Get Ready to Participate in ‘International Translation Day’ Events

This year, the theme of the International Federation of Translators (FIT)-sponsored “International Translation Day” is a little…un-flashy: Translation Quality for a Variety of Voices. (For an explanation of what that means, FIT’s un-flashy press release.)

Nonetheless, PEN International has put out a flashy brochure and lineup to celebrate the day in London.

International Translation Day—for those who don’t already have it on their calendars—is September 30, apparently set to coincide with the feast of St. Jerome, the Bible translator who some consider their patron saint. However, FIT insists that “International Translation Day is resolutely secular and non-denominational.

Translation enthusiasts will pay £20 for entry and £10 for concessions for the day-long PEN seminar, the only event I’ve found marking the day.

At 1 p.m., the day will have one of my favorite events: a “Live Translation Slam,” wherein renowned translators Margaret Jull Costa and Nick Caistor will “go head-to-head, independently translating a Spanish text before coming together to debate their different English language versions in front of a live audience.”

Other events include a discussion of how to get more translated lit “out there,” funding models, translation of children’s books, and a celebration of the winner of the Harvill Secker Young Translator’s Prize (this year for a Spanish-language translator).

To book a ticket, go to freewordonline.com.