Aimed at practising translators at any stage of their career and at language enthusiasts who want to explore the world of literary translation, Bristol Translates offers the opportunity to work with leading professional translators to translate texts across different literary genres.
Bristol Translates summer school takes place entirely online, making it accessible to participants around the world. Workshop groups are limited to a maximum of 12 students.
In 2025, workshops are running into English from 11 languages – Arabic, Catalan, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Urdu – plus there is a multilanguage workshop aimed at translators working in any other language. Workshops out of English are running from French, German, and Spanish.
The language-specific workshops run on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The other two days – Tuesday and Thursday – are filled with panel discussions and workshops on industry trends, job readiness and the opportunities available around different literary genres. The full programme of events is available here.
Our keynote speaker in 2025 is the distinguished Damion Searls, writer and translator of several Nobel laureates including Thomas Mann, Elfriede Jelinek and most recently Jon Fosse. The keynote is generously supported by NORLA. This event is open to the public.
Participants can apply for the full programme of workshops and events, or they can choose to register for the professional development sessions on Tuesday and Thursday.
Click here for details of all registration options, fees, and how to apply. Applications for Bristol Translates 2025 close on Thursday 12th of June 23:59 BST.
The NORLA Keynote 2025: Damion Searls on ‘Reading Like a Translator’
Damion Searls, the translator of Jon Fosse and Patrick Modiano, Ariane Koch and Victoria Kielland, Rilke, Proust, Hesse, Jelinek, and many other modern classics will discuss the approach to translation he has laid out in his new book The Philosophy of Translation (2024), which has been praised as “vast, generous, charming, and profound” —Jennifer Croft; “open, honest, and, most of all, smart... Remarkable” —Percival Everett. Avoiding dead-end theoretical debates and using a range of concrete examples from his own work, he shows how to think of translation as a kind of reading, which yields fresh and convincing insights into what translation really is and what translators actually do.
The Keynote is open to the public, and not just those who have applied for Bristol Translates 2025. Register Here to attend
Comma Press Emerging Translator Award 2025
Participants of Bristol Translates in 2025 who translate from Chinese, Japanese and Urdu have the unique opportunity to enter the Comma Press Emerging Translator Award. The award will be launched as part of the summer school programme, with an introduction given by Ra Page of Comma Press. The winner will be considered for publication in an upcoming Comma Press anthology of translated literature.
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Bristol Translates Summer School far exceeded my expectations. As a first-time participant, I felt cared for and listened to - everybody was extremely helpful.
The workshops were incredibly helpful and one of the best teaching experiences I've ever had.
I feel very lucky to have been able to participate in Bristol Translates. It exemplifies the friendliness of the literary translation community and its generosity in sharing advice. I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from like-minded translation enthusiasts. The week has increased my confidence in my own abilities and I have come away enthused and encouraged about the prospect of a career in literary translation. I know what my next steps are and I feel optimistic. Thank you!
