Workshop on children's literature in translation, London (participants wanted)

The European Commission Representation in the UK, the National Centre for Research in Children's Literature of Roehampton University and the Translation Group of Imperial College London cordially invite you to:

'TRANSLATING THE WONDERFUL'
CHILDREN’S LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION
6 DECEMBER 2011
3:00pm-8:00pm
Europe House
32 Smith Square
London SW1P 3EU

On Tuesday 6 December Europe House will host an event on translating children’s literature into English. It will take the format of workshop sessions, where students working from various languages into English will translate samples from classic children’s literature or literature closely related to the classics in style and theme, followed by a panel discussion and evening reception.

No single universe is as diverse and intriguing as the world of children's literature and yet so many visions pass us by because so little is translated into English. The idea then is to carry out translations of extracts from selected texts and to discuss the various possible approaches to the translation of children’s literature and in particular the differences and similarities in translation strategies across languages.

Each workshop will be coordinated by a leading translator of the respective language pair, with the findings of each workshop presented to the other participants in a concluding panel discussion.

The languages covered in the workshops will be Danish, Dutch, French and German.

-      The Danish workshop (Hans Christian Andersen) will be led by Dr. Kirsten Malmkjaer and is sponsored by the Danish Embassy.

-      The Dutch workshop (Annie MG Schmidt) will be led by David Colmer and is sponsored by the Dutch Embassy in London and the Dutch Foundation for Literature.

-      The French workshop (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry) will be led by Ros Schwartz and Sarah Ardizonne, and is sponsored by the French Institute in London.

-      The German workshop (E.T.A. Hoffmann) will be led by Anthea Bell and is sponsored by the Goethe Institute in London.

-      Flanders House will also support and attend the event.

The workshops will be preceded by an opening introduction by Dr. Gillian Lathey (the National Centre for Research in Children's Literature) and concluded by an open cross-panel discussion, which will aim to draw conclusions regarding strategies for translating children’s literature from across Europe into English. This will be followed by a reception offered by the European Commission Representation in the UK.

Programme

3.00pm         Registration

3.30pm         Introduction by Dr. Gillian Lathey

3.45pm         Workshops

4.45pm         Group discussion

5.30pm         Tea and coffee

6.00pm         Panel discussion and conclusions

7.00pm         Reception

With regard to student participation, ideally for each language workshop we are looking for 6-12 English native speakers studying translation and with some experience of or interest in literary translation (either final year undergraduates or MA students). Participants in the afternoon workshops will also attend the panel discussion and reception, where they will have the opportunity to meet established translators.

Entrance to this event is free but places are limited. To reserve a place please e-mail Tom Barbanneau at: t.barbanneau@imperial.ac.uk (specify for which part you register: workshop+panel&reception OR panel&reception).

Location:

European Commission Representation UK
Europe House
32 Smith Square
London SW1P 3EU

(nearest Tube station: Westminster, 5-minute walk)