Translation
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Past Event: Literary Translation from Arabic into English in the UK and Ireland
Thu 2 Feb 2012
6:30pmFree Word Lecture Theatre
Literature Across Frontiers (LAF) and Free Word invite you to a presentation of a report by Alice Guthrie and Alexandra Büchler, followed by a panel debate and Q & A. Speakers include translators of Arabic fiction Professor Marilyn Booth and Dr Peter Clark OBE. LAF’s recent report Literary Translation from Arabic in the UK and Ireland…
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Past Event: Translating the environment
A panel discussion hosted by Isabel Hilton and Sam Geall
Thu 8 Dec 2011
5:30pmFree Word Lecture Theatre
Isabel Hilton and Sam Geall run a website in Chinese and English, focusing on a very hot topic - environmental issues in China. Hear about how they find and report the news, and work with their editorial staff in Delhi, San Francisco, London and Beijing, and a team of translators in Beijing. There will be a chance to engage in…
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Past Event: Spotted Dick and Pock-Marked Old Woman’s Beancurd
An evening with Fuchsia Dunlop, writer on Chinese cookery
Thu 24 Nov 2011
5:30pmFree Word Lecture Theatre
Fuchsia will introduce the complexities of Chinese cuisine and the language used to describe it. Learn all about “mouth-feel” and get to try (if you like) some typical Chinese spices and flavourings. …
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Past Event: Translation workshop with Brian Holton
Translating What's Not There: reticence in classical Chinese poetry
Thu 17 Nov 2011
5:30pmFree Word Lecture Theatre
Gain an insight into the fascinating world of classical Chinese poetry, and get to try some poetry-translating for yourself. Brian is an experienced workshop leader, and is passionate about his subject. You’ll come away from the evening inspired and amazed. No knowledge of Chinese is required. Brian Holton has been translating Chinese literature into English and…
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Past Event: Diplomatic Incidents:
The Pitfalls of Translation with Biljana Scott
Thu 27 Oct 2011
5:38pmFree Word Lecture Theatre
Our choice of words (terrorist versus freedom fighter), metaphors (war on poverty) and stories concerning religion, history and myth, all have the power to frame the way in which we see the world, and to determine the way we act upon it. Dr Biljana Scott, a linguist with a special interest in diplomatic language based at Oxford University, will speak…
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Past Event: Battle Satellite: The New International?
Literature in the age of 'globish'
Thu 20 Oct 2011
5:30pmFree Word Lecture Theatre
Is it ever valid to judge literature with reference to its nationality, linguistic distinctions aside? Is great national literature universal because it's great, or great because it is universal? Join a round-table rumble of writers and critics for a 'no holds barred' public discussion on the place national literature has in a globalised world. Speakers include Diran Adebayo; Michael Caines;…
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Past Event: Three Thousand years of Chinese translation with Nicky Harman
Thu 13 Oct 2011
5:30pmFree Word Lecture Theatre
Translation into (and from) Chinese has been key to the development of Chinese culture for three thousand years. Nicky Harman will give an entertaining and insightful overview ranging from Buddhism to Marx, and beyond. Nicky has been translating from Chinese to English for over ten years, and is Translator-in-Residence at the Free Word Centre, autumn 2011. …
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Past Event: International Translation Day 2011
Fri 30 Sep 2011
8:00amFree Word Lecture Theatre
How can we popularise literature in translation? Are we getting anywhere? What can we learn from the success of other art forms, such as music? Join English PEN and other leading translation organisations for a full day of events focused on literary translation. We will be hearing about successful initiatives that have flourished since last year’s International Translation Day;…
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Past Event: Poetry and the State
Wed 6 Apr 2011
5:30pmFree Word Lecture Theatre
Some states encourage their poets, others simply ignore them; others imprison and murder them. The latest issue of Modern Poetry in Translation examines the complex relationship between poetry and the state. Does poetry over-privilege individual experience? Can the state ever allow the poet the true autonomy the poem demands? Join readers Stephen Watts, Sasha Dugdale, Martina Thomson, Chris Beckett and…
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Translating Arabic in Cairo
Literature Across Frontier's Nia Davies introduces their Arabic translation training programme, and explains how their translation workshops in Egypt have been affected by the revolution.
