Comma Press virtual translation conference returns

Comma Press’ virtual conference, Manchester in Translation, is to return next month, offering skills and advice to aspiring translators in the north of England and beyond.

Now in its third year, the conference will enable participants to develop practical skills for literary translation, learn about the intersection between writing and translation, and consider translation as a "political tool".

The online conference will run over three days from the 22nd to 24th February and will include a keynote from award-winning Spanish-English translator Lawrence Schimel, two panel events and three workshops focusing on literary translation from Portuguese, Turkish and French into English.

Schimel will address the dual practice of translating and being translated between "mother and stepmother tongues", offering insights from his career, and sharing advice with emerging translators. He will also discuss how being translated, as well as translating the works of others, informs his practice as both a writer and translator.

Panels include "Fight Between the Lines: Translation as Literary Activism" with Katharine Halls and Alex Valente, and "Found in Translation: Translation as an Autonomous Creative Practice" with Saskia Vogel, Meena Kandasamy and Jen Calleja. 

"There are about 6,500 languages in the world, and around 200 spoken in Manchester at any one time," said Sarah Cleave, publishing manager at Comma Press. "This conference was designed to celebrate the city’s multilingualism and also give people a flavour of what it means to be a literary translator today. We’re delighted to have brought together some translation heavyweights – working across different languages and genres – to reflect on the current literary landscape and give practical advice on how to evolve as a translator and make your mark."

The talks and panels will be open to all, while workshops will be capped at 15 places and priority will be given to residents of Greater Manchester. All workshops will translate into English and participants are advised reading proficiency in the source language and English are essential. Applicants will be asked to answer some questions when booking to determine their suitability for the workshops. 

The keynote and panel events will run from 11 a.m. to noon each morning, and be available to playback post the event. Workshops will run from 2 .pm. to 4.30 p.m. each afternoon, and be led by Rahul Bery (Portuguese), Filiz Emre (Turkish) and Sarah Ardizzone (French). All events will be available to book through Eventbrite.