method used in translation workshops. It involves bringing together a team of translators (from one source language to one target, native or near-native language, e.g. from French to Serbian), who work on one section of text for several days under an experienced translator or editor. The participants conduct an in-depth analysis, including an unravelling of the author’s ideas and intentions, and delving into the cultural and historical context of the work. After also discussing the stylistic characteristics of the original and the possible losses and gains that inevitably accompany its journey to the target language, the participants produce a collective (consensus) translation. It is better for both the participants and the workshop leader to deal with one complete work of literature – a poem, a short story, an essay or a short play – because of the “detective” work they have to do before fitting all the pieces of the literary puzzle together.

It is important to underline that the format of consensus translation is very rarely used outside of the training genres. Its goal is purely educational and it aims at visualising translators’ individual efforts and challenging their distinct working styles and habits. It also gives practice in editing, since any contribution in teamwork not only adds to the interpretation, but also constantly edits and refines the translation in progress.

There are great exercises – entertaining, funny, and insightful at the same time – to do with the pitfalls of translation. The task is essentially to translate a translated text back into its source language. As an example, here is how the award-winning German translator Andreas Tretner introduced the back-translation game at a Sofia workshop in 2019. He asked the participants to translate a short poem (or, more correctly: the translation of a poem) from different languages according to the participants’ language profiles. In the second part of the session, all the different Bulgarian interpretations of this one poem were compared, and to the surprise of some participants it turned out that the original was Bulgarian and that they had just spent an hour translating a translation of a Bulgarian poem back to Bulgarian.

The exercise successfully demonstrates how the transmission of a text from one verb system to another always involves an element of adaptation to the subjective individual world of the translator. Every text that travels from one language to another becomes a terrain of gains and losses, and sometimes changes to the extent of being unrecognisable.

Such exercises and discussions can be used by mentors for introducing important translation theories in practice, e.g. to illustrate the tendencies of foreignisation and domestication in translation; Roman Jacobson’s theory of interpretation as translation, discussed and questioned by Umberto Eco; Eco’s idea of adaptation; Antoine Berman’s theory of the deforming tendencies in prose translation, etc.

Mentoring can be introduced into translation workshops through different schemes. It can be kept in reserve as a reward for the participants who performed best during the sessions (е.g. 1-3 months’ individual mentorship after the workshop). It can also be integrated into the workshop via 15-minute individual consultations, after the MTW discussions. Finally, participants from previous years’ workshops can be invited as mentors of young translators at the outset of their career.

The Transparent Translator or Der Gläserne Übersetzer is a curious public-event format that has educational value but serves primarily to promote the art of translation to wider audiences. The work is made transparent by the translator(s) “performing” before an audience and discussing their choices. In the German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, a distinguished translator is often invited to present their work in progress to an audience and discuss challenges and possible choices. In another version of the event, a number of translators work on the same section of text simultaneously and the audience can follow their progress in real time. The idea here is not to create a competition for the “best translation” – although this may be an inevitable side-effect – but to exemplify the multiplicity of choices a translator faces when rendering a foreign text. There is a theatrical element to the format, and with the right choice of setting, source text and moderator it can be both entertaining and enlightening.

Creative writing sessions recognise that literary translators are themselves writers, as literary translation is itself a form of creative writing.

Why is it important for translators to write something other than their own translations? Firstly, they should be free to invent, structure, compose and conceptualise their own world from time to time. Not just to be a humble shuttle between languages. Secondly, at least once in their lives, translators have to step into a writer’s shoes, i.e. to learn what a writer’s responsibilities, choices and decisions feel like.

Thirdly, through writing a text in their native or near-native language, translators go deeper under its surface, forgetting their mediating role for a while, and thus, when they return to translation, they develop a heightened sensitivity to the target language. It helps them become aware of several other important issues, e.g. how it feels to embed one’s own (not someone else’s) voice in a text and how it changes the acoustics of the whole piece; how to sustain focalisation; how to control the temporal framework while telling a story; how to contextualise a subject, plot and character into a given period or setting.

We have found that creative writing sessions can encourage translators to be more open, to develop experimental and creative responses to difficult translation challenges, where a straightforward translation of the phrase or sentence would not work.