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Deer Park by Han Dong
Steve Wasserman reads Deer Park, a short story by Chinese author Han Dong, translated into English by Nicky Harman
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Interview with literary translator Rosalind Harvey
Tom Chivers interviews Rosalind Harvey, one of Free Word's two Translators in Residence and author of the acclaimed English translation of Down the Rabbit Hole by Juan Pablo Villalobos.
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Translating the Environment
Director of arts and environment organisation Tipping Point Peter Gingold responds to Translating the Environment, a panel discussion hosted by Isabel Hilton and Sam Geall of chinadialogue.net
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Free Word People: Emma Cleave
Free Word interviews English PEN's Emma Cleave about writing in translation, overflowing inboxes and falafel for £2.50
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Martin Riker on Translation and “National Literature”
Martin Riker of Dalkey Archive Press explores International Literature, National Literature, Publishing Translations, and Creative Writing Programs.
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Down with the kids
Last week Marga Navarrete from Imperial College ran a Youtube subtitling workshop at Lawdale Junior School in Tower Hamlets. Marga has run this workshop many times before as part of the brilliant Routes Into Languages programme, but usually with older children, around year 9 or 10. This was Free Word’s only translator-in-residence event for children, and it almost didn…
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A New Market for Translation
Last Sunday, something strange happened at Brick Lane market. As well as the usual hawkers, hipsters and heavily-accented tourists, there was something else going on: the first ever run-through of the Wordkeys translation game was taking place, and by golly was it fun! The idea first surfaced when I came across the brilliant work Coney had done with their real-world…
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So you think you can make translation sexy?
So I’ve had to dream up a series of Free Word Centre talks for a non-specialist, non-translator audience, which are China/translation-focussed. Why not ask myself? It seemed like a great idea at first. I could hardly refuse…. So I did: “Nicky, will you give a talk on ‘3,000 years of Chinese translation’? …
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Free Word Translators at International Translation Day
Time: September 30th 2011, 9am- 6.30pm Place: Free Word Centre, London Themes: Translation (of course!), dialogue, new initiatives, success, sharing ideas, the importance of readers (thanks to Rachel Van Riel for a highly entertaining presentation that included telling us about the Which Book website, a site that helps you decide which book to read by theme, which has apparently been around 10…
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The Bookclub Fest
Phew! Well we had our first event last night, a joint one hosted by Rosalind and me, the Bookclub Fest. Around 40 people came, all enthusiastic readers and some clearly Bookclub regulars. It was excellent. First the practicalities: we had a great space, at the Free Word Centre, with plenty of room for everyone, plenty of seating, and refreshments. We had…
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Ideas and Ideals
I’ve been a translator and a teacher of translation studies for about ten years. But becoming Translator–in–Residence at the Free Word Centre is something quite different and filled me with inspiration from the moment I first heard about it. My head fizzed with ideas for days on end…and nights too. What a…
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The Translators’ Residency Begins
Hello! This is the first of what will hopefully be many posts from Nicky and me about what it means to be translator in residence at London’s Free Word Centre. Hang on – translator in residence? Artists in residence, yes. Everyone’s heard of them. There’s Conrad Shawcross at the Science Museum, and Neville Gabie…
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Mother Tongues promotes bilingualism
Mother Tongues is a new project from the Arvon Foundation, funded by the Gulbenkian Foundation, which encourages young people to write in both English and their mother tongue. Over 300 languages are spoken in London. In Lambeth, the most widely spoken language after English is Portuguese. This short film, taken at Totleigh Barton, one of Arvon's centres, shows 16 Portuguese-speaking young…