‘Translated By, Bristol’ a new festival celebrating translators and translated literature presents a fascinating look into the translation process, moderated by Ros Schwartz and featuring two top-tier translators
A translation duel sees two acclaimed translators come face to face to present their respective translations of the same text, emceed by a moderator. The aim is to explore how each translator resolves the challenges that arise and to shine a light on the translation process. It is not a competition to ‘see who’s best’ but rather an opportunity to celebrate the translators’ skill and creativity.
The French text will be made available in advance of the event, so that attendees can try their own hand at translating it and compare their efforts with those of the duellists.
This event is followed by optional(!) networking from approx 3:15pm – celebrate the closing of the first ever Translated By, Bristol!
Translated By, Bristol gratefully acknowledge the support of Peirene Press, Arts Council England and Institut Francais in organising this event.
ADRIANA HUNTER
Since ‘discovering’ the first book she was to translate, award-winning translator Adriana Hunter has brought more than 100 books to English-language readers and still enjoys the buzz of finding promising new francophone authors. Her recent work includes the international bestseller The Anomaly by Hervé Le Tellier and three volumes of Sapiens: A Graphic History based on Yuval Noah Harari’s global phenomenon, Sapiens. She relishes the challenges of translating anything from intricate literary fiction to the goofy antics and word games of Asterix and Obelix.
FRANK WYNNE
Frank Wynne is a literary translator. Born in Ireland, he moved to France in 1984 where he discovered a passion for language. He worked as a bookseller in Paris and again when he moved to London in 1987 , he translated and published comics and graphic novels and from 1996-2001 he worked in online media. He began translating literature in the late 1990s, and in 2001 decided to devote himself to this full time. He has translated works by, among others, Michel Houellebecq, Frédéric Beigbeder, Ahmadou Kourouma, Boualem Sansal, Claude Lanzmann, Tómas Eloy Martínez and Almudena Grandes. His work has earned him a number of awards, including the Scott Moncrieff Prize and the Premio Valle Inclán. His translation of Vernon Subutex was shortlisted for the Man Booker International 2018.
ROS SCHWARTZ
Co-director of Bristol Translates literary translation summer school, Ros Schwartz has translated some 100 fiction and non-fiction titles from French over the past four decades. In 2010 she published a new translation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince, and she is currently one of the team retranslating George Simenon’s oeuvre for Penguin Classics. In 2009, she was made a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. She gives talks, workshops and masterclasses around the world.
Translated By, Bristol is a new festival celebrating translators and translated literature, taking place in Bristol from 12th – 25th May 2025, founded by author/translator, Polly Barton, in collaboration with two independent Bristol bookshops (Gloucester Road Books and Storysmith).