The BCLT introduced creative writing workshops to the summer-school format in 2015. Creative writing exercises can vary from classical tasks such as profiling characters, creating an atmosphere, writing opening and closing sentences, etc., to the wildly experimental. Perhaps the most challenging session during a BCLT summer school was one where the participants were asked to “translate” or transcribe birdsongs. This type of exercise puts the emphasis on listening, on discerning patterns and rhythms. It definitely opens the translators’ ears to the acoustic and prosodic qualities of a given text, and provides new perspectives.

One of the convincing creative writing exercises offered at the ASLT in Sofia in 2019 required the participants to adapt (rather than translate) an excerpt from Sylvia Platt’s short prose about a tattoo shop in Boston in the 1950. Participants split into two groups: the first had to transpose the story into a modern-day tattoo studio in central Sofia, while the second contextualised their short narratives into a provincial Bulgarian town infamous for the nationalist attitudes of its residents. The participants had 30 minutes to draft their texts, and the rest of the time was for reading, discussion and editing. The final versions were so good that they were showcased as “the cherry on the cake” at the farewell party. This exercise develops an awareness of lexical and stylistic tools that one can use to craft atmosphere and build plausibility.

Depending on the participants’ profiles and individual interests, you can invite professionals from the field of translation, the publishing industry, academia, writers, activists, etc.

Participants can book 15-minute slots with the specialists to address their individual questions and concerns.

As strange as it may sound, most translators – not just emerging ones – are not trained to discern the potential or hidden traps in the contracts and agreements they sign. Moreover, they are often unaware that they can actually negotiate their contracts because intellectual property rights protect every translation. The subject matter becomes even more complex when third parties are involved, e.g. grant-giving organisations that support literary translation and sign additional agreements either with the publisher or the translator. It is therefore useful to organise a lecture or mini-workshop run by a professional – either a lawyer specialised in intellectual-property law and litigation, or a representative of the national translators’ associations.

Another key practical issue related to translators’ work is applying for grants and subsidies. It is no secret that it is often the translator who is burdened with preparing such applications for publishers. You might consider organising a 45-minute session with a specialist in this field, or an evaluator of translation projects, who can prime participants in how to prepare a winning application.

Finally, you should give translators, especially emerging ones, an idea of the translation residencies in Europe and around the world. With as much information as possible. Towards this end, you can use the RECIT website and those of its members. If there are other professional-development opportunities such as training courses or mobility schemes, aim to cover them as well.

It is very useful for young, early-career translators to obtain an insight into the functioning of the publishing industry in their country, particularly as regards translated literature. For this purpose you can invite one or two publishers, a literary agent and a translated author, and ask them to give short 15-minute presentations, followed by a discussion. Important issues that are worth discussing are: the characteristics of the international literary scene; how a publisher chooses their titles; what the lifecycle of a book looks like – from negotiating the agreements to the sales reports; the different reasons for a book’s success or failure; the difficulties and barriers in local book markets, strategies for book promotion, etc.

This is one of the most entertaining formats, and it can easily be integrated into a translation training programme. In fact, it is a simulation exercise. The idea is to stage a situation where books are pitched to publishers. To implement this, , you have to invite representatives of real publishing houses and prepare the participants for meeting them.

Here are some tips for organising the simulation:

• • After selecting the participants, ask them via email what kind of publishers they are interested in meeting based on their current translation projects or their future plans;
  • Invite publishers, whose profile fits the participants’ professional interests, to be part of the exercise;
  • Ask the participants to choose a literary work for which they want to find a publisher. Ask them to structure a 5- to 7-minute presentation to pitch to the publishers. If necessary, organise a special 45- to 90-minute session on how to prepare memorable presentations at least one day before the simulation;
  • If possible, record the pitches;
  • When the pitching session is over, ask the publishers to provide feedback to the participants and offer them some “inside” knowledge and advice.

