In 2010, The London Book Fair launched The Literary Translation Centre as a feature area that would enable publishers and translators to come together, network and attend a variety of seminars on literary translation to further this art throughout the UK and abroad.

An increasingly important aspect of global publishing, literary translation is a powerful tool for bridging the gap between cultures and gaining insight into different ways of life and ideals. Messages that might otherwise stay unheard are not lost in translation, but rather found and understood.

Following on from the success of 2010, the LBF Literary Translation Centre had a more visible presence on the show floor with a bigger site in a more accessible location in 2011. The new site in 2012 promises even more prominence, again with two distinct areas – a seminar theatre and a networking area. The networking space allows new relationships to flourish and ideas to be exchanged and debated.

The Literary Translation Centre is made up of the following partner organisations; Arts Council England Literature Department, British Centre for Literary Translation, British Council Literature Department, The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, English PEN Writers in Translation Programme, Free Word, Literature across Frontiers, The Translators Association (Society of Authors), Wales Literature Exchange and Words without Borders. These dedicated organisations work with London Book Fair on programming, each bringing their own passions and areas of expertise to the team.

Each year the LTC seminar programme covers a rich range of current subjects. Discover international literary landscapes such as the Middle East, China and Japan; learn about children’s literature in translation; get ideas about funding both in the UK and Europe and find out how digital publishing may affect literary translation.

Last year’s panel line up featured people from all aspects of translation and publishing: Ann Branch, Head of Culture Programme and Actions unit at the European Commission, Goli Taraghi, Amanda Hopkinson, former Director of the British Centre for Literary Translation, poet Sasha Dugdale, best-selling crime writer Boris Akunin, Russian broadcaster Marina Boroditskaya, David Karashima from The Nippon Foundation and many more.

Whether you are a student, translator, writer or publisher, we’re sure you will find something of interest at The Literary Translation Centre and we look forward to seeing you there in 2012.

For more details visit the London Book Fair website

Originally posted with the url: www.englishpen.org/writersintranslation/literarytranslationcentre/