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.
Scholarships
3 scholarships covering the registration fee are available for the Catalan workshop. To apply for a scholarship for the Catalan workshop, submit your application to the Summer School by Wednesday 14 May and select the ‘Catalan Scholarship option’. Applicants should demonstrate in their application how their literary translation practice will benefit from attendance at the Summer School.
Please note that all other scholarships applications are now closed for 2025.
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!