Literary translation workshops are not financially sustainable by themselves, let alone capable of generating a profit for the organisers. Raising the requisite funds from external sources is essential, and one should start fundraising as early as possible. One major decision is whether to offer free or paid access to participants. The decision depends on many factors, of course, but what should definitely be avoided is that a high admission fee discourages talented and motivated literary translators from attending. The advantage of having a workshop fee is not only that the organisers can invest in better-quality services (pay more to tutors or afford a better location), but participants are more motivated if required to pay a small fee The drawback is that even a small fee may seem unaffordable for some, as literary translation is not a profitable occupation anywhere in the world. To overcome this dilemma, the Sofia ASLT charges a small amount which covers only about 20% of the overall training expenses, while the rest is subsidised by various contributors in the form of project grants, private donations or fellowships for participants provided by third parties. In addition to the training fee, trainees may also have expenses related to travel and accommodation in the location of the workshop. In some countries it is reasonable to expect that the publishers’ association or individual publishers will recognise the value of the workshop to the translators with whom they work, and contribute financially.

In terms of expenditure, the distribution of costs can vary depending on many factors, but the main categories include expertise (programme developer/curator, workshop leaders, panelists, lecturers, mentors, moderators, etc), hall rental and equipment, coffee breaks and opening/closing events, materials for the participants (badges, certificates and even some special workshop merchandise) as well as staff time for communication, organisation and financial management.

Expenses for running an online or hybrid workshop (when travel is not involved) are generally not much smaller due to the investment in platform subscriptions, quality equipment and staff to operate it.

At least 6-12 months before the planned, start one should begin:

• • raising money
  • training the staff – coordinators, etc.
  • selecting a venue
  • inviting and preparing the trainers/speakers
  • producing various appealing forms of preliminary information, including a description of what participants can expect as well as clear criteria for the selection procedure
  • approaching all potential applicants (through institutions involved in translation and via social media)
  • designing and producing event merchandise to promote both the workshop and the partner organisations
  • ensuring a smooth staff selection and hiring procedure
  • hiring a catering company (or providing snacks and drinks) for the coffee breaks and for the final party
  • taking care of the technical side of the workshop, especially if it is to be held online or in a hybrid format.

Atmosphere is fundamental for the success of the workshops!

• • Choose a working space with some cultural vibe (cosy but also spacious, with an access to a balcony and/or a yard, if available) and well-equipped (sockets, projectors, flip charts, wi-fi, dictionaries, one or two spare laptops if possible, etc.)
  • Schedule your workshops for the warm seasons – including late spring and early autumn – so you can take advantage of the outdoor spaces. Spend the coffee breaks outside, and why not have some of the discussions, the simulations or the final party in the open?
  • Provide professional technical support for the duration of the workshop (as organiser, you’ll be busy ensuring the smooth running of the educational part, so you won’t have time and resources to attend to technical hitches).

It is quite likely that you will need to navigate an online or hybrid format of translation workshops. While online formats definitely have their drawbacks, there are also several advantages:

• • it makes the workshop accessible for a wider range of participants, including people with caring responsibilities or who have difficulty travelling for other reasons;
  • you can include authors more easily and involve a wider range of speakers, as they can just join in for particular sessions rather than having to travel and attend for several days;
  • you can record the plenary sessions and lectures and make them more widely available after the workshop, thus building up useful translation resources;
  • you can be more flexible in timing and arranging sessions, making it easier for translators to find the time to join the workshop;
  • rather than holding a full-time workshop in a space of several days, you can run a series of workshops over a longer period (e.g. 2-3 sessions a month over four months), allowing time for individual work between sessions;
  • it costs one third the price to run an event compared with training courses where plenty of accommodation/travel costs are involved;
  • cheaper for those that wish to attend;
  • more environmentally friendly.

Bear in mind that time runs at a different pace online. In addition, you don’t all the extra-linguistic tools that are so important in live communication and a traditional educational environment. The group dynamics are much more difficult to handle. There are always passive participants; some of them even prefer to switch their cameras off. We recommend finding ways to involve them, For example, you can use one-to-one chats to approach them personally at first.

All-day online lectures and discussions can be exhausting, so make sure you start and end the sessions in time and remind the participants to take advantage of the breaks. Most importantly, remember that, no matter how well an online format is organised, it cannot replace live communication.

