This February, Comma Press will host a series of free online workshops and talks offering advice and insight into the world of translation. The third instalment of Manchester in Translation will be an opportunity for budding translators in the North of England 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 the 24th of February and will include a keynote from award-winning translator of Spanish-English, Lawrence Schimel, who will discuss writing and translating from and into his ‘stepmother tongue’ of Spanish.
We have two panel talks, one on translation as literary activism with Katharine Halls, Alex Valente and Alireza Abiz and one on translation as autonomous creative practice with Saskia Vogel, Meena Kandasamy, and Jen Calleja.
We are also running a series of Translation Workshops in Portuguese, Turkish and French to English translation.
Please Note: We have a number of workshop tickets reserved for residents of Greater Manchester, these are hidden, please contact nia.thomas@commapress.co.uk to confirm your place.
Lawrence Schimel is an award-winning bilingual American writer, translator, and anthologist. His work spans novels, graphic novels and poetry collections and has been translated into over 40 languages. His graphic novels have won a Crystal Kite Award from SCBWI and have been selected for the White Ravens from the International Youth Library in Munich and chosen for IBBY’s Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities three times. He has also been awarded the Lamda Literary prize twice which recognises the crucial role LGBTQ writers play in shaping the world. He translates between Spanish and English and along with Layla Benitez-James is a recipient of the 2022 NEA Translation Fellowship to translate HIJA DEL CAMINO by Lucía Asué Momío Rubio into English.
Book to hear Lawrence's Key Note speech at MIT 2022 here.
Day 1 - Tuesday 22 February
11-12pm | Lawrence Schimel: On the dual practice of translating and being translated between mother and stepmother tongues
Live from the Comma Press YouTube channel. Book now.
2-4.30pm | Portuguese-English Workshop led by Rahul Bery. Book now.
Day 2 - Wednesday 23 February
11-12pm | Panel 1 Fight Between the Lines: Translation as Literary Activism
Live from the Comma Press YouTube channel. Book now.
2-4.30pm | Turkish-English Workshop led by Filiz Emre. Book now.
Day 3 - Thursday 24 February
11-12pm | Panel 2 Found in Translation: Translation as an autonomous creative practice
Live from the Comma Press YouTube channel. Book now.
2-4.30pm | French- English Workshop led by Sarah Ardizzone. Book now.
