If You’re in Cairo: LAF to Present an In-depth Look at Arabic-English Translation

If you’re in Cairo this Feb. 1—and if you’re sufficiently interested in Arabic lit and translation to be scanning this blog—then you’ll likely want to attend the Literature Across Frontiers‘ somewhat dully titled: “Literary Translation from Arabic into English.”

Now, I prefer when talks have titles like TRANSLATION AS A WAR ZONE! But in fact, this talk—by Alexandra Büchler and Alice Guthrie—promises to be an interesting and thorough look at the last 20 years of Arabic-English translation and publication in the U.K.:

Drawing on a broad range of sources, the study traces the trajectory of contemporary literary works translated from Arabic – from the initial selection of titles, to the work of translators and editors, through to book sales and critical reception. … Topics such as publishers’ selection criteria, editorial processes, translator training and translation quality control, marketing and market forces, media reception, public and private support are all central here.

Büchler is the founding director of the Literature Across Frontiers project, and Guthrie is an Arabic-English translator who’s had a particular focus on Palestinian literature.

The event’s set to begin at 6 p.m. at the British Council (192 El Nil Street, Agouza), and will be followed by a discussion.

Also:

If you’re interested in the event, you might also be interested in a literary translation workshop—from “European” languages into Arabic—led by LAF, Jan. 29-Feb. 3.