Keynote Lecture : Reading Like a Translator with Damion Searls
Monday 7 July – 17.00
Free and open to all (registration required)
The opening keynote will be delivered by renowned American translator Damion Searls, whose work includes translations of Gide, Proust, and many more. Drawing on his recent publication The Philosophy of Translation (2024), Searls will reflect on the principles and practices that shape his work, asking what it really means to “read like a translator.”
Gender in Translation and the Limitations of AI
Thursday 10 July – 12.30
In partnership with the Institut Français and the Goethe-Institut, this roundtable brings together Jamie Lee Searle and Rose Labourie, English and French translators respectively of Blutbuch, the award-winning novel by Kim de l’Horizon. Chaired by Rebecca DeWald, the conversation will focus on the challenges of translating a work that defies gender categories—and the shortcomings of AI tools in capturing non-binary identities.
French Workshops
Two language-specific workshops will be dedicated to French literary translation, moderated by renowned translators Ros Schwartz (Ousmane Sembène, Taha Ben Jelloun, Julien Neel), and Jonathan Dunne. Together, they will guide participants through text-based exercises and discussions.
- French > English: Led by Sarah Ardizzone and Natasha Lehrer, whose award-winning translations have brought authors such as Faïza Guène and Vanessa Springora to anglophone readers.
- English > French: Led by Mona de Pracontal, a prolific and widely respected translator of fiction and philosophy, with works by Margaret Atwood, Ursula K. Le Guin, and others to her name.