Here are some tips for organising an online or hybrid format that you might find useful:

• • structure, structure, structure! (Zoom time flies);
  • don’t be too concise (it can feel like you’re rushing through the material);
  • prepare a few small asides to slow down the pace (focused jokes, pauses with a little game or exercise related to the topic; sharing stories about mentoring, etc.);
  • try not to get distracted by any technological issues (internet, Zoom connection, etc.) Make sure you have technical support during all online sessions;
  • start and end the sessions in time. Make sure the tutors observe the planned breaks;
  • approach participants who are more passive by using personal chat tools to involve them in the discussion;
  • appoint volunteers or invite participants from previous years (“alumni”) to gather questions from all the participants and find time to address them at the end of each day or the end of the workshop.

• • The optimal duration of a workshop is three to six days. It can be held either in one calendar week or on two consecutive long weekends.
  • Mornings and early afternoons are usually reserved for the MTW (the “hives”) or for the focus groups (collective/consensus translation) – four to six sessions of 45 minutes.
  • Afternoons and evenings are usually devoted to lectures, moderated discussions and simulations (e.g. pitching to publishers; applying for translation grants; writing blurbs, etc.), creative writing for translators, feedback sessions etc.
  • You can optimise the programme according to the state of translation studies and activities in your country by looking at various issues of the literary translation “infrastructure”, institutions, grant schemes, etc. Hopefully there will be new, award-winning translations published in your native languages and countries every year, so you can invite the translators to meet the participants.
  • Don’t to forget the alumni. Invite them along to some of the lectures or discussions for free; consider them as possible mentors, moderators or lecturers. Invite them to the opening and final parties. If possible, organise an alumni club – it is of vital importance for sustaining the network (see chapter 3.3.6).

Bringing together a successful training team is a key step in organising a translation workshop. When searching for experienced translators (or editors) from different languages to navigate the MTWs as leaders or mentors, there are several additional qualities (both professional and personal) you should be looking for. Suitable mentors should:

• • demonstrate good communication skills (any teaching or performing experience is desirable);
  • be willing to step beyond their narrow sphere of expertise (e.g. to be prepared to moderate a discussion about a translation from a language they don’t know);
  • apply non-didactic approaches. This doesn’t mean mentors’ contributions should lack a message or be uninformative, only that mentors should refrain from imposing their ideas and discuss any sample in the spirit of various interpretations being possible;
  • have some specialist knowledge in grammar, stylistics, narratology, etc. This doesn’t mean the mentors should necessarily be academics or university lecturers at language and linguistics departments. There are many other professionals in the field of literary education, publishing and cultural journalism who are well versed in linguistics and literary theory;
  • have previous experience as editors of literary texts (original or translated). Since the “translation hive” aims to awaken a sensitivity towards the receiving (native) language, it is useful to invite mentors whose knowledge and attention to words and syntax are their main professional asset.

It is a good idea to keep things simple when it comes to application and selection. “The usual suspects” who will receive the open-call announcement first are, of course, the language, literature and philology departments of the universities, as well as the MA programmes in translation. If there are secondary schools with a focus on foreign languages, they should also be approached, especially final-year students, who are usually 18+ (which makes the application procedure and their participation in the workshop technically easier). Publishers of literature in translation should also be approached, since the best ones sustain networks of quality translators and can easily spread the news among them. Finally, translators’ associations are also potential “multipliers” of the open-call announcement, and it is strategically important to involve them in the early stages of the organisation. Social media (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) are great places to advertise the translation workshops, because they are free and use algorithms that which will target the message.

As for the application procedure – once again, keep it as simple as possible. We recommend that the application package consist of no more than two or three elements. For example: CV, two or three pages of an unedited and unpublished sample translation (remind the applicants that these texts will be in focus during the MTW) and perhaps a short motivational letter. The latter can be an important part of the process because it allows the applicant to say why they want to attend and how they will benefit from the workshop, as well as what they can contribute to the group. The application deadline has to be two to three months after the call is issued. The selection results must be announced two to three weeks after the application deadline.

Here are some tips for selecting the best possible applicants and assembling effective workshop groups:

• • Select translators from as many languages as possible. Try to include languages from different families. When forming a group, bear in mind that it is good to have at least two or three translators from major languages such as French, German or English; at least one or two translators from the Romance languages; one or two from the Slavic and Balkan languages, and at least one translator from a rarer language – Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Hindi, Hebrew, Scandinavian, etc. This way, you will provide a valuable multilingual perspective, which is of key importance for the success of the MTW.
  • It is useful to select participants with different backgrounds, not just philologists. For example, some of the loveliest contributions at the ASLT were made by medical doctors, ornithologists, psychologists, economists, etc.
  • Bringing together translators from different generations is great for sharing experience. The first ASLT in Sofia, for instance, was attended by a very young translator from the Scandinavian languages. The following year, her mother, an experienced translator from Czech, was one of the participants. She had decided to apply for the ASLT, inspired by her daughter’s story.
  • When selecting participants, bear in mind that the sample translations, which are part of the application package, will be discussed during the sessions. Make sure that the texts themselves are suitable for 45-60 minute discussion, however good the translations are. If there is an outstanding applicant with a boring sample, you might ask them to choose another unedited section of the translation for the “hive” discussion.
  • After structuring the content of the course, send advance information to the selected MTW participants. They need to know what is expected of them. They should be aware of the methodology applied and the goals of the workshop. The source texts for the focus/consensus translation sessions must be distributed one or two weeks before the start. The participants should understand that they are not supposed to translate them in advance but just to read them and reflect upon the potential challenges. The participants should be reminded that their sample translation for the application will be discussed during dedicated 45- to 60-minute sessions. For this purpose, they should receive a strict timetable of the sessions and the exact time slot when each single translation will be the focus of attention. It is important that every participant receive all the sample translations read them in advance.
  • Make sure the final groups are neither too small nor too big. Between eight and twelve is the optimal number.

Briefing emails should be sent to the selected participants at least two weeks before the beginning of the workshop and include the following information:

• • the addresses of the venues
  • the mobile phone numbers of the organisers
  • the names and the email addresses of all the workshop leaders and participants → the names of the lecturers and the guest speakers
  • a detailed timetable, with locations
  • a list of the facilities and resources available
  • a list of the things to bring (e.g. laptops or tablets, dictionaries, etc.)
  • information about any planned photography, filming or streaming, and a consent form.

Provide flip charts in each room so that participants can write down spontaneous comments or questions. Reserve a few minutes at the end of each session to address them. After the workshop, collect feedback via online forms (different ones for participants and speakers) using Google Forms or another tool. The forms can be used to get participants’ overall rating of the workshop as well as their opinions on structure, duration, tutors and even the logistics. The feedback thus collected can be exceedingly helpful for generating ideas for improving the workshops and can also be used in promoting the workshop in future years.

Public events and media coverage
The final party is the formal end of the workshop; at the same time, it is the first step in the follow-up activities and showcases the outcomes. If possible, open the event to a broader audience of translators, publishers, students, cultural journalists and other professionals involved in translation. Try to organise media coverage of the event, and live stream it on social media if possible.

You might prepare a short performance for the final party. It can be just a reading of the translations done during the sessions, or perhaps а demonstration of other elements of the course: the results of the creative writing training, sharing experience from the Transparent Translator format, etc.

Remind the participants to fill in the feedback forms and invite them to become part of the alumni club!

Several TV and radio interviews are a must for the list of follow-up activities.

Networking and alumni activities
A key ingredient in organising successful translation workshops every year is to sustain an efficient and lively network of alumni and trainers. The best to do it is to start a club straight after the first workshop. It might be online (on Facebook or Instagram) and should be a private, closed group, accessible just for the workshop network. This club could host regular moderated discussions on given topics but also informal, spontaneous ones. It can also serve as a database of useful links and translation resources or a “depository” of unresolved translation cases.

A good example is the Emerging Translators Network initiated by the alumni of the BCLT Summer School.

Alumni club members should be allowed to enjoy some live meetings as well. Try to organise them regularly – e.g. four times per year. It is not necessary to provide venues for the live meetings; you can always announce them as weekend walks in the park or visits to an exhibition worth seeing, followed by a talk over a cup of coffee in a quiet café nearby.

You might encourage the alumni club to organise at least one annual event, for example a mini-conference focused on the translations that its members have published over the past year. This format could include both discussion formats and peer-review presentations. This event can then be used as a part of the advertising campaign for your next translation workshop.

Publication
A selection of the best translations from the workshop can be published in literary magazines and journals.

Feel free to ask the alumni to write testimonials to be published on the website of your organisation, in your Facebook group or on their personal social-media pages. Quotations from these statements can be used in the advertising campaign for the next workshop that you plan to organise.