BCLT YouTube Channel

Visit the British Centre for Literary Translation YouTube Channel to watch an increasing number of videos on literary translation, including Sebald Lectures by Emily Wilson and Arundhati Roy. 

BCLT also has an older YouTube channel with an archive of films that are worth watching, including Sebald Lectures by Boris Akunin and Margaret Atwood.

BCLT SoundCloud Channel

Visit the British Centre for Literary Translation SoundCloud Channel to hear/download an increasing number of podcasts on literary translation, including Sebald Lectures by Emily Wilson and Arundhati Roy. 

Translators Aloud YouTube Channel

Translators Aloud is a new initiative co-founded in June 2020 by literary translators Charlotte Coombe and Tina Kover. Their aim is to provide a space where literary translators can share videos of themselves reading from their published work, as they feel that sharing readings in this way is a good way to bring literary translators and publishers of translated fiction into the spotlight, help translators to do a little self-promotion, and provide a wealth of amazing readings for colleagues in the literary translation field, or academics, students, readers, publishers, literary agents, and so on. It is also an attempt to feel more connected to the literary translation community, particularly during this time of isolation and social upheaval.

Their dedicated Twitter account: @LoudTranslators 

In terms of submissions, for the moment they are focusing on readings of published translations from any language into English, but they would also welcome submissions of side-by-side readings (either the translator reading snippets of both languages, or a translator/author collaborations) from any language into English, or vice versa. The only constraint is that the reading is a maximum of 5 minutes in total. 

They also plan to start a playlist for unpublished samples, i.e. translators reading from samples they have translated of books seeking publishers. They hope that doing this will help to connect translators of great books in a variety of languages, with potential publishers in English. They will be doing a call for submissions for this in due course.

Literary Translation Database

Literary Translator Charlie Coombe has set up a literary translation database covering publications, journals, review blogs, awards, contests, events, residencies, grants, funding, organisations and unions. It is a Google Doc that you can update with anything you believe other literary translators may find useful.

Prismatic Jane Eyre

The website 'An Experiment in the Study of Translations: Prismatic Jane Eyre' is now live at prismaticjaneeyre.org. You will find there interactive maps and visualisations of the novel's more-than-500 translations into more-than-50 languages worldwide, together with some new ways of thinking about translation and world literature. Do please visit, share, subscribe to the blog and (if you wish) join in the project via the 'contribute' and 'feedback' buttons. BCLT's Eugenia Kelbert has been involved with this project from the Russian perspective.

Prismatic Jane Eyre is part of the Prismatic Translation project, led by Matthew Reynolds, funded by the AHRC under the OWRI research programme in Creative Multilingualism, and hosted by the Oxford Comparative Criticism and Translation Research Centre (OCCT).

Cambridge Conversations in Translation

Alternate Mondays, 14:00–16:00 during term-time
Seminar room SG1, Alison Richard Building
For more information on Cambridge Conversations.

Emerging Translators Network

The Emerging Translators Network is a forum and support network for early-career literary translators working into English (primarily) and focused essentially on the UK. ETN provides an email-based discussion group, where you can ask questions, seek and give advice, exchange tips and resources, post details of events and opportunities or even pass on work. Occasional meetings, socials, events and workshops are held in London throughout the year. Members outside London also organize meetings in their own areas. It’s free to join, but prospective members should demonstrate a genuine interest in developing a career in literary translation.

Free Word Centre

The Free Word Centre is an international organisation dedicated to literature, literacy and free expression. They host public events all year round, exploring issues in contemporary politics, literature and culture. Among their programme of events are author talks, panel discussions, film screenings, exhibitions, workshops and conferences. 

In Other Words

The journal for practising translators and for anyone interested in them and the world in which they work. Previously published by BCLT, In Other Words is now published by The National Centre for Writing.

Find out more about 'In Other Words'.

Literature Across Frontiers

Literature Across Frontiers is a European platform for literary exchange, translation and policy debate. Surveys of national organisations and publishers supporting literary translation can be downloaded from the LAF website. LAF also publishes data and statistics on literary translations in the UK and Ireland. You can also download the list of publishers in the UK and Ireland who publish translations.

PEN Translates

PEN Translates was launched in 2012, with support from Arts Council England, to encourage UK publishers to acquire more books from other languages. Their awards help UK publishers to meet the costs of translating new works into English – whilst ensuring translators are acknowledged and paid properly for their work.

PEN Translates will fund up to 75% of translation costs for selected projects. When a publisher’s annual turnover is less than £500,000 they will consider supporting up to 100% of translation costs.

The PETRA-E Network 

The PETRA-E Network is a European network of institutions dedicated to the education and training of literary translators.

RECIT

BCLT is a member of RECIT, the network for European literary translation houses.

The Translators' Association

The Translators Association is the UK’s professional association for literary translators. The TA is a source of expert advice and information, including details about payment rates for literary translation. It is the experience of the Society of Authors, when reviewing contracts, that UK publishers are prepared to pay in the region of £90 per 1,000 words.

Find out more at the Translators Association website

Poetry of the Holocaust

In this interview Professor Jean Boase-Beier talks to Inpress about editing the anthology 'Poetry of the Holocaust' and also in general about editing translated poetry. 'Poetry of the Holocaust' is a ground-breaking anthology of translated poetry written during, or about, the Holocaust. Featuring the work of over 90 poets writing in 20 languages, this multilingual anthology includes many poems translated into English for the very first time. 

Read the interview here

Translators in Schools

Translators in Schools is an ongoing training scheme. The programme includes a training day for multi-lingual teachers and a three-stage course for translators and bi-lingual teaching assistants